Footiebusiness.com: When does the process of creating the MLS season schedule begin?  What are the first steps?

Brad Pursel: It’s a yearlong process, and the first steps are determining what the competition format is — how many games each team will play, the conference breakdown, when the season starts and ends, how do we play around FIFA dates and other competitions. That’s the starting point, and there are various committee meetings at the league-level and club level throughout the year to discuss the schedule.

The actual schedule development begins in earnest in September and October, and then it all comes together in December.

BP: Our broadcast partners are involved in the process from the start. We work very closely with them throughout the year in the planning process to determine their broadcast windows — the number of windows, times, days of the week, etc.

Working with NBC has not been significantly different because essentially they replaced FOX and the process for scheduling games has not changed. NBC has been great to work with and they are going to be a great partner.

FB: Last year the league included at least 5 nationally televised matches as part of the July 4th holiday.  This year, no nationally televised games are scheduled for Independence Day.  What is the cause of this significant change?  Were ratings over July 4th disappointing?

BP: We generally have very strong crowds on or around the 4^th of July and the atmosphere was there; however, looking at the ratings from last year, we decided not to do as many games around the 4^th this year. Last year the 4^th of July was part of a long weekend and this year it’s midweek, so that also factored into the thought process.

BP: Attendance is always a factor, especially for our big national TV games.  We want games that are going to be well attended but also are compelling rivalries and present great atmosphere for TV. We try to maximize attendance by scheduling games on weekends, especially on Saturdays. We are always looking at data to help drive our decisions.

BP: Having our own soccer specific stadiums where we control the dates has been tremendously helpful in the scheduling process over the years. We still have some challenges in buildings where we’re not the primary tenant or where we’re not controlling the dates, and that has a domino effect to everybody else. But the growth of soccer-specific stadiums has had a very positive impact on the scheduling process.

Sticking with the networks, the SuperBowl provided NBC with an opportunity to really show its commitment to its new Major League Soccer partner.  With hours of game action and promo spots to fill, the network’s new sports property did not rate a mention during the game (neither did the NHL).  NBC also announced during the weekend that it will carry the June 3 match between the USA and Canada on the NBC Sports Network.

Elsewhere, the Timbers ran into a bit injury trouble with their new Designated Player signing Jose Adolpho Valencia.  The intriguing Colombian was found to have a knee injury which could sideline him for the entire season.  What makes the injury an interesting subject for this site is the excellent way the Timbers handled the news.  Between Twitter posts from owner Merritt Paulson, to video interviews with team management about the contractual ramifications of the injury, the team did an outstanding job of connecting with their fans to keep them fully informed.  A possible season ending injury to a young star in the preseason would be national news in many sports, but soccer does not yet enjoy that level of coverage. Yet the team effectively leveraged its social media presence to ensure they conveyed their desired message about the injury, the impact and the future.

We can start with Portland, where the Timbers announced the signing of all time Scottish Premier League leading scorer Kris Boyd.  What makes the transfer unique to MLS is that Boyd was actually the subject of a”discovery claim” by the Houston Dynamo.  Thus, Portland had to provide the Dynamo compensation in order to secure Boyd’s rights.  The discovery process allows teams to put claims on up to 10 players per year regardless of their country or pedigree.  For more on the signing, click here.

The Timbers followed that signing by bringing US Youth International Charles Renken to Portland.  The signing of Renken brought another uniquely MLS rule to the fore.  Portland was able to obtain Renken’s rights only after 18 other teams had passed on the opportunity to claim the player.  Renken was originally subject to the league’s allocation waiver draft.

Finally, we’ll conclude with the Timbers’ Cascadia cousins to the North in Vancouver, where the Whitecaps recently added former Philly forward Sebastien Le Toux.  What makes the transfer uniquely MLS, is the terms of the transfer, which included allocation funds.  The funds are a valuable commodity in the league, but are foreign to the rest of the soccer playing world.  The Union can now use those funds to bring additional players to PPL Park without regard to the salary cap.

Despite those strange circumstances, the league continued to pick up new sponsors and open stadiums.  Last year WPS announced that Sahlen’s Hot Dogs was the league’s 6th official sponsor and a new franchise and SSS opened in Buffalo for the 2011 campaign.WPS is good for soccer and good for women’s sports and its self imposed hiatus is definitely a setback.

