FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Dubai

Somewhere in eastern Slovakia...

At least these are two very different choices.

Capitalize on existing rabid interest, or help plant seeds in an emerging market...

Bigalke........Beijing? A cesspool of filth with the air quality worse than New York, Los Angeles and London combined. In a country ruled by a communist government well known for its human rights violations and having just suffered a catastrophic high magnitude earth quake and its after shocks. A country that would afford little to no freedoms that most of the foreign players now enjoy. It's highly unlikely that any of the top players in other nations would ever even concider playing a single day in Beijing. What is your response to this?

leaning left. Will wait for further arguments.

China is not a good idea. I don't think there is the affluent fan base there necessary to support a big time club.

I like the idea of Dubai. There certainly is a strong wealthy European/American fan base there, and the lifestyle/tax benefits might be very appealing to players. If they could somehow negotiate a deal to play in UEFA that might be a winner (hey, they let in Israel).

Dubai is brilliant, but so is Beijing. Great pick, Bigalke. I'll wait for more arguments before I vote though.

m'eh - dunno about Dubai. Qatar has a team, they overpay more has beens to come there than the MLS does. Hasn't done em any good either. Thats why Jeevs' idea is better with me. Still won't vote til Bigalke counters though.

Plus its hot as hell and dry, lol

But of course, they can just build a big airconditioned indoor stadium they're so rich

Yeah, they sure have the $$$$ in Dubai.

I will do what I do with every other soccer TD. I know nothing about them so I will remain neutral until the throwdown is done. Then I will commence, read it, and vote.

I disagree with both picks. I don't think a new team in EPL would be able to bring in good players and in result have a small fan base along with small profits and will probably get sent to a lower league. Beijing is also questionable because of how weak of teams they would be able to play against. How would they do against actual good teams?

If you want to be competitive right away, have a good fan base, and also have a good market, how about Quebec? Although soccer has not been strong in the US, the teams in Canada have been recieving great support. Also, without such a strong league, they could instantly become contenders. If not Quebec, I still think another Canadian city would be a good choice.

If you want to be competitive right away, have a good fan base, and also have a good market, how about Quebec? Although soccer has not been strong in the US, the teams in Canada have been recieving great support. Also, without such a strong league, they could instantly become contenders. If not Quebec, I still think another Canadian city would be a good choice.

Wallace: Mr. Smith | 05/31/08, 02:37 PM

That was what I was thinking... or Portland. Honestly. You have to look at the soccer history of that city... players like Kasey Keller and such have gone through UP, the city's in love with it's sports teams (especially now that the Blazers aren't starting more people in the prison lineup), and it's perfect for natural grass...

So I vote for Wallace.

So I vote for Wallace.

thehemogoblin is anti-mullet | 05/31/08, 03:18 PM

And here I thought you would be voting for that Hemo guy

jeevs, there are already two teams in Bristol, too, one of which is already "gunning" for the Premier League. With Bristol City and Bristol Rovers already dividing up the fan base, I think a Bristol United would fail, if for no other reason than trying to barge in on an established rivalry... even though the teams are not playing at the same level, they do more than enough to capture the "fan base" of the Bristol area.

I woulda said Hull, since they were the largest city in Britain (and Europe) never to have played in the top tier... until now (2008-09).

About Beijing, it *kinda* makes sense, except for the fact that the C-League (the Chinese Super League) is such a basket case. Plopping down one "mega" team in a mediocre league isn't really a recipe for massive revenue--until the CSL has a better track record, I'd stay away from it. (it's only four years old)

Better to plop a franchise down in Australia's A-League (there are currently eight franchises there) or MLS--there will likely be a cutoff after 18 or 20, and St. Louis is generally recognized to be a shoo-in for 17th. That means there are between 1 and 3 spots remaining, and as of now there are no plans for promotion/relegation (in either A-League or MLS) so best to snap up one of those franchises. And unlike with clubs in England (and most of the rest of the world), you can move your franchise to another city if you want to maximize revenue (through tax breaks, stadium construction, etc.)

Don't know how (or if) I'll vote. Good topic, though. ;-)

kansas, bristol rovers are in the third division though, not as much of a threat.

Bristol is a very large city. Manchester i smaller and have two premier league teams in Man Utd and Man City and it works out fine. It'll be more like Bristol City vs Bristol United

Wallace, i was basing it on the fact that they would be able to stay in the premier league for years in order to gain the benefits of the money available. Of course, you need a pretty wealthy owner at the beginning to keep them up once they make it through buying players.

But the reward is much more worth it than in China, because they will get a lot more money and fame in the premier league if they stay up, and even in the 2nd divison they still get more TV coverage and probably more cash than any Chinese team.