https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/b9st1y/lee_cohen_discusses_bringing_nonsoccer_events_to/
Lee Cohen discusses bringing non-soccer events to Al Lang
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https://www.businessobserverfl.com/article/ed-smith-stadium-sarasota-david-rovine-al-lang-stadium-st-petersburg-lee-cohen
Smaller stadiums aim to host more non-sporting events
The hyper-competitive race to win entertainment customers in Florida has a few new players: small-scale stadiums.
Al Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg
The main priority for Al Lang Stadium is Tampa Bay Rowdies soccer, says Lee Cohen, Rowdies VP and COO.
But the soccer season leaves lots of opportunities to host other events at the stadium. Aside from 22 to 24 soccer dates for the Rowdies, part of the United Soccer League, Cohen says there’s quite a bit of stadium availability.
In the past, for example, Al Lang has hosted a variety of activities, including skateboarding and rugby events along with commercial shoots and photo shoots.
Once the Rowdies figured out the basics in terms of hosting soccer events at the stadium, Cohen says the team felt comfortable hosting programming outside of matches. “There are necessary costs that go into keeping the building afloat,” he says, and many days when it’s empty.
One of the main non-soccer events it’s hosted is the Al Lang Live concert series, produced by Bill Edwards’ Big 3 Entertainment. A prominent entrepreneur and philanthropist, Edwards sold the Rowdies to the Tampa Bay Rays in the fall, after helping grow the soccer team's brand and presence in the region.
This year, there are three concerts scheduled so far in April, May and June, including Santana and Bryan Adams, with more likely to be booked. Last year's lineup included the Counting Crows and Poison. Cohen says they’d like to go from three or four concerts a year to eight or 10 concerts. “The concert business was another way to put on another major event inside the facility,” he says.
Concerts have also been held at the stadium in conjunction with Rowdies games. “We saw there was good mix of people coming to Rowdies games based on the people we were bringing in,” Cohen says, leading them to give a concert series a go.
The concerts also expose people to downtown St. Petersburg and Al Lang Stadium who might not have thought of coming to the venue. “We try and take advantage of being good stewards of the market,” Cohen says. “The more we can program the facility, the better it will be.”
On Saturdays, visitors to a farmers market outside the stadium are invited to come inside Al Lang Stadium to use bathrooms and get out of the sun. Cohen says they also open up the stadium on first Saturdays of the month for people to enjoy, with soccer matches shown for fans to watch and the field available for kids to run around on, essentially turning the stadium into a big park.
Cohen says he and his colleagues are always thinking about other opportunities, in addition to music and sports.
In April, a group called Synapse will present them with ideas about different things they could do with the stadium, from sporting events to entertainment to corporate outings. Cohen says, “Now that we’ve got the soccer and got the concerts, what’s the next wave of events?”
Along with connecting the community to Al Lang Stadium, non-soccer events provide another revenue stream. “I think that the way we try to look at it," Cohen says, "anything outside of the Rowdies business is just extra business."
Al Lang officials have also looked to other soccer organizations to see what they bring in to their facilities. and being in the Tampa Bay area means they have a host of other sports facilities to look to for inspiration and ideas, from Raymond James Stadium to Amalie Arena to Tropicana Field.
As a 7,000-seat outdoor stadium, Al Lang does face some basic challenges. Weather is a major one, especially Florida’s rainy season. “It’s always going to be something we’re going to face, but it’s not something we’re going to run away from,” Cohen says. “We’re just going to prepare for it.”
Also, other events can’t damage the field or any other aspects of the stadium that are crucial for soccer. Cohen says, “You’ve got to make sure it doesn’t affect the primary business.”
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/baij6r/three_things_rowdies_4_0_hartford/
Three Things: Rowdies 4 - 0 Hartford
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https://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/1010559
THREE THINGS: ROWDIES 4 - 0 HARTFORD
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/babvs1/j_kings_corner_tbr_v_hfd_week_5_40/
J King's Corner TBR v HFD (Week 5) 4-0
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/bac2mu/five_matches_five_rowdies_gems/
Five Matches, Five Rowdies Gems
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https://therowdiesobserver.wordpress.com/2019/04/07/five-matches-five-rowdies-gems/
Five Matches, Five Rowdies Gems
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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/baff70/sebastian_guenzatti_scores_twice_to_keep_rowdies/
Sebastian Guenzatti scores twice to keep Rowdies unbeaten
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https://www.tampabay.com/sports/rowdies/2019/04/07/sebastian-guenzatti-scores-twice-to-keep-rowdies-unbeaten/
Sebastian Guenzatti scores twice to keep Rowdies unbeaten
The victory against expansion Hartford moves Tampa Bay to 3-0-2.
