UCF joins the Sunbelt for Soccer

[CajunT]

I don't understand why you people don't realize that Dr. Maggard has been and is working on this. Sheesh.

If by "working on this" you mean finding ways to fill in the gaps of our current budget concerns and raising money for the stadium renovation, then I completely agree with your statement. That's what he told a group of people and myself last week. There was no mention of adding additional programs to the athletic department.

[ManAboutTown]

Your point concerning demographics makes sense when trying to project if soccer can be successful and a revenue sport at UL, which is extremely unlikely. From the arguments being used here, using a model like FAU is questionable at best. Why, because the demographics in population show South Florida has a much larger Latino population than the state of Louisiana. The interest in the game is culturally significantly different than South Louisiana and that certainly helps when building a new program.

Building a winning culture is entirely different than finding revenue sources to pay for scholarships, and other internal cost associated with a college sports program. The claim that it can be a revenue neutral, or even add revenue to the athletic program is speculative at best and not a fact-based argument. Why, because there is not s single revenue neutral sport currently in UL Athletic program. In fact, the last two years have seen significant reduction in budgets across the board, and transfers from the UL Foundation to be paid back by RCAF and other sources.

While there seems to be a love for the sport, especially in the younger demographics in this board, the suggestions that dropping basketball would be a path in financing a soccer program, are comical at best and idiotic. Regardless of the current status of the Ragin' Cajun program, college basketball still brings in the second highest amount of viewership and television revenue in college sports after football. If someone can show me what kind of television revenue college soccer is generating today, and if it's greater than baseball or softball, I might be willing to listen.

Well, all of this is speculative at this point, no matter what side you fall on.

While we’ve run a deficit the last two years (mainly impacted by covid and staffing costs), softball and baseball have been net neutral over the last 15 or so years. If not neutral, pretty close.

[sportsfanatic21]

Is winning a “natty” worth anything at all if nobody cares?

I’m as big a sports fan as anyone and I couldn’t tell you who won any college soccer national title in the history of the world. Am I’m far from alone.

And as for soccer being the fastest growing sport, or however its being hyped now (the same thing has been being said for the last 2 decades), its a sport in America for little kids. It doesn’t move the needle whatsoever after about 13 years old in this country.

And this is from someone who played soccer spring and fall from the time I was 6 years old until I was 13…and then the major American sports took over full time.

[CajunT]

Well, all of this is speculative at this point, no matter what side you fall on.

While we’ve run a deficit the last two years (mainly impacted by covid and staffing costs), softball and baseball have been net neutral over the last 15 or so years. If not neutral, pretty close.

You can check the last two state audits, nothing I said about our budget is speculative. You can Google college sports television revenue and viewership, and nothing I stated about college basketball is speculative. Everything else is speculative, but a few things are more projectable in concerns of revenue streams historically.

[ManAboutTown]

You can check the last two state audits, nothing I said about our budget is speculative. You can Google college sports television revenue and viewership, and nothing I stated about college basketball is speculative. Everything else is speculative, but a few things are more projectable in concerns of revenue streams historically.

I’m saying the impact of soccer and how feasible it would/could be is speculative. Not the budget.

[ManAboutTown]

Is winning a “natty” worth anything at all if nobody cares?

I’m as big a sports fan as anyone and I couldn’t tell you who won any college soccer national title in the history of the world. Am I’m far from alone.

And as for soccer being the fastest growing sport, or however its being hyped now (the same thing has been being said for the last 2 decades), its a sport in America for little kids. It doesn’t move the needle whatsoever after about 13 years old in this country.

And this is from someone who played soccer spring and fall from the time I was 6 years old until I was 13…and then the major American sports took over full time.

I like your posts mostly, but this is just wrong. Soccer has over taken youth sports for the last 15 years. And this is coming from someone that never played a lick of soccer. Winning a national title in the fastest growing sport in the country would be a huge deal, in fact. Lots of people would care.

[Turbine]

Every sport at this school has its own fanbase. Which is unique; and counterproductive.

In the case of adding a sport, a unique fanbase is essential.

Spreading old money on a bigger slice of bread won't work and (quite frankly) is the only reason some of the shortsighted are saying UL can't afford it.

Soccer is the one sport that can bring in its own fanbase, it's own money.

This is the one sport that can attract international students.

This is the one sport that can bring in money from existing international alumni. Of which there are many thousands, and they only love one sport. Futbol

[CajunVic]

https://www.bing.com/search?q=Fastes...823076B3BB70CE

Not much soccer in "The fastest gowing sports in US" search

[Turbine]

https://www.bing.com/search?q=Fastes...823076B3BB70CE

Not much soccer in "The fastest gowing sports in US" search

When it comes to the fans in the stands sports and overall interest (paying fans) only soccer has remained on the incline.

[cajun55]

"If there are no barriers or reasons why we need to sponsor Olympic sports, would it be wise to replace them with a sport with potential to generate revenue way years down the road is soccer ever overtakes football/basketball/diamond sports in popularity (realizing this is a timeframe in decades)? "

Does men's college soccer really have that future potential though? I don't think it does. The United States is modeling it's soccer future on Europe, where does college soccer fall in that model. The best players will not be playing in college. I could be wrong and I love soccer, try to follow it on the national and international stage, help me out on how college men's soccer has a big future. I would love to have men's soccer here at UL I just don't know that it has the potential some seem to think.

[CajunVic]

When it comes to the fans in the stands sports and overall interest (paying fans) only soccer has remained on the incline.

source?

[Turbine]

source?

https://dakotastudent.com/13449/spor...-sport-soccer/

In this case it helps to differentiate between "fan" sports and participation sports.

[BBcajun]

Northside doesn’t field soccer teams.

They gave it a try in 2006 & 2007. They were in the same district as the high school team I coached. They had boys & girls varsity teams. Their numbers were small with just enough players to field a team. Their soccer program stopped in 2008 if i remember correctly.

[ManAboutTown]

https://www.bing.com/search?q=Fastes...823076B3BB70CE

Not much soccer in "The fastest gowing sports in US" search

nm

[ManAboutTown]

"If there are no barriers or reasons why we need to sponsor Olympic sports, would it be wise to replace them with a sport with potential to generate revenue way years down the road is soccer ever overtakes football/basketball/diamond sports in popularity (realizing this is a timeframe in decades)? "

Does men's college soccer really have that future potential though? I don't think it does. The United States is modeling it's soccer future on Europe, where does college soccer fall in that model. The best players will not be playing in college. I could be wrong and I love soccer, try to follow it on the national and international stage, help me out on how college men's soccer has a big future. I would love to have men's soccer here at UL I just don't know that it has the potential some seem to think.

This is one of the best points made here. But even if the best young talent opts for academy route, there will still be plenty left over talent for quality college soccer. IMO