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Guest Blog from Robert Luna, Architect of Scorpions Community Stadium
This is a cool guest blog that I know our fans will enjoy… Scorpions Community Stadium update straight from the man designing the Stadia. Robert Luna, the Principal of Luna Architecture, is an incredibly talented Architect who has a great team working with him. Above and beyond being a great architect, Luna is a huge soccer fan and great supporter of Soccer For A Cause. Enjoy the blog about your future home for your Scorpions!
The stadium design for the San Antonio Scorpions FC team is taking shape!
After countless hours of research and refinement, the future home of the Scorpions is within site!
We were given the task to come up with the best stadium possible for our team. We took on this challenge and flew to South Africa, the site of the 2010 World Cup several times to bring the atmosphere of the World Cup venues, to San Antonio. We are almost there!
We finally identified the site for the stadium, with the backdrop of Morgan’s Wonderland, the first truly accessible family fun park. What could be better than this? The location has given us a great opportunity to give san Antonio what they are looking for, a professional team with a professional soccer specific venue.
We’ve had meetings, reviewed stadium designs, grandstand designs and have come up with a great stadium that will allow future expansions. We have sketched concepts, and created computer generated 3D images that give us a great visual model of what is to come. Be ready San Antonio, the Scorpions and their fan base will have a stadium that will impact the NASL!
One of our main goals is to make sure the pitch (field) is priority. We have incorporated a very functional drainage system and the materials that will make our pitch one of the best anywhere!
Our design will bring the fans within 15 feet of the pitch, which will create an exciting, up close experience for everyone. We are including so many exciting elements for the fans to enjoy and be a part of. We have comfortable seating, retail, concessions, numerous restrooms, VIP areas, a state of the art scoreboard, and a beer garden area that will allow you to enjoy the game and provide pre-game and post game fan experiences. We want the Scorpions to have a stadium that will house the best fans in the NASL league!
Scorpions Soccer has been a priority for the stadium design, but since we have such a great venue, look forward to great concerts and entertainment opportunities to be scheduled here as well!
So now that you know more about the stadium, imagine yourself enjoying the sounds of the game, the spontaneous reactions to amazing athletic passes and tackles, the explosive sound of “goal” from the fans!! Its closer than you think!
Be ready Scorpions Fans!!
Robert Luna, Principal
Luna Architecture
SA, NASL, Copo Oro y Mas
I’m happy to report that we’re continuing to see momentum coming out of our Jersey Unveiling Party… A lot of interest with Prospective Partners plus we’re continuing to sell season seats and lots of merchandise (Jersey Sales are hot plus lots of fans are buying t-shirts, hats & window decals!) So it’s all good. Since our Media Event on Thursday night, I’ve been to Dallas, Baltimore, Washington DC, Ft Lauderdale/Miami and it’s cool to see how people in the soccer business world are taking note of what’s going on in San Antonio. Kudos to you, our fans, for helping build the San Antonio Scorpions brand to the point that soccer leaders around the country are talking about it…
In NASL action, we continue to see a great deal of parity which speaks volumes to the fact that this country has a deep pool of talented players. In a future blog, we’ll blog about the high level of talented players that play in the NASL. Carolina has had a great start to the season with a hot goal scorer. Minnesota and Edmonton have done well so far. It’s been a fun inaugural season. Check out our website,www.sanantonioscorpions.com for standings updates and news about the NASL. Can’t wait to start playing next season.
Gold Cup, our regional (CONCACAF) Championship, is underway. Always a great tournament where established national team players showcase their abilities and there’s always new stars that break onto the scene. If we get a US v Mexico match up, it’s alway’s “made for TV” soccer. Tune in and check out all the great action.
We’re launching a new website that’s designed to be more fan friendly while allowing us to share more news about the Scorpions, NASL & Soccer… We hope to become your soccer/football/futbol resource, so anything you need, you can find at sanantonioscorpions.com. If you have suggestions, please let us know because as you know, this is your team! Plus the website will have The Scorpions Community where Scorpions fans can communicate with one another (similar concept to Facebook.)
Thanks for your support. Tomorrow, we’ll have a Guest Blog from Robert Luna, the architect for Scorpions Community Stadium. It’s a great read and fun insight into the Scorpions Community Stadium to be built in 2013. Check in tomorrow.
Guest Blog from Broadcaster Allen Hopkins
I’m excited for today’s Guest Blog by Soccer Broadcaster Allen Hopkins. I have a ton of respect for Allen as a person and a professional. He’s a passionate supporter of the beautiful game and in my opinion, one of the great soccer broadcasters in our country. I know you’ll enjoy this blog. Thanks, Allen, for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your thoughts with the Scorpions fans… Go USA!!!
