MLS in Charlotte - 2021

[dylansukkert]

3 hours ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

Dude’s - I totally purchased a couple of those $15 CLT-FC Tickets for the game this coming Saturday (3/19/22) but I have a feeling that although this fits my budget that this cannot be good for the Charlotte Independence Club to have the local MLS Team selling tickets for $15.  Any thoughts on that?

Honestly they need more affordable tickets. Checking Ticketmaster there is a great deal of overpriced tickets still available for Saturdays second ever home game. 

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

On 3/14/2022 at 11:55 AM, Hushpuppy321 said:

Dude’s - I totally purchased a couple of those $15 CLT-FC Tickets for the game this coming Saturday (3/19/22) but I have a feeling that although this fits my budget that this cannot be good for the Charlotte Independence Club to have the local MLS Team selling tickets for $15.  Any thoughts on that?

Is it too early to buy those $15 tickets for the game on 3/26? Also, is there a place you go online for these or do you have to actually go to the stadiums ticket office for these?

[SouthEndCLT811]

5 minutes ago, CharlotteWkndBuzz said:

Is it too early to buy those $15 tickets for the game on 3/26? Also, is there a place you go online for these or do you have to actually go to the stadiums ticket office for these?

$15 ticket sales start 14 days before the date of each home game.  And must be purchased at the stadium ticket office.

[dylansukkert]

8 hours ago, SouthEndCLT811 said:

$15 ticket sales start 14 days before the date of each home game.  And must be purchased at the stadium ticket office.

Where are these $15 tickets? 200 level behind the opposite goal of the supporters section? 

[SouthEndCLT811]

9 hours ago, dylansukkert said:

Where are these $15 tickets? 200 level behind the opposite goal of the supporters section? 

Haven't specified just "lower level".  From reddit below after the opener and the Chief Fan Officer is also tweeting about it.  Nothing has come out like an official statement from the team.

https://www.reddit.com/r/CharlotteFootballClub/comments/t8whxp/i_emailed_the_cltfc_ticket_office_about_ticket/

[Hushpuppy321]

Was an amazing win today over FC Cincy….  I hope that our fellow brethren in Raleigh are attending MLS Games here in Charlotte, watching on TV and rejoicing with us.  Can feel like the two major metro areas are at odds sometimes.

Charlotte is the Sports & Entertainment Capital of the Carolinas.  Raleigh/Triangle is the  State Capitol and epicenter of all NC Biotech.

 

[JHart]

The atmosphere at the home games so far has been electric, far more exciting than Panthers games in BOA. Sitting in the supporters section for the goal in the 6th minute felt like we had just won a major tournament; the crowd went absolutely bananas. Highly recommend going to a game for anyone on the fence about soccer and the support here in the QC. 

[NYtoCLT]

35 minutes ago, JHart said:

The atmosphere at the home games so far has been electric, far more exciting than Panthers games in BOA. Sitting in the supporters section for the goal in the 6th minute felt like we had just won a major tournament; the crowd went absolutely bananas. Highly recommend going to a game for anyone on the fence about soccer and the support here in the QC. 

A buddy of mine went from not following soccer at all to having gone to every home game so far because of how good the atmosphere has been.  We walked out of the Cincy game and he commented on how much more fun it was than the Panthers where everyone was singing/chanting having a blast outside the main gate after the game ended.

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

Agree, went to the first game and it was a blast! A really special experience. Honestly the most fun I’ve had in there since the nfc championship game. Tep has done one thing right and that was creating a party atmosphere. The new renovations look great inside as well and never had to wait in line for a beer. I was supposed to go to the cincy game but my pup was sick. Haven’t witnessed a goal in person yet but looking forward to the excitement. 

[videtur quam contuor]

I was in and around the Gold District for the UP meeting Saturday and the crowd was definitely a good bit younger than for Panthers. Sure, many were around to watch on telly rather than in person, but still. What is the crowd age difference inside the stadium for those who experience both teams?

[SouthEndCLT811]

2 hours ago, tarhoosier said:

I was in and around the Gold District for the UP meeting Saturday and the crowd was definitely a good bit younger than for Panthers. Sure, many were around to watch on telly rather than in person, but still. What is the crowd age difference inside the stadium for those who experience both teams?

From 2017 so getting to be if not already outdated but take it fwiw..

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/a-look-inside-the-modern-sports-fan-nfl-vs-ncaa-vs_b_5a3a9ed9e4b0df0de8b061a3

The NFL:

Demographics: The NFL fan is 41% more likely to be a Male than a Female, and is most likely to fall with the 50-59 age range. Where the NFL seems to be losing viewer interest is within the 20-29-year-old age range, as those consumers are 10% less likely to be interested in the NFL. In terms of income, we see the “sweet spot” for interest for online users with a household income between $75-$100k (10% more likely than average to earn this amount).