In March of 2009 we interviewed WPS Director of Communications Robert Penner. At the time, the league was set to kick of its first season.

On March 29, Women’s Professional Soccer will kick-off its inaugural season with a nationally televised match-up at the Home Depot Center.  Pitting the Los Angeles Sol against the Washington Freedom, the opening match will feature Brazilian star Marta and U.S. National Team scorer Abby Wambach.

Rising from the ashes of the WUSA, the WPS is seeking to gain a permanent foothold in the U.S. sporting scene.  A  national TV deal, a partnership with MLS and a reduction in team costs are all part of the “new model” .  WPS director of communciations Robert Penner was kind of enough to chat with footiebusiness.com about some of the business aspects of the WPS.  Mr. Penner is a veteran of sports media and marketing and has worked with the A.T.P.,  U.S. Open and NBC.  Most recently, Mr. Penner worked with Puma, a founding partner of the WPS.

Footiebusiness.com: Who does WPS view as the target demographic? When affiliating with the League, who are your sponsors looking to reach?

Robert Penner: Our core demographic is of course the young female soccer player age 8-18 who plays at the club and recreational level, but we also want to reach their parents, fitness-minded women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, as well as soccer fans in general. With our world class product and athletes on the field, we think we can accomplish that. The sponsors that we have met with and those that have signed on with WPS, know that we can help deliver this hard-to-reach demographic to them through many different activation platforms.

FB: How does the media relationship with FSC differ from the media model pursued by the WUSA? What efforts are being made to secure local TV deals?

RP: First, we wanted a network that spoke to the core of what our league stands for, in this case world class soccer – so FSC was a great fit for us. In addition, we wanted appointment television so our fans know exactly when and where they can watch WPS every week. FSC has made the commitment to promote our league across their various media partners and online, so that was important to us. At the local level, we are working with two potential regional television partners and hope to know our regional TV schedule very soon.

FB: How closely will WPS work with MLS? What are the advantages/disadvantages of a close relationship?

RP: We have gained a tremendous amount of insights from MLS. They are our sales arm through our agreement with SUM, so officially we are business partners on the sales side of things. In other areas, there are overlapping synergies with operations for some teams and several teams share stadiums such as Chicago, Bay Area and Los Angeles. DC United and the Washington Freedom have announced several doubleheaders and our new franchise in Philadelphia has had a lot of discussions with the MLS Philadelphia franchise that is coming on board next year. There’s a lot we can learn from MLS, they’ve done a great job building their league to where it is today 13 years after their launch.

FB: What are the League’s goals/expectations for attendance/ratings in the first two years?

RP: We’ve said all along that we want to keep our expectations in check and we are shooting for 4,000-6,000 fans per game for the opening season, which we think is reasonable and will still make our league model profitable.

FB: We have heard about Amway’s deal with the Sol. Who is responsible for securing jersey sponsorship (i.e. the teams or the League)? Can we expect additional announcements about such sponsors prior to the season?

RP: Team shirt deals, the inventory on the front of the jerseys, is for sale by the teams. From what we’ve heard there have been some other fruitful discussions so we are hopeful that there will be other announcements over the course of the season.

Thanks to Robert Penner.  WPS opens play this weekend on FSC.

Richard Tait: Golazo means super goal in Spanish, and is screamed in stadiums and living rooms all over the world. We saw the opportunity to create a passion brand for soccer with that level of enthusiasm and focus, but most importantly developing beverages that have functionality designed for the pitch and respond to the unique needs of the soccer community. For example, with our first product, Golazo All Natural Sports Energy, we discovered that soccer players were mixing Gatorade and Red Bull to have a boost of energy, but it tasted terrible and the ingredients were scary. We developed Golazo All Natural Sports Energy product with the more health conscious soccer player in mind, all natural, phenomenal Latin infused flavor and industry leading functionality. A true Golazo! http://vimeo.com/23393082

With the introduction of our Golazo All Natural Sports Hydration product once again we turned to the soccer players and fans to be our compass in the development of those products. To make it truly “gulp-able” and provide the functionality that soccer players needed, we crafted the unique combination of all natural hydration plus replenishment, with coconut water providing the needed potassium, all with fantastic flavor. There was nothing like it on the market and in taste tests we beat Gatorade 33 to 1.

