Soccer execs hopeful that CONCACAF will draw here

Steve Carp

Wednesday, July 14, 1999 | 9:52 a.m.

Chuck Blazer remembered the last time he was in Las Vegas. And he never forgot the way he was treated.

The General Secretary of CONCACAF was here in 1993 when FIFA staged the draw for the 1994 World Cup soccer tournament. Blazer, a member of FIFA's executive committee, couldn't get over the amount of interest in soccer that the people of Las Vegas had.

"I would go out to the restaurants and I was surprised to see so many people speaking Spanish and who recognized my face instead of my American Express card," Blazer said. "When I came here for the first time 35 years ago, I thought this would be a great place to support soccer.

"The way the town has grown, I'm more convinced than ever that this can be an international soccer town."

After the long wait, Las Vegas gets its chance. The official announcement was made Wednesday at the Desert Inn Resort and Casino that the CONCACAF Champions Cup will be played Sept. 29-Oct. 3 at Sam Boyd Stadium.

Eight teams will participate with the winner earning the confederation's berth in the inaugural FIFA World Club Championship to be played Jan. 5-14 in Brazil.

Half the field is set with D.C. United and the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer, Toluca of the Mexican First Division and Joe Public of Trinidad & Tobago in the tournament. The remainder of the field will be set in the next few weeks.

Ticket prices have yet to be set. But an announcement is expected by the end of the week. Once announced, the Thomas & Mack Center and Tickets.com will be the outlets to purchase seats.

But who will buy? Blazer said several groups will be targeted in the marketing plan devised by CONCACAF officials and Las Vegas Events, which paid in the high five figures to bring the event to town.

"We have multiple audiences," he said. "At the top end, you've got the platinum guest, people who want to see a special event. We hope to work with the hotels to get that audience.

"Then you have the dedicated soccer fans, people who follow the teams closely. Then there are the regular soccer fans who enjoy the game but maybe aren't as passionate."

Blazer said realistically, the sports fan who is going to be betting college football and the NFL that weekend isn't likely to leave his television set or the sports book to watch soccer. But he thinks the recent excitement surrounding the Women's World Cup may carry a residual effect.

"Who knows? People who aren't into soccer may come out of curiosity," he said.

Those who do check it out will see teams trying to win. There is plenty of incentive to win the Champions Cup because that trip to the FIFA World Club Championship that comes with the title is worth a minimum of $1.5 million to the club that represents CONCACAF.

The final numbers have not been worked out, but estimates range as high as $7 million for the club which wins the FIFA championship. The more you win, the more money you earn.

For the MLS teams, that would be a considerable chunk of change, the type of money that would take a couple of seasons to earn.

"Winning in Las Vegas will be like hitting the jackpot," Blazer said. "I think fans will find it more entertaining watching the clubs than they do the national teams."

Kirk Hendrix, president of Las Vegas Events, said he's counting on the Women's World Cup's success to spur ticket sales along with tourism from Southern California, Arizona and Mexico.

"We think soccer as a sport has seen so much growth," Hendrix said. "Our timing couldn't be better coming on the heels of the Women's World Cup."

How well will the event draw? If last year's CONCACAF Champions Cup at RFK Stadium is any indication, there could be a sea of empty seats in the upgraded 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium.

According to figures released by Major League Soccer, the 1998 Champions Cup final between host D.C. United and Toluca drew just 12,607. The other two rounds drew a combined 15,401.

Hendrix wasn't sure what would be considered successful in Las Vegas.

"First-year events are always tough," he said of LVE's first venture into soccer, a one-year deal with an option mutually agreeable by both CONCACAF and Las Vegas Events. "An event like this does come with some risk, especially when you don't have an inherent market.

"We haven't set a goal. We knew last year drew between 10,000-12,000. That may not be a bad number to shoot for."