Let's just lay out the cards for everyone; it has been a horrendous start to the regular season for Toronto FC. Winless in five games, yet to score a goal at home, things are as close to bottom for the club. Fans in Toronto are frustrated by not only the lack of success of Toronto FC, but by another season without the playoffs for the Toronto Maple Leafs and another lost season for the Toronto Raptors. Not quite at the same level as Buffalo or Cleveland, but Toronto is becoming a tortured sports city.
Here is a passage from ESPN's Jeff Carlisle that sums up Toronto FC:
So what can Toronto FC do to curb the growing sense of frustration from the BMO Field faithful. Here are a couple suggestions:In the Eastern Conference, fans of Toronto FC would gladly surrender a vital organ or two for even a smidgen of RSL's success and stability. Since the start of the 2007 season, only four teams have never made the MLS playoffs. Three of those are expansion teams -- Montreal, Portland and Vancouver -- that have entered the league in the past year. The other is Toronto FC, which despite upsetting L.A. in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League has stumbled to a 0-4-0 mark in league play.Easily the most perplexing of the club's struggles is its inability to construct an MLS-level defense. Vancouver appears to have successfully retooled its back line with Martin Bonjour and Y.P. Lee, while the addition of Victor Bernardez in San Jose has solidified things for the Quakes. Yet Toronto has struggled to find the same level of quality reinforcements. Torsten Frings brings plenty of experience and guile, but there's only so much that can be expected from the former German international. Until some quality defensive help arrives, another season outside the playoff places looks to be in store for Toronto.
Be Proactive
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, MLSE, the owners of TFC, are quickly becoming the whipping boys for everything that is going wrong. Therefore, it is time to switch the tone of the situation and grab the spotlight. This can be done by engaging with your season ticket base and presenting a united front. By Monday afternoon, there should be a draft for an e-mail to go out to all TFC fans from upper management that reaffirms their believe in the squad, the commitment to the coaching and technical staff, while acknowledging that they are doing everything in their power to ensure that TFC gets out of their current rut.
Fans are not stupid. Silence only fuels the rumor mill and creates a divide between the fans and the club.
Fan Appreciation Game
Over the course of the past couple of home games at BMO Field, it is has been very evident that more and more fans are staying home instead of watching the impending train wreck. Fans do not show up on time and by kickoff most of the stands are sparsely filled. Looking back to the first couple of years at BMO Field, fans were in their seats 15 minutes prior to kickoff already in full voice. Now, the situation is vastly different.
How can that be changed? Here is a simple idea, first pick a day during the summer, let's go with the July 11th match against Vancouver at BMO Field. Then e-mail, starting this week, every season ticket holder declaring that the July 11th match against Vancouver will be known as the TFC Fan Appreciate Game. Usually the majority of NBA and NHL teams have their fan appreciation game as the last game of the season, so here is a rare chance for the upper brass of TFC to be proactive and schedule a mid-season fan appreciation game.
Here is where we might have some resistance. I would give each season ticket holder a replica version of the new away 2012 jersey designed by a TFC supporter and encourage everyone to wear that jersey to the July 11th game. In essence you would be creating a white-out effect in BMO Field, instead of the spattering of red seats that are now evident on game days. A quick check on the MLS' Gear Page, shows that the replica away jersey is selling for $80. After a quick calculation TFC's gesture would cost the club $1.2M in lost revenue. (15000 * $80) However, in reality that number does not represent the actual loss to TFC, because each shirt's manufacturing cost falls under $80. In my opinion, this is a small gesture to growing group of disillusioned fans. Also by declaring this initiative this early in the season, you are building good will with the fans.
At the end of the day, the key factor to rebuilding fan loyalty at TFC is to be proactive, engage your supporters, do something outside of the box and give something substantial away for free, a cheap T-shirt available in one size does not count. But most importantly of all, let's win a couple games.
How can that be changed? Here is a simple idea, first pick a day during the summer, let's go with the July 11th match against Vancouver at BMO Field. Then e-mail, starting this week, every season ticket holder declaring that the July 11th match against Vancouver will be known as the TFC Fan Appreciate Game. Usually the majority of NBA and NHL teams have their fan appreciation game as the last game of the season, so here is a rare chance for the upper brass of TFC to be proactive and schedule a mid-season fan appreciation game.
Here is where we might have some resistance. I would give each season ticket holder a replica version of the new away 2012 jersey designed by a TFC supporter and encourage everyone to wear that jersey to the July 11th game. In essence you would be creating a white-out effect in BMO Field, instead of the spattering of red seats that are now evident on game days. A quick check on the MLS' Gear Page, shows that the replica away jersey is selling for $80. After a quick calculation TFC's gesture would cost the club $1.2M in lost revenue. (15000 * $80) However, in reality that number does not represent the actual loss to TFC, because each shirt's manufacturing cost falls under $80. In my opinion, this is a small gesture to growing group of disillusioned fans. Also by declaring this initiative this early in the season, you are building good will with the fans.
At the end of the day, the key factor to rebuilding fan loyalty at TFC is to be proactive, engage your supporters, do something outside of the box and give something substantial away for free, a cheap T-shirt available in one size does not count. But most importantly of all, let's win a couple games.
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