Major League Soccer:

Demographics: In terms of age, the MLS draws the interest of the youngest consumers we profiled, with those aged 31-35 about 42% more likely to show interest. They are also more likely to be financially well off, with incomes of $150k+, and living in mostly urban areas in and around cities such Detroit, Chicago, Denver, Boise, ID and Austin TX. In terms of gender, they are the most well balanced of any of the sports we profiled, with just 17% more likelihood to be Male.

 

[kayman]

On 3/26/2022 at 7:56 PM, Hushpuppy321 said:

Was an amazing win today over FC Cincy….  I hope that our fellow brethren in Raleigh are attending MLS Games here in Charlotte, watching on TV and rejoicing with us.  Can feel like the two major metro areas are at odds sometimes.

Charlotte is the Sports & Entertainment Capital of the Carolinas.  Raleigh/Triangle is the  State Capitol and epicenter of all NC Biotech.

 

I think it's best the Triangle be the State Capitol, research, tech, pharma and education epicenter. Meanwhile, Charlotte is the epicenter of biotech, fintech, financial, transportation, logistics, distribution, entertainment, and major league sports of the Carolinas. Charlotte FC reaffirmed this to be fact. 

Edited March 31, 2022 by kayman

[DownEast]

19 hours ago, kayman said:

I think it's best the Triangle be the State Capitol, research, tech, pharma and education epicenter. Meanwhile, Charlotte is the epicenter of biotech, fintech, financial, transportation, logistics, distribution, entertainment, and major league sports of the Carolinas. Charlotte FC reaffirmed this to be fact. 

The Triangle is very much a soccer town. While Charlotte makes more sense in the now. The Triangle has been at the epicenter of youth soccer for decades. I remember playing as a youth and the 3 largest soccer merch catalogues were out of Carrboro, Hillsborough and Cary IIRC. The Triangle also aligns itself with MLS's chief demo. If they can ever get a real ownership group together, they'll have a team in maybe 8 to 10 years. Very few metros in front of them especially with such a high growth trajectory. Now that would be a rivalry to juicy to pass up.

[a2theb]

35 minutes ago, DownEast said:

The Triangle is very much a soccer town. While Charlotte makes more sense in the now. The Triangle has been at the epicenter of youth soccer for decades. I remember playing as a youth and the 3 largest soccer merch catalogues were out of Carrboro, Hillsborough and Cary IIRC. The Triangle also aligns itself with MLS's chief demo. If they can ever get a real ownership group together, they'll have a team in maybe 8 to 10 years. Very few metros in front of them especially with such a high growth trajectory. Now that would be a rivalry to juicy to pass up.

Never realized Eurosport (now Soccer.com) was based in Hillsborough.

That said, agree with the Triangle being the epicenter for youth soccer. TFC, CASL, Triangle United, etc were always challenging opponents and were always a majority of the NC ODP program it seemed. 

[kayman]

10 hours ago, DownEast said:

The Triangle is very much a soccer town. While Charlotte makes more sense in the now. The Triangle has been at the epicenter of youth soccer for decades. I remember playing as a youth and the 3 largest soccer merch catalogues were out of Carrboro, Hillsborough and Cary IIRC. The Triangle also aligns itself with MLS's chief demo. If they can ever get a real ownership group together, they'll have a team in maybe 8 to 10 years. Very few metros in front of them especially with such a high growth trajectory. Now that would be a rivalry to juicy to pass up.

No where did I say the Triangle didn't have soccer.  I said the Charlotte FC reaffirmed Charlotte is the major league sports epicenter of the Carolinas.  

[InSouthPark]

Looks like Charlotte FC is about to finalize a training facility in Charlotte:  https://twitter.com/NickKelly/status/1511712601402753030

"Very close on finalizing an agreement for a permanent training facility in Charlotte. More to come soon, but not quite done yet."

 

 

[Hushpuppy321]

On 4/6/2022 at 11:25 AM, InSouthPark said:

Looks like Charlotte FC is about to finalize a training facility in Charlotte:  https://twitter.com/NickKelly/status/1511712601402753030

"Very close on finalizing an agreement for a permanent training facility in Charlotte. More to come soon, but not quite done yet."

 

 

Dang - I think that the original plan for Eastland would’ve been best.  I wonder if this does spell the beginning of the end for the Panthers Rockhill Development?

