A former official with the National Hockey League, Steve Ryan is in his eighth season as the commissioner of the Major Indoor Soccer League. In those eight seasons, the Blast has laid claim to half of the league?s championships. But the league in total isn?t quite as successful as the Blast is individually. One team ? California ? is already out for next season, and the league that is always in a state of change will be going through more changes this summer.
With the rate of expansion, do you suggest to new clubs to adopt the same strategies that have made the Blast so successful?
I think Baltimore demonstrates that with aggressive marketing and sales,you can build a brand, and the Blast is a very well known brand. I?m always pleasantly surprised to run into people in Washington and Maryland that know the Blast.
Are you concerned by the Fox Soccer Channel championship broadcast ? which did not air the first quarter ? and the belief that the league?s championship has often been dictated by television?
I don?t think anyone is pleased with the production we had this year and we need to address that. People recognize the important of television. And a debate is certainly, what?s the right amount of television. The final debate is the championship and it doesn?t have to do with TV. Do you want to pre-assign it? There are a lot of variables to discuss and that?s what the summer is for.
Monterrey was obviously a success, but what about its sister expansion teams: New Jersey and Orlando?
[New Jersey] got a late jump because of the [new arena], but they showed a lot of promise up there. The City of Newark really has a lot of ethnic groups, and soccer has a lot of appeal. It will be a good market. Orlando hada tough year in terms of attendance, but the team didn?t play well. Its tough when you?re an expansion team and you?re not wining. They?re addressing that now in the offseason. They had the highest per-unit ticket pricing in the league. They just need to get some more Ws.
In looking to expand westward, are larger markets your target, or do you feel the league has found success in mid-sized markets?
You have to say based up on the current makeup that we?re split. The strength we?ve exhibited in Milwaukee and Baltimore has to suggest that it?s not necessarily the size of the market, but it?s the ownership ? the investor/operator.
