Every fanbase has an origin story. How Louisville football fans and fans of the city as a whole can relate to Louisville City and Racing Louisville, and why you should attend a match soon.
Back when the University of Louisville would play football in a run-down stadium at the fairgrounds, you couldn’t give tickets away. Well, that may be a slight overstatement. You could give them away. They were free with a fill-up at local gas stations.
At least that’s how I remember my friend Patrick telling me how he became hooked on Louisville Football and ultimately a season ticket holder at the old Cardinal Stadium. I think I only attended one football game there. It was during the Ron Cooper Era and of course, the Cards lost. That stadium was a dump. Patrick, somewhat of a prophet for U of L Football, dreamed of big games. Ultimately U of L would have several memorable games and tickets for those games weren’t given away free at the gas station.
People like Patrick, early believers, and adopters made it possible to have an ACC-level stadium when at one point, our local university almost gave up on football. U of L Football was a slow build, but it was a build…aided by some luck, hard work, and great fans. Even if those dedicated fans were small in number and watched a losing team in a crummy stadium, their passions made the build possible.
Luckily for us Louisvillians, the facilities around the city are much nicer today, including the football stadium (Cardinal) and the “football” stadium (Lynn Family). Both provide a good atmosphere for your preferred brand of football.
My wife and I have tickets to both Louisville Football and Racing Louisville FC. We have so much fun at the games/matches, win or lose, that we always try to invite friends. Now comes the hard part: inviting friends who wouldn’t normally attend.
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Every fanbase starts somewhere
It’s a funny thing, building a fanbase. The most recent example of successfully building a fan base in Louisville is probably Louisville City. The first year’s attendance figures were pretty good, averaging around 6,800. For the sake of comparison, Racing is averaging a comparable 6500 per match. LouCity was able to get that number up to 9000 in 2019. This year after a full grand opening, LouCity has hit the 10,000 mark a few times.
I believe successful attendance growth comes from 2 main sources: success on the field and word of mouth. LouCity has definitely had success on the field, but word of mouth about the game experience had to contribute to the growth. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence about people being invited to a game and becoming hooked.
Some people believe that media coverage is important in promoting a new team. I’m not convinced by this, but also not willing to dismiss it completely. Several of the local TV outlets have covered Racing very well. Even though I hate to admit it, the Courier-Journal’s coverage online hasn’t been bad either. I wouldn’t know about the print version because who even gets the newspaper? People I trust say this is important, so I’m willing to throw some credit their way. Being the creator/editor of a blog, I do my part, but I believe I’m preaching to the converted.
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Soccer can be secondary
Inviting a friend to a Racing game should be easy, but let’s face it: soccer fans can be insufferable. I get why some people are vehemently opposed to the idea of soccer. I truly believe that most fair-minded people (if these types of people still exist in this day and age) aren’t necessarily turned off by the things that soccer fans assume they don’t like: low scores and draws. No…they have more likely been turned off by a soccer enthusiast that won’t shut up about it.
I get it, I have my limits too. I believe there is too much international soccer. You could literally spend all 12 months watching top-tier soccer if you wanted. Soccer isn’t going to appeal to everyone because nothing is. Broad appeal used to matter much more when there were only a small number of TV channels that would show sports. I think some fans fight for soccer like there are still limited outlets. It’s really just the opposite side of the coin for those who oppose soccer for no reason. Regardless, I think some soccer fans have a chip on their shoulder and are greatly offended when someone else doesn’t like it.
This is the wrong attitude. I know on my blog, Fleur-de-lis-fc.com and Twitter I sometimes appear like a mad evangelist for Racing Louisville FC, and maybe I am. I do, however, have other interests, and some aren’t even sports-related! All of this is to say, sometimes soccer fans are our own worst enemies when it comes to selling the sport. We also don’t do ourselves any favors on social media sometimes. Coach Holly got death threats on Twitter this week (not from Racing fans thank goodness), but let’s not dignify those with too much attention as he seemed perfectly willing to laugh them off himself. As in all sports, the worst representatives are usually the fans themselves.
Pro City, Pro Experience
Maybe that’s the problem. We shouldn’t be selling soccer based on the sporting merit, of which there is plenty, but as an experience. I always try to put myself in the other person’s shoes. I’m not a huge baseball fan, but if someone invited me to a game I would definitely consider going, if only for the peanuts and Cracker Jacks. That goes for pretty much any college-level or pro sporting event. Maybe not auto racing, but to each their own.
I think the key to inviting a friend to a game is to sell them on the total game experience. At the Racing and Louisville City games, the experiences run the gamut. You can stand or sit. You can march in with a supporters group, tailgate, or arrive right before kickoff. There are price points for any fan. You can sit close enough to hear the coaches yell and you can sit high enough to see the entire field without turning your head. A great stadium makes the sales pitch much easier.
My seats in the end zone at Cardinal Stadium provided a unique opportunity last year during the limited attendance restrictions to interact with players after games. My wife caught one of Dez Fitzpatrick’s gloves after a game. During the last game of the season, my friend Rick caught 3, which he gave away to his children as Christmas presents. For Racing, this experience is available after every match, win lose or draw. The player engagement goes above all expectations. Players always stay after the match to talk and sign autographs. It’s a great experience.
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The friend I wish could come
If there was one friend I would love to invite to a Racing match it would be Patrick. However, he sadly passed away at the way too early age of 38. Some of Patrick’s great loves were his family, the University of Louisville, and his city. I don’t remember if Patrick and I ever spoke about soccer. We were work friends and I wasn’t as vocal as my passion for the beautiful game back when we worked together. Plus there was no local team. However, Patrick loved progress– Especially when it came to the city of Louisville.
Even if he would have been initially hesitant to attend a game at Lynn Family Stadium, I think he would have if I invited him. I know for sure that he would at a minimum loved the idea of the stadium. It is another gem for the skyline, and it raises the city’s profile, both things I know he cared deeply about.
I believe Patrick is with me in spirit when I step foot in Cardinal Stadium because he loved that place and his team. I truly regret that we never attended a game together.
So invite a friend to a Racing match, and share a great time together. Maybe reach out to someone like Patrick, who was open to new experiences, always looking forward, and loved his city. I don’t think you’ll regret it.
Special thanks to Lisa Phillips for allowing me to share my memories of Patrick Phillips with the State of Louisville readers.
Next: The State of Louisville takes its first shot at preseason predictions
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