Welcome to edition No. 19 of my weekly blog. It appears on the new HoustonDynamo.com every Monday (or Tuesday).
>>Get ticket deals for the final three home games<<
Without a match this past weekend, there is not too much team news to discuss in this week’s edition. Therefore, I’ll focus on a few business issues that may be of interest to you.
There were more positive steps forward on the stadium front last week. The biggest news is that we selected a construction manager. This company, which will be officially announced soon, has a wealth of experience in building sports stadiums. As of today, they are on board and engaged in the pre-construction process. Getting them involved now will help expedite the process as we continue to push hard for an early Spring 2012 opening.
Last week I flew to Colorado and spent a day at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Denver. Senior Vice President of Business Operations Steve Powell and I met with our project manager and lead architects to review a number of design issues. We met at DSGP because our stadium design will have many similarities to it. The plan is coming together and we should have some new and updated renderings that we can share soon.
Populous statement on stadium design
I was happy to see the U.S. Bid Committee’s success in Houston last week as it entertained FIFA officials in its quest to land the 2018 or 2022 World Cup. By all accounts, the committee and the city put on a great show. I am proud of the many comments I read and heard about how the 2010 MLS All-Star Game played a big role in Houston’s global image as a soccer city and the positive impact it could have on FIFA’s decision. Growing our sport in our city was all part of our plan when we bid for the All-Star Game and Manchester United.
We are off to a good start in renewing our season ticket holders for 2011. I am happy to report that we are far ahead of any previous year’s pace at this time. This is especially pleasing and encouraging when you consider our tough season on the field. Thank you to those fans who continue to support us through season tickets.
Our 2011 season ticket package features 17 regular season MLS games, the Dynamo Charities Cup, and an international friendly. We are hard at work identifying opponents for the Charities Cup and the friendly. Our goal is to find European squads for these matches. Ideally, they will be announced early in the off-season.
There are only three regular season home games left on the schedule (Sept. 18, Oct. 10, and Oct. 23). This weekend’s game represents our final Saturday night home match of the season. We are commemorating it with a big fireworks display afterwards. There was an electric feel to last year’s match vs. TFC with DeRo in the house. I am sure we will see much of the same this Saturday.
Tuesday night is the “Dine with the Dynamo” event, hosted by the Dynamo wives – also known as the Sidekicks. The ladies are raising money for the Garth Brooks Teammates for Kids Foundation. Fans will get a chance to eat dinner with Dynamo players and their families and get a Dynamo cookbook and a ticket to Saturday’s game. Good tickets are still available for $50 (general public) and $40 (season ticket holders). Go to www.houstondynamo.com/sidekicks for tickets.
That’s it for this week. I look forward to your comments and feedback at ccanetti@houstondynamo.com. Thanks again for your support and see you on Saturday night.