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https://www.wlky.com/article/louisville-city-fc-drops-second-straight-match/27063976
Louisville City FC drops second straight match
LCFC hopes to bounce back against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in Tampa on Saturday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/inter-miami-inter-milan-lockhart-mls-legal
Inter Miami seal Lockhart Stadium but face Inter Milan legal battle
David Beckham’s franchise and MLS counter Italian soccer giant’s patent claim.
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https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2019/04/04/group-looking-to-bring-pro-soccer-back-to-cleveland-rumored-to-be-interested-in-odot-owned-land-near-inner-belt-for-usl-soccer-stadium
Group Looking to Bring Pro Soccer Back to Cleveland Rumored to Be Interested in ODOT-owned Land Near Inner Belt for Stadium
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https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2019/04/146023-chattanooga-football-club-scores-some-serious-funding-on-wefunder/
Chattanooga Football Club Scores Some Serious Funding on Wefunder
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https://worldsoccertalk.com/2019/04/05/espn-acquires-rights-us-open-cup-2022/
ESPN+ acquires rights to US Open Cup through 2022
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https://ussoccerplayers.com/2019/04/detroit-city-looks-for-its-place-in-american-soccer.html
DETROIT CITY LOOKS FOR ITS PLACE IN AMERICAN SOCCER
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https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/2019/04/06/louisville-city-fc-officials-continue-talks-chickfila-promotion/3378737002/
Louisville City FC's Chick-fil-A promotion is still a spicy topic among fans and officials
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https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2019/04/03/new-renderings-fc-cincinnati-stadium-show-every-seat-covered-protective-canopy/3347495002/
New renderings: FC Cincinnati stadium will have a canopy over every seat; will glow less
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https://www.indomitablecitysoccer.com/2019/4/6/18276220/an-open-letter-to-mls-commissioner-don-garber
An Open Letter to MLS Commissioner Don Garber
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http://www.fox13news.com/news/local-news/construction-progresses-on-new-st-pete-pier
Construction progresses on new St. Pete Pier
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https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2019/04/05/where-are-those-stadium-renderings-mls4thelou-says.html
Where are those stadium renderings? #MLS4THELOU says to expect them by months' end
Pressure is mounting for the city's MLS bid as Sacramento, its chief rival for the 28th franchise, releases new renderings of its stadium, and as the league's board of governors prepares for a potential expansion decision in two weeks.
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https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/report-fire-negotiating-exit-from-seatgeek-stadium/
Report: Fire negotiating exit from SeatGeek Stadium
The Fire are negotiating to escape their lease with the Village of Bridgeview for SeatGeek Stadium. | Brian Sandalow, For the Sun-Times
The Fire are trying to move back to Chicago. And perhaps with a different identity.
The Athletic first reported Friday the Fire, MLS and the Village of Bridgeview are negotiating to end a lease that brought the team to the southwest suburb in June 2006. It is unclear how much the Fire would have to pay to exit the lease — which runs through 2036 — to move back to Chicago and Soldier Field.
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https://www.si.com/soccer/2019/04/05/usa-1994-world-cup-lalas-ramos-reyna-jones-meola-memories
25 Years Later, USMNT Greats Recall 1994 World Cup
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https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article228782989.html
Sacramento proposes $33 million package to lure Major League Soccer
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https://www.highpresssoccer.com/mistake-by-the-lake-sea-changes-afoot-for-chicago-fire/
Mistake by the Lake? Sea Changes Afoot for Chicago Fire
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https://www.socceramerica.com/publications/article/81838/sacramento-city-council-to-review-mls-stadium-pack.html
Sacramento city council to review MLS stadium package
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https://sportstalkflorida.com/soccer/mls/its-sacramento-against-st-louis-for-the-mlss-last-expansion-slot/
It’s Sacramento Against St. Louis For The MLS’s Last Expansion Slot
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https://sports.yahoo.com/milan-vs-miami-beckham-legal-134117406.html
Milan vs Miami - Beckham in legal battle with Serie A giants Inter over MLS club name
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https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article228783724.html
See the new dramatic drawings of a Major League Soccer stadium in Sacramento
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http://www.ippromagazine.com/ippromagazinenews/article.php?article_id=6631
MLS opposes Inter Milan trademark
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https://www.si.com/soccer/2019/04/04/inter-milan-miami-trademark-rights-mls-expansion-team-name-beckham
Inter Miami, MLS Go on Attack in Trademark Opposition to Inter Milan
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https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/explained-why-us-soccer-doesnt-have-relegation-and-promotion-and-/7a2v9a1dga8v116cbjr5lspl1
Explained: Why US soccer doesn't have relegation and promotion - and will MLS ever change?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDvSB3F0mTI
Meet the Team: Yann Ekra
Tampa Bay Rowdies
Attack and defend, he can do it all. Meet Rowdies Midfielder, #7 Yann Ekra.
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