After all these years, I still have not figured out why I love the game of soccer so much. There was not a signature moment (although I was born in Berlin, West Germany overlooking the Berlin wall and “fussball” was my first word). There was not moment of clarity where I can recall seeing for the first time in wonderment how perfect the grass field with its straight lines, right angles and arcs looked to me.
But what I can tell you is, when I get to stand on the field between the benches as I did this past weekend in Foxboro at Gillette stadium for the U.S. men’s national team match against Spain, there is no other place – at least in this context – I would rather be.
Watching Spain, the World’s best, up close is a sight to be seen. After living the dream and covering several FIFA World Cup Finals, it never gets old to me and it is still my heaven on earth. Even if the Spanish players never got out of 3rd gear (except to put four goals past Tim Howard) in what amounted to a little more than a good training session for the country that currently holds the title of both European and World Cup Champions. Not a bad era to say the very least.
But it wasn’t what Spain did over 90 entertaining minutes, if you are not thinking from the USMNT’s perspective, it’s what they did after. They trained. Yep, they trained.
You know sometimes when you see a movie and the edited scenes and outtakes are better than the movie. This was that case watching Spain.
45 minutes of precise and always perfect first-touches, world class finishing, unbelievable saves, laser-sharp passing. And all with the commitment and swagger of a Champion all while wearing the effortless ear-to-ear smiles that I see on my 8 year-old son’s face when he is playing the game he loves with his Real So Cal teammates.
In those moments, as I was transfixed on the Spanish players and Gillette was nearly empty, two things came to mind that will stay with me forever.
First, who trains after a friendly? World Cup champions do! Outside of clubs, I have never seen that before. In business – and any other any given industry – they call doing what the best and/or sometimes the competition does, ‘best practices’. Well this was literally and figuratively that. They are “real” footballers and in this case artists working to perfect their craft. Isn’t that what Champions do, work and train when no one else does?
Secondly, it was clear they love the game. Spanish and Real Madrid no.1 goalkeeper Iker Casillas was training as if his place on the team was in doubt. Why? He loves doing what he does and there is no other place he’d rather be. Makes sense right? Who wants to leave their own personal paradise or heaven on earth? What’s the rush?
I love the game. Its simplicity, its complexity, its synchronicity, the passion and its beauty and when it is all done with a smile and the right attitude, which is the case with Spain, that is my soccer perfection.
It is in those moments on a great late spring evening in New England. I know why I love the game.
The Scorpions Community…
Some times you know it’s going to be a great trip, when the proverbial ball bounces your way. Well, my trip this week to San Antonio was exactly that. When I left Casa Hitch, I was hitting more green lights than normal, there was no traffic on the way to DFW (which is rare), as I’m pulling up to the terminal parking garage, some one in the first parking space is leaving so I park in pole position (rather than drive around for 15 minutes trying to find a spot.). No lines at security and my flight is leaving at the first gate inside security. So needless to say, I knew this would be a great trip.
I knew our Jersey Unveiling Party and Media event would be a good event but I think it’s fair to say it was a great night. It had all the ingredients of a Major League event. We had over 500 passionate supporters and fans, we had the Commissioner of NASL David Downs, a celebrity in Mexican Soccer legend Jorge Campos, we had our great sponsors (including three new sponsors in attendance), great turnout from the media, we had free Beer and Tamales, we had the Scorpions Girls and Front Office including Owner Gordon Hartman and we had an incredible host in the Hyatt Regency on the Riverwalk. What a perfect setting to be in the newly renovated lobby bar overlooking the Riverwalk.
To me the highlight of the great night was meeting so many passionate Scorpions fans. When I stood on the stage and looked out over the sea of supporters that packed the lobby and spilled into the 2nd floor, I knew we have the potential to build something very special, together as a community. I met former NASL players and I’m confident I met future NASL players. I met life long San Antonio residents and I met fans who just moved to San Antonio from Monterrey earlier in the week. I met business leaders from CEOs & Presidents of large San Antonio companies to entrepreneurs of small start up companies. I met hard working professionals from Sales Executives to Landscapers. I met special needs children and volunteers who dedicate their lives to helping the special needs community. I met fans who drove two hours to show their support of Soccer For A Cause and fans who live, work and play downtown. This was one of the most diverse crowds of fans that I had the pleasure of spending time with… And the one thing they all had in common… They’re Scorpions fans and Soccer For A Cause supporters. They’re all a member of the Scorpions Community!
This event reinforced what we had hoped for… That regardless of where you live, regardless of how much money you earn, regardless of any socio-economic conditions… We’re all Scorpions fans and while Soccer For A Cause will raise money for Morgan’s Wonderland, it will bring the communities of San Antonio together for a common cause, to support your pro soccer team and in turn, create an all-inclusive Scorpions community.
