Posted 22 April 2012 - 08:40 AM
My last comment on the subject...after speaking to some people in Cinci this morning, it looks like they may actually have a team. Most likely in the FHL, but their could be a revival of the AAHL in the offing as well. The FHL makes the most sense. Not a whole lot of sense, but the most sense. No FHL team has made money yet, and Danville really took some serious financial hits. Filling in the gap for Danville to the east makes sense, but without two or three more partners in the midwest it will be a cash sucking endevor. I used to be a believer in Single A pro hockey in the midwest. Used to be is the key phrase.
The business model, costs, and the proliferation of junior hockey in the midwest will make it impossible for any A level league or team to have any financial success for at least the next three years. Projecting income in a business plan has not worked in nearly every case concerning midwest teams over the last decade.
I will take the 1.2 Million number offered and break that down. If this is the budget, could it be a relocated CHL franchise from Dayton? Sure, but I dont think anyone is dumb enough to do that, I mean I dont think anyone on the planet would put two AA franchises in one city. Duane Lewis certainly isnt goint to let that happen. But if they are using a 1.2 budget thats more than enough money to get through year one and possibly year two.
The Cincinnati Sports Zone drawings are very nice. Can not find fault there at all. I do question how they get to 3000 tickets sold when the drawings show space for what I would guess to be 1500 seats maximum on the center ice sheet.
Witht the Zone sceduled to open in August, there is still a lot of work to be done to put a professional product on the ice. With all due respect to the players in the FHL, and other A level players, the A level presentation and product has been far from professional in recent years. Using the past as a guide to the future would not be a good idea. Unless the "mall" or the project owns the team and is using income from leases to supplement the team, I dont see how they can make it. Again, doing it right requires more than just an arena and a league to play in, it requires a plan that is executed on the hockey side to near perfection.
The Chicago Express did nearly everything right, spent a ton of money in build up, hired the right coach, in a respected league and still couldnt make it. Dayton started off rough but worked hard for the last few years, and even after seeing attendance rise could not make it in a market with no real competition. I dont know anyone that would attempt this in Moline or Fort Wayne. Although Cinci is a large market and the Clones may help, it doesnt make sense from a business standpoint.
There is a difference between someone who plays hockey, and a Hockey Player. which one are you?