Beyond the products, Golazo was an opportunity to create a culture and sense of movement that celebrates the game we love and its passionate fans.

RT: In the Northwest our customers fall into two categories, soccer enthusiasts who love to watch or play the beautiful game and are involved in the soccer lifestyle and those who are looking for healthier choices than what is offered in the marketplace today. We also have an incredible resonance with the Latino community given their passion for the game and the power of the Golazo name within their culture.

Our marketing has focused exclusively around those customers and their lifestyle, we launched at indoor soccer arenas, provided free products to amateur teams going to their games to show our support, sampled at Sounders and Timbers games to reach the soccer crazy fans in the Northwest, and built up our Facebook following to more than 20,000 fans with many being in far reaches of the world where they have not had the chance to taste the product but recognize the authenticity with which we are approaching the market with.

We also ensured our packaging spoke to our customers, incorporated Latin infused flavors like Mango-Limón, and used sports graphics. I will never forget the day we tested our logo with and without a ball integrated in it. The response was overwhelmingly in favor of the ball. The focus group explained that “with the ball in the logo, I know this product is for soccer players and not treating us like the a fifth or sixth sport”. Given this feedback, the ball stayed in.

Golazo also converted a car dealership to be our headquarters. It was important to us to have a three vs. three field in our office. It’s a 28,000 square ft. facility that we have turned into soccer central. During one event, we hosted 1,000 soccer players and fans in our office space celebrating our shared love for the game. http://vimeo.com/19455433

Having that focus in our customer base and in our marketing has generated great business results ensuring we are sold where our core customers want to shop. Beyond the indoor arenas mentioned above, we are currently in more than 800 retailers including Whole Foods, New Seasons, QFC and Fiesta Foods, and available nationwide on Amazon.com http://Amazon.com. In just 250 days, our Golazo All Natural Sports Energy beverage is now the second best-selling energy drink on Amazon Fresh, a top performing energy drink at Pacific Northwest Whole Foods locations, and is selling better than 70 percent of the 460 SKUs at QFC stores in the Seattle/Tacoma area.

The introduction of our Golazo All Natural Sports Hydration beverage will allow us to build on that momentum with current customers, but given that its focus is on all natural hydration, it will broaden our appeal to the fast growing youth soccer movement providing a fantastic opportunity to grow our business.

RT: There is no question that soccer fever will be building in 2012, and being in the soccer crazy Northwest means we will have some great marketing opportunities and also watch some great soccer! We will certainly focus on specific games to continue our sampling and outreach efforts and host viewing parties for away games, some of the great qualifiers, as well as Euro 2012, and, possibly, the Olympic Games.
These events are great because they provide an opportunity for us to connect with fellow soccer fans in an authentic way. Golazo was inspired by and created for the beautiful game, and most soccer people appreciate that. Our activation efforts have allowed us the privilege of working with The American Outlaws, the filmmakers behind The Jay DeMerit Story, and various MLS supporters groups in the region. As a company (we’re based in Seattle & our products are made in Portland), we are fortunate to be in an area where soccer courses through people’s veins and MLS thrives.  ECS & Timbers Army create such an incredible atmosphere at the stadiums! And we’ve been able to reward Golazo Nation (our faithful Facebook & Twitter fans and followers) with tickets to those games, as well as US National Team games, international friendlies, MLS Cup, and other soccer events. It’s fun, exciting, and rewarding to build a business focused on people who carry the flag of fútbol and are passionate about the game, no matter what club or country they support.

RT: We are certainly huge fans of MLS and the growth of the sport in this country, and support wherever we can. We’re Season Ticket Holders for the Sounders and Timbers, but have no sponsorship deal or anything like that.  While we don’t have a formalized business deal with the teams, we have tried to be supportive whenever possible at the stadium, through our social media, and with their charitable efforts and community outreach.
Beyond that, we’re making an effort to connect with the players on the Sounders & Timbers so that they know about the soccer passion brand in their backyard. Not just because the Golazo All Natural Energy and Hydration products are a great, soccer-specific alternative to what they may be consuming, but also because we want to find ways to collaborate with them on their charitable endeavors. It’s through those efforts that we’ve been able to work with and help raise awareness for great groups like America Scores, Street Soccer Seattle, and Kingdom Hope.

