Interesting Idea for PRFC

[The Ghost of Luke Rooney]

I saw this interesting idea over from Reddit that seemed like a good conversation starter. What’s everyone’s thoughts here on the Sport Democracy system? Would it effect attendance?

“After listening to the latest episode of Extra Time Radio I heard them saying how the Seattle Sounders have a system where they let fans vote who the GM of the team will be, giving the fans the power to impact the team when they feel like there’s change needed. I think it has helped them put butts in seats for the part time soccer fan. It made me think of the Green Bay Packers where the public is also heavily involved and how many fans they consistently get as well.

I feel like if the Phoenix Rising were to adapt that Sounders model where the fans have a little bit of buy in and power it would go along way in drumming up interest and adding butts to the seat.

It makes sense for a sports market like Phoenix where today most fans have endeared a extended amount of time of pure misery waiting for a team to be great consistently. If you give them a professional soccer team where they get to influence and be hands on I think this market would reward that team with butts in the seats.

I think our ownership group and fans are already on the same page and have a great relationship. The fans and the organization are fully interactive with each other on a personal level, that for a lot of fans there’s already that sense of pure passion and ownership where they’re truly all in on the team.

If they add this model adopted from the Sounders organization that produced one of the most rabid and passionate crowds out there, do you think that the Rising ownership group would do the same? Do you think that this buy in from both sides would impact attendance by a ten fold?

I think if they went with this model and potentially built/completely renovate Chase Field, where they’re downtown easily accessed by both east and west valleys, it would produce 20k+ consistent crowds with potential for more. It could be a good way to sell the team to potential fans on a fan oriented “for the people, by the people” alternate system. I know we’re already trendy and eccentric in our identity, I feel like this system could work very well with our identity of inclusion and being fan first.

What’s everyone thoughts on this? Completely crazy, or a winning model?

It’s organized between the team and a board of representatives for the fans. They have a vote every four years so there’s a fair enough time for the GM to make an impact. The catch is in order to get a vote you must be a season ticket holder, one seat = one vote. I find it to very interesting and it’s a bit of a read but check out the details here:

http://soundersalliance.org/category/editorials/gm-vote/

They call it Democracy in Sports, if you choose to read through it all, you have to think it doesn’t align with our identity so far as a team.”

[Aaron Blau]

Rough year to propose this concept. Sounders, as well as SII are near basement dwellers.

I’m not sure the electorate has the ability to make a choice like this. The collective is going to eliminate outlier opinions which have the highest potential for risk and reward. Now, if the electorate chose a board of 6 experts, that is possible, since the candidates would have the soccer IQ necessary to make the most educated and well thought choice.

It is an interesting concept for sure though.

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