Fans of Women’s Professional Soccer increasingly want to know about the potential of MLS-WPS doubleheaders, but there are very few on tap. Steven Goff at the Washington Post noted the possibility of a D.C. United-Washington Freedom doubleheader, which is one of few that could happen in 2010.
The most obvious thought for a doubleheader would be in Saint Louis, where the U.S.S.F. Second Division’s AC Saint Louis and WPS’ Saint Louis Athletica are ‘brother-sister’ clubs and play in the same stadium. It sounds like the perfect opportunity for doubleheaders.
However, take a look at Athletica’s schedule and AC Saint Louis’ schedule. There is not a single time all season where the two teams play at home on the same day.
Obviously there is the capability of the Freedom and D.C. United linking up on May 1, and there is also an overlapping date in New Jersey. Sky Blue FC and the New York Red Bulls both have home games on Wednesday, August 11, but a doubleheader at Red Bull Arena seems far from a sure thing.
Atlanta does not even have a MLS or U.S.S.F. Second Division team in its market, and there currently are not any talks in other markets for doubleheaders. Things could change, but don’t expect to see any Breakers-Revolution, Red Stars-Fire, Independence-Union, or FC Gold Pride-Earthquakes events in 2010.
| 7 Comments… read them below or post one |
| Anonymous said… |
| True, only time will tell. Apologies for the wacky order of these comments. Still working on getting the comment section fixed. Should be nicely upgraded soon….. – Jeff |
 |
| Anonymous said… |
| I don’t think that there is that much overlap between the two teams. But it’s unfortunate that avid soccer fans (maybe a couple of hundred) that support both teams have to choose when with better planning the scheduling conflicts could be avoided. It will be interesting to see the effects on attendence when the teams play at the same time. I suspect that the overlap hurts FC Gold Pride more than the Quakes, since their attendance is much less than the Quakes. Only time will tell…………–Socarchist |
|
| Anonymous said… |
| Absolutely. You sound like you are in tune with the market. How many ‘Quakes fans are actually FC Gold Pride fans? Are those folks open to WPS? Are FC Gold Pride fans all ‘Quakes fans too? |
|
| Anonymous said… |
| I’m not advocating for doubleheaders in the Bay Area. But there are six Saturdays during the season (excluding the May 22nd WPS bye) where neither FCGP nor the Quakes play at home. With better planning, some or all of these conflicts could have been avoided. In a market as fragile as the Bay Area, the teams need to do everything possible to maximize attendence, fan interest and loyalty. Playing at the same time is counterproductive. |
|
| Anonymous said… |
| That is a good question about competing dates between FC Gold Pride and the ‘Quakes. Unfortunately, neither play in their own stadium, so controlling their dates are not 100% in the teams’ hands. In a dream world, those overlapping dates turn into doubleheaders or get rearranged. I doubt that will happen, at this point. Also, I don’t think we can call this “pathetic” for WPS. The league is focusing on what it considers more important situations first. With low MLS attendances in places like San Jose, is the risk/reward balance worth it for FC Gold Pride to do a doubleheader? ……… – Jeff |
|
| Anonymous said… |
| THIS IS PATHETIC FOR THE WPS….Tonya AntouniciORwhatever….needed to have the WPS be called W-MLS and do it that way……..ONLY………LOOK at the WNBA |
|
| Anonymous said… |
| FC Gold Pride and the Earthquakes have four overlapping dates. That’s a third of the Gold Pride’s home schedule. Why are these teams competing for soccer fans in the Bay Area? |