At the soul of our brand as a startup we want to be an advocate for the amateur player, the passionate fan, and groups that have the essence of soccer at their core, and that has been our focus.

We’ve long discussed opportunity and need for MLS to capture the multitudes of American soccer fans that don’t follow the league.  This is never more obvious then when Mexico makes one of its regular trips to the US to play friendlies.  These games always outdraw USMNT matches and as this article points out, the tv ratings are through the roof.   If MLS could capture just some of those millions as regular viewers (either in English or Spanish), the league’s television revenue would increase dramatically.

Finally, MLS fans interested in getting a peek at their new television partner had an opportunity on Sunday night as NBC Sports Network provided a live telecast of the Olympic qualifying final.  Despite almost no mention of the game on the NBC Sports website, the telecast was fairly professional and the coverage picked up the large BC Place crowd in Vancouver.

Salt Lake City isn’t the only market that gets great local newspaper coverage of her soccer team.  The Seattle Times offers a great article looking at the Sounders attack.  The piece focuses on the amount of offensive firepower returning to the Emerald City.

It’s not just recent additions to the league that are garnering attention in their local papers.  The Chicago Fire earned some ink in the Tribune with this substantive piece.  Interviews with Frank Klopas from the team’s training destination are included.

Finally, we’ll close in Kansas City, where the Star offers this take on Sporting’s 2012 depth.  The article includes interviews with Peter Vermes and players and takes a detailed look at the roster for the coming year.

RSL has announced a new television deal that will bring all of its locally televised matches to the Salt Lake City market in HD.  The team’s partner is the local ABC/CW affiliate.  RSL will become the first team to have all of its local broadcasts on over the year television.  Per the RSL Tribune, ” 10 RSL games will air on KTVX-Ch. 4 and 20 on KUCW-Ch. 30. It’s a sign of the stations’ commitment that not only will Channel 4 pre-empt local newscasts for nine of those games, but also a total of 15 will pre-empt network programming.”

Finally, the initial ratings for the FOX live broadcast of Arsenal/Manchester United are in and the result was fairly disappointing.  The overnight rating failed to reach 1.0 and stopped at .9.  FOX’s broadcast of Liverpool’s 2-1 defeat of Chelsea on Nov. 20  delivered a 1.1 household rating, with 1.67 million total viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research.    That telecast was a re-broadcast and not live.

We’ll start with GoldenBalls, who is responsible for the rare soccer reference on E.  The Galaxy star re-upped for another two years with Los Angeles and the Entertainment network provided some footage of the press conference, Posh and Beckham’s kids.  MLS didn’t get a mention, but the Galaxy certainly did.  Team sponsor Herbalife also earned some free airtime thanks to their relationship with the team.  According to Critical Mention, the clip reached more than 280,000 viewers yet accounted for only $3300 in publicity for the league.  The broadcast aired at 7:00 a.m.

Elsewhere, the Seattle ABC affiliate offered more than one minute of Sounders coverage as part of their evening newscast.  The piece focused on the draft and included brief interviews with the team’s first two draft picks.  The sports anchor also announced the team’s home opener and footage of early preseason training was shown in the background.  Seattle is the 13th largest television market in the country.

Finally, the Kansas City ABC affiliate offered some coverage of Sporting’s recent signings.  The brief piece included some words from Peter Vermes and some game footage from last season.  The sportscaster also mentioned the start of camp.  The broadcast reached just about 5,000 people.  In total, Critical Mention picked up five clips that reached 413,000 people.

We’ll next move to Phoenix, were the US National Team hosted Venezuela in the first US Men’s match of 2012.  The game was played at University of Phoenix Stadium before more than 22k.  The match was not broadcast on English language television, but on ESPN3.com.  The broadcast was fairly disappointing but the duo will be back on ESPN3 for the upcoming match against Panama.  The was broadcast in Spanish on Galavision.

Even though MLS is still six weeks away from opening its season, the league was in the news all weekend thanks to top performances from some of its stars playing elsewhere this winter.  Robbie Keane scored twice in his first EPL game during the two month loan to Aston Villa, while former league stalwart Clint Dempsey managed three goals for Fulham.  Landon Donovan continued his strong run of form at Everton and David Beckham confirmed his return to MLS,.