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Freedom aims to open on best foot
Will Kuhns, Soccer America Washington hopes to sell more than 20,000 tickets and work out operational snags before the April 14 league opener with the Bay Area CyberRays at RFK Stadium. The full-page newspaper ads, the 250-plus banners on light poles in the nation's capital and the commercials during the men's college basketball Final Four all touted the WUSA's inaugural game with the same catch phrase: Mia vs. Brandi. The WUSA's big-dollar marketing efforts highlight the instant name-recognition that the new league has in stars such as Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain. The campaign imitates traditional boxing propaganda, except for the charming twist that women's soccer fans are on a first-name basis with the top U.S. national team members because they won the 1999 World Cup on American soil. Few would question the league for utilizing Hamm's wide-ranging popularity right from the start. Yet the host Washington Freedom, knowing that the bulk of the crowd for the April 14 game against the Bay Area CyberRays must come from its greater metropolitan area, has spent much of its promotional energies introducing its other 19 players. Since last October, the Freedom has put its players out in public with increasing frequency, rotating them among soccer clinics, bull roasts, silent auctions, professional sporting events, high school awards dinners, readathons and hospital visits. "We've tried to have a presence in the community -- both Maryland and Virginia," said Louise Waxler, the team's director of operations. "Anybody that's requested something, we haven't turned them down." So while Hamm juggles appearances on "CBS This Morning" and "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" and throws out the first pitch at a Baltimore Orioles game, players such as Jen Grubb, Emmy Barr, Keri Sarver and Siri Mullinix work on establishing grassroots connections. "Everybody wants Mia, but she can only be in so many places at one time," Waxler said. "The public needs to be aware that the Freedom is 20 players. We need to be conscious of not spreading [Hamm] too thin and the players are limited to a certain number of appearances in their contracts." SELLING THE FREEDOM. Early returns from all the handshakes and autographs were very good. The Freedom led the league in ticket packages, either full or half-season, with more than 2,500 sold by April. For the opener itself, sales eclipsed the 10,000 mark in just over two weeks, beginning March 18. The pressure on the Freedom, however, is great. "If we were in another market, we might have the luxury to do a buildup during the season," Freedom general manager Katy Button said, "but with this inaugural game, we have to start on our best foot." Freedom officials are hoping to fill the lower bowl of RFK Stadium, which holds about 21,000 fans. Button said she would consider the game a big success if the upper deck must be opened to accommodate an overflow from below. The stadium itself is undergoing a facelift, with a new paint job, a new video screen and upgraded VIP areas. Two hours before kickoff, an interactive fan festival will begin on the front lawn. The team has encountered technical snags with things such as e-mail, printing tickets and basic delays in getting operational. "The challenges are really the ones inherent in any start-up," Button said. "Everything seems to take a few go-rounds to get it exactly right. A HELPING HAND. Fortunately, for the Freedom, the WUSA league office has devoted much of its personnel to working on the inaugural game. Kit Simeone, who mobilized the mass grassroots marketing campaign for the 1999 World Cup, is helping all eight teams institute similar programs. The team has targeted two primary groups of potential fans - children ages 6-18 (with their parents) and young professionals who have a connection to soccer through playing. Waxler acknowledged that the WUSA's marketing focus differs slightly from that of MLS. "I think we have, perhaps, different audiences," Waxler said. "As you know, D.C. has a rich Hispanic community which supports the men's game. We have two Brazilians [Pretinha and Roseli] on our team, but as you know, Latin Americans don't really look at the women's game." The enthusiasm about the new league has prompted many fans to offer assistance, and during the past two months they have provided a valuable resource. More than 150 volunteers have signed up to help in some capacity on April 14. Button is confident that the game - nationally televised by TNT - will provide a sparkling showcase of the new league. "We had an all-operations meeting recently, and I was actually a little surprised with how many of our bases we had covered," Button said. "With Thom Meredith helping us in the league office, nothing gets by him ... and also the support of D.C. United, who have helped us so much getting ready for this day, we don't -- knock on wood -- feel like we're going to get blind-sided by anything at this point." Will Kuhns is an associate editor at Soccer America magazine.
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