Sky Blue gives it one more try

BY JOE FAVORITO

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

ON N.J. SPORTS MARKETING

In year one they went through a vagabond existence across the state, but ultimately won the inaugural Women's Professional Soccer title. Last year, with the stability of a home field at Rutgers, they came up short but worked to develop a core of fans at the grassroots who, like the their male counterparts in Major league Soccer, would go from being fans to consumers over time.

This year, Sky Blue will look to combine a winning tradition with a solid core of players with that grassroots following to bring success both on the field and in the community. However will even that success be enough to save the floundering league, now down to six teams, all of which are in the same general geographic area?

Like the WUSA before it, WPS has hemorrhaged money and franchises at an alarming rate, starting off amidst the worst economic crisis in a generation. The quality of play has always been strong, and the efforts to work with a legion of young women who loved playing the game has been women's soccer's biggest ally, and no one in the league cultivated at the grassroots more than Sky Blue the past two years. Players and coaches canvassed New Jersey, hosting clinics and spreading their gospel of healthy play and healthy lifestyles, even in many ways outshining the work that the deeper pockets of MLS in the Red Bulls had.

However like other professional sports that have strong grassroots and college support – lacrosse being one – women's professional soccer may still not be ready for prime time pro play.

With the mounting losses came less marketing dollars, and with that less promotion. With less promotion the meager awareness in the mainstream of WPS has already started to fade, and a loss of another franchise – the Washington team was dropped and then resurrected – could mean the end of the league despite another women's World Cup and the Olympics not too far off to bring more interest to the game.

One of the saving chances the league has is New Jersey, where Sky Blue has held its fanbase and brought in some quality brand activation partners to handle promotions. The team promises a fun night of family entertainment at affordable prices, and has a quality product to grow from, but that growth needs to be replicated around the league.

It is a noble effort, WPS in New Jersey, and Sky Blue has put on, and will continue to put in, a quality product for brands to support at game time and in the community. However the lack of consistent local TV and no local radio limits exposure of the product at a time when the Red Bulls to the north have significantly ramped up their marketing and grassroots efforts.

Could Sky blue be a good counter to the Red Bulls and their amped-up MLS efforts? Perhaps. However with that bump in exposure, brands having to choose may have an easier choice now in going with an improved Red Bulls offering vs. an underexposed Sky Blue.

It also presents a tough choice for the consumer with some discretionary income. Unlike an MLB/minor league baseball choice, the Red Bulls are priced much more affordably, and the difference in game experience is not that far off. So in years past where the choice may have gone to the Sky Blue because of their community work, the Red Bulls may now get the nod.

However even with all that against it, the potential death knell for WPS will be in spite of New Jersey's efforts, not because of a lack of effort. The team is still not financially profitable, but it is a worthwhile brand effort. Whether that's enough to help buoy the sagging league by example remains to be seen.

One thing is for sure, though, Sky Blue's efforts are worth noting and supporting across the summer at Rutgers. It has been a major league effort to find recognition, with the results still yet to come.

Joe Favorito has over 24 years of strategic communications/marketing, business development and public relations expertise in sports, entertainment, brand building, media training, television, athletic administration and business. Visit him at JoeFavorito.com.