For a team that gets the job done on the field, the Philadelphia Independence sure lack fan support off the field.

As of the 18th week of WPS competition, Indy has an overall 2010 median attendance of… wait for it… 2,585. Boston, meanwhile, leads the league in attendance with 4,651–almost twice that of Indy. And while (slowly) digesting these ugly figures, keep in mind that this is the Independence’s inaugural season, and new teams have historically seen their attendance decline in their second years as the newness of the team fades. So what does that mean for next year?

Simply put, things need to change. And fast.

As a born-and-raised Philadelphian, I find it difficult to believe that this borderline-obsessive sports town does not have enough women’s soccer fans to fill a college stadium. We are, after all, the city that threw snowballs at the Dallas Cowboys AND Santa Claus at two separate Eagles games. So, keeping in mind the fact that Indy’s 2nd place record means that the on-field product has been above average this year, it would seem as though the issue has less to do with product and more to do with placement.

What is wrong with John A. Farrell Stadium?

Oh, let me count the ways.

First off, the field is a 40-50 minute hike for anyone actually living in Philadelphia–you know, the “home” of the Independence. Not to mention that drivers who do not come from Center City Philadelphia will more than likely have to take the Schuylkill Expressway, which has the infamous nickname of the “Sure-Kill Expressway” and features left lane entrances and exits that have been described as “merge or die”. If that doesn’t make you want to travel to an Indy game in the pouring rain, I don’t know what will.

Also, Philadelphia has the 6th largest U.S. transit system in terms of ridership, and Indy’s field happens to lack any and all forms of accessible public transportation. When I was a kid, my dad and I used to take the train to Philadelphia Charge games, and the train would be PACKED with rowdy Charge fans. Where did you all go?

Plus, it is an even further drive for those living in the soccer hotbed of Bucks County, PA, which is a suburban county of Philadelphia. This passionate soccer community has seen almost no advertising for their new pro women’s team, and the field is just too far away for any potential season ticket holder to drive to.So where should the Philadelphia Independence relocate?

It might just be the misguided hope of this diehard Indy fan, but my guess is that the Independence organization has already considered other options for the future. I am not even going to pretend that I have a clue as to how much these stadiums would cost, but here are a few possible ideas for Indy:

1. Villanova Stadium (Villanova University)
With a seating capacity of 12,500, the Villanova Stadium at Villanova University would be an ideal candidate for immediate relocation. This was Kelly Smith’s stomping ground during the Philadelphia Charge’s 3-year WUSA campaign, when the Charge averaged 7,086 fans in their 31 home games. Villanova also features a train and trolley stop, making it a feasible location for those who depend on public transportation.

2. McCarthy Stadium (LaSalle University)
The 7,500 seat stadium on LaSalle University’s campus would be ideal because of its size and location. The turf field is approximately 15-20 min. from downtown Philadelphia, and the SEPTA Broad Street Line runs straight to the campus. The field would be far more accessible for the Bucks County crowd than West Chester too, as it would be about a 35 min. ride from the Bucks County to Philadelphia border.

3. PPL Park (home of the Philadelphia Union)
Simply put, this is a bad idea. While it is a beautiful, soccer-specific stadium (which would please the TV viewing audience), the stadium seats a whopping 18,500–which means the TV viewing audience would instead get to play a game of “spot the Indy fan” amongst the sea of empty seats. It also fails to offer feasible public transportation–though a stray bus is said to run by the stadium on an hourly basis.

Oh, and if that does not persuade you that this would indeed be a bad idea, consider this: the city of Chester, PA, where PPL Park is located, had to go into a 34-day state of emergency because of the city’s ridiculously high rate of shootings and murder. Seriously.

And as I said before, I have no idea how much these stadiums cost, but one would have to believe that PPL Park would be at the high end of the chart–and it doesn’t seem worth the money.

4. Harry E. Franks Stadium (Neshaminy High School)
Hear that sound? That’s the sound of frustrated WPS fans groaning at the thought of their elite soccer league playing at a local high school. But don’t ex out the page yet. I wish that Indy could sell out (and afford) an 80,000 seat stadium, but that is not realistic. Realistically, this approximately 7500 seat stadium would be a great fit for the soccer passionate Lower Bucks County community–not to mention the ritzier neighborhoods surrounding Lower Bucks. Much of Philadelphia’s youth soccer actually takes place in Northeast Philadelphia and Bucks County anyway, so why not try to market to this community by using a stadium in their backyard? This option would most likely appeal to many more potential fans than what exists in West Chester, PA (which has a population of only 17,861 according to the 2000 Census).
Other possible high schools: Bensalem Memorial Football Stadium, Bensalem HS (capacity unknown, but probably large enough to house a WPS team)

Other locations:

-Drexel University’s Vidas Fields is an attractive field in a favorable location, but the seating capacity is only 2500, which is obviously too small to house a WPS team unless seating is added.

- St. Joes’ Finnessey Field and UPenn’s Rhodes Field offer even less in terms of seating, but if seating can be added, these fields are also options. If anyone seriously recommends the 52,593 seat UPenn’s Franklin Field, I will laugh out loud. Unless you’re looking for an echo contest.

- Temple University lacks an on-campus site for their athletic teams, which means that the soccer teams have to travel by bus to suburban Ambler, PA while the football team goes to Lincoln Financial Field. There have been rumors for years that Temple is considering building a new field, and a long-term option for Indy would be to partner up with the school and build a stadium that would be home to both Temple teams and Indy alike. Obviously this would be costly, and probably not the best plan for the team to undertake in their sophomore year–not to mention the fact that it would not answer immediate needs. But, who knows what the future holds…

If you have other ideas, or you just want to tell me how much you hate these ideas, feel free to comment and voice your opinion. Whether I am right or wrong in my recommendations, the fact remains that these attendance numbers are not going to cut it, and the Philadelphia Independence organization deserves better support.

View Original Post at allwhitekit.wordpress.com

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