I just posted this in the Blog Matchnight comments regarding my own previous post about attendance figures. This is specifically tied to Des Moines' PDL attendance figures and whether they have enough support for an A-League team:
How's this?
Menace averages from '01-'04 seasons:
2001: 2,703
2002: 4,401
2003: 3,971
2004: 3,695 (includes exhibition vs. Wizards).
The other encouraging thing about their attendance figures is that they don't seem to have a drop for back to back games. They've had 2 sets of back-to-back home matches this season:
5/15: 3,756
5/16: 4,065
5/29: 3,496
5/30: 3,440
They've generally been consistent that way in past seasons as well. Their attendance record is 6,312 in '02.
FYI: the 2002 season they went undefeated in the regular season. By the way, they'll get a Freddy Adu spike soon too, as he's flying to Des Moines after the DC United/Fire match and giving away autographed Freddy jerseys at a Menace match that night, and they had a contest for someone to fly to the Fire match and back on a private plane w/Freddy.
I had the opportunity to attend my first Menace match last week, albeit an exhibition against the Kansas City Wizards, which drew over 3,700 on a Tuesday night. In the process, I met owner Kyle Krause and director of operations Nate Van Steenvoort, among others, and from my own viewpoint, they run an A-League team already, and in that market, they're treated that way. TV crews and the Des Moines Register cover the home matches. The crowd seemed knowledgable and full of energy, and with the Menace's consistent performance on the field the last few seasons, the fans have good reason to perk up the attendance numbers as well. They, like many clubs, have giveaways and halftime contests, and Menace gear is readily available as well. Plus, they pass out a 20-page program with a color cover. Yes it's full of ads, but also has plenty of useful soccer information.
The match itself wasn't the highest quality (how often do exhibitions measure up anyway?), but neither team scored until Matt Taylor's goal in the 81st minute to give KC a 1-0 win. The Menace had played 2 matches the previous weekend, and KC one of their own, plus they had a training session and a 3 hour bus ride to Des Moines.
My visit to Des Moines was on the invitation of a couple of friends of mine I made during the 2002 World Cup in Korea, one of whom was the AR for the match--Doug Jotzke. I watched much of the match with his parents, and also had the opportunity to meet Terry Vaughn, who happens to be from Iowa as well.
All-in-all, a first class job by the Menace top to bottom. If ever a PDL city could jump straight to the A-League, they could. Plenty of A-League teams need to find out what's happening in Des Moines, bottle it up and bring it back with them.
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