In closing, thanks again to everyone who came out to our Jersey Unveiling Party. It was a great night. Special thanks to our Sponsors: NIKE, Lion & Rose, San Antonio Orthopaedic Group, Oakwell Village Dental Group, Hyatt, The Soccer Factory and A Plus Flooring. Also, special thanks to our three Supporters Groups: Crocketteers, Bexar County Casuals and Alamo City Ultra’s. Great job by the Scorpions Front Office Team and Interns. And of course, thanks to the Hyatt Regency on the Riverwalk and your staff for doing an amazing job of hosting us.
Next week, we’ll have a guest blog from Soccer Broadcaster Allen Hopkins, who will talk US national team after spending time with Bob Bradley and the Nats this weekend, at the US v Spain game.
Thanks for checking in and for your support of the Scorpions… Share what you enjoyed most about Thursday’s event by commenting below.
Guest Blog from Commissioner David Downs
Special Thanks to NASL Commissioner David Downs for joining us in San Antonio for our big event last night. Commissioner Downs is doing a great job with the NASL and he’s the perfect leader for the NASL. As I mentioned previously, I’ve invited Soccer leaders from around the country and the world to be guest bloggers. Below is our first Guest Blog. Thanks Commissioner Downs for taking the time to write a blog for the Scorpions fans…
Thursday evening in San Antonio I had the privilege of attending an extraordinary event. Some 500 fans, including numerous representatives of three different supporters clubs, turned out at the Hyatt Regency Riverwalk to witness the unveiling of a jersey of a professional soccer team that is still over 10 months away from playing in it’s first NASL league match next April.
It is pretty clear that the Scorpions have already made an impact in San Antonio and it is abundantly obvious that the desire to see professional soccer in the Texas hill country is enormous. Thursday’s step toward taking the field next spring was also a great illustration of the Scorpions commitment to their fans as the final jersey was selected by fan vote from three great choices.
Before and after the ceremony I had the opportunity to chat at length with many of the Scorpions future season ticket holders and despite the diversity of their backgrounds and their own individual stories about how they came to love our sport of soccer (or football or futbol, depending on your heritage) all agreed that the chance to regularly turn out in person and see a home team playing at a professional level is the perfect complement to following the US National Team or the UEFA Champions League on TV.
So I cannot wait to return to San Antonio for the 2012 home opener, and as I head back to our NASL offices in Miami I’m satisfied that Scorpions owner Gordon Hartman and team president Michael Hitchcock will assemble a first-class team both on and off the field.
These are exciting times for the sport throughout North America, and it is especially pleasing to see San Antonio begin to share in that excitement.
Off to a good start…
After a good Memorial Day weekend, all hands on deck as we worked on Thursday night’s event. Fans who come out will have a chance to enjoy free beer and tamales, hang out with other Scorpions fans, pick up some cool Scorpions gear, check out the new jersey… As I’m working, the La Liga season in review is on which showcases the great season by FC Barcelona. They’re showing all of Real Madrid and FCB goals so it’s hard to focus on work.
In addition to Jose Lizardo and our great interns, we’re bringing in some of our “out of market” PMI execs to assist with Thursday’s event. Evan Mitz is flying in from Ft Lauderdale, four PMI Execs are driving down from Dallas. And PMI New Media Exec Brad Ryan has moved to San Antonio today to start working with the Scorpions (he’s working on a new Scorpions website and Scorpions App, among other cool projects.) On July 1st, we’ll officially open our Front Office with an expanded staff. At that time, I’ll begin the Head Coach Search.
I was speaking with FC Edmonton owner Tom Fath tonight, great to catch up with Tom. FCE is off to a good start, including an impressive 4-0 win tonight over FC Tampa Bay. It’s interesting to speak with Tom as a 1st year Sports Team owner. Even though Edmonton is an expansion team, they’ve already loaned one of their young stars to a Japanese team in the J-League. That’s a great opportunity for NASL teams (as it is for MLS teams), to develop young players then sell or loan those players to International Clubs or in the case of NASL teams, to MLS teams.
I’m flying into San Antonio on Wednesday morning. We have afternoon meetings then going to Dinner with Scorpions owner Gordon Hartman and we’re going to check out the Missions game. Always good to see what our sports neighbors are doing well…
If you’re interested in participating in a great tournament this weekend, STAR Soccer Complex is hosting Copita America, 5 v 5 tourney. It’s a National Tour coming to only six cities in the US including San Antonio.
Look forward to seeing everyone on Thursday 6pm at the Hyatt Regency on the It’s gonna be fun!