[Bolt]

Charlotte is not the epicenter of biotech.  Triangle is.  Fintech yes, but do not discount large presence of Credit Suise and Fidelity in the Triangle.   25 years from now the Triangle will be the dominant metro in the state.   Population, GDP, etc.   Not a troll thread  just how old industry vs new evolves. 

[kayman]

13 hours ago, Bolt said:

Charlotte is not the epicenter of biotech.  Triangle is.  Fintech yes, but do not discount large presence of Credit Suise and Fidelity in the Triangle.   25 years from now the Triangle will be the dominant metro in the state.   Population, GDP, etc.   Not a troll thread  just how old industry vs new evolves. 

 #delusional

[DownEast]

While Wilmington is more of a biotech hot bed than Charlotte, I can't see the Triangle being the "dominant" metro barring some unforseen catastrophe. Even now, Charlotte is only mildly dominant today as the Triangle is slowly closing the gap. 

And to bring this back. CFC road woes continue. But, 2-1 is a respectable road loss in Orlando and Colorado should have been our first road win. #learntopass. Orlando is just a tough place to turn the corner. 

Edited May 3, 2022 by DownEast

[15895]

6 hours ago, DownEast said:

While Wilmington is more of a biotech hot bed than Charlotte, I can't see the Triangle being the "dominant" metro barring some unforseen catastrophe. Even now, Charlotte is only mildly dominant today as the Triangle is slowly closing the gap. 

And to bring this back. CFC road woes continue. But, 2-1 is a respectable road loss in Orlando and Colorado should have been our first road win. #learntopass. Orlando is just a tough place to turn the corner. 

Not that I'd care about the subject, but I wonder if that's actually accurate.

It seems the gap between Charlotte &  Atlanta is growing further apart as is the gap between Raleigh and Charlotte. In a perceptional sense, it feels like those gaps are narrowing, but in what way are they actually (Charlotte to Atlanta and Raleigh to Charlotte) closing the gap?

At least population wise, Atlanta has expanded the gap by 816,000 people over Charlotte since 2000.

2000 MSA Population:

Atlanta: 4,112,198

Charlotte: 1,499,293

Difference: 2,612,905

2020 MSA Population

Atlanta: 6,089,815

Charlotte: 2,660,329

Difference: 3,429,486

(If these numbers are to be trusted and I did the math right... http://www.demographia.com/db-usmet2000.htm   & http://www.iweblists.com/us/population/MetropolitanStatisticalAreaPop.html)

Edited May 3, 2022 by AirNostrumMAD

[DownEast]

Population. 

[InSouthPark]

1 hour ago, AirNostrumMAD said:

Not that I'd care about the subject, but I wonder if that's actually accurate.

It seems the gap between Charlotte &  Atlanta is growing further apart as is the gap between Raleigh and Charlotte. In a perceptional sense, it feels like those gaps are narrowing, but in what way are they actually (Charlotte to Atlanta and Raleigh to Charlotte) closing the gap?

At least population wise, Atlanta has expanded the gap by 816,000 people over Charlotte since 2000.

2000 MSA Population:

Atlanta: 4,112,198

Charlotte: 1,499,293

Difference: 2,612,905

2020 MSA Population

Atlanta: 6,089,815

Charlotte: 2,660,329

Difference: 3,429,486

(If these numbers are to be trusted and I did the math right... http://www.demographia.com/db-usmet2000.htm   & http://www.iweblists.com/us/population/MetropolitanStatisticalAreaPop.html)

Charlotte population has increased 75%, Atlanta’s 50%. But with a 3.5m lead, will be a while before that gap closes if both cities stay the course. So yeah Charlotte is growing faster but when you had a huge lead and still grow….

[JRCLT]

Atlanta metro is humongous but radial so it may seem like it’s not but it is. Simply Atlanta just happens to be at the center. NC and GA have roughly the same population. If Charlotte were to catch up or even get relatively close it would mean that NC would either 1. Suddenly be populated mostly in the Charlotte Metro. (Unlikely obviously…and very dense.) or 2. Gain a few million more residents than GA as a whole and all in the Charlotte metro alone. There is no one dominant city in NC BECAUSE it is so spread out in nodes. Charlotte, Raleigh/Durham, Greensboro/Winston-Salem, Fayetteville, Wilmington, Asheville (just under 100k). These are all cities with hundreds of thousands of people. Metro areas with hundreds of thousands and some near half a million people. NC is very spread out with no great all indisputable dominant city. (Look no further than this thread to see the disagreement). The triangle is a powerhouse area just as Charlotte is. Both great cities in their own respects and each city does some things better than the other. The Piedmont crescent is much more comparable to Atlanta. If that were a metro area it would most definitely rival Atlanta.

The Real Triangle. Charlotte, Triad, and Triangle:

[Bolt]

True