GO Indoor

(continued from page 11) the neophyte indoor investor, unarmed with adequate historical research, bowing to coaches' lobbying for incredibly expensive replica outdoor fields indoors. I have watched games at some of the indoor super fields. Usually it involves 20 kids standing around while a couple Back to the Basics The outdoor game, even with all the hype, is not holding on to the kids. In fact, the expense and elitism of modern outdoor club play may possibly be slowing the development of a once rapidly growing sport. Soccer participation in the United States has, for the past few years, leveled off at about nineteen million players. Most of the recent dramatic growth has come from girls and women. Recent statistics say that 70% of kids quit youth sports by age thirteen. This is a major problem for all youth sports. We have to keep our game fun. of others chase the ball an acre away. If this full field indoor play will win us the World Cup some day, can it be all bad? The problem is that nobody asked the players. My research has shown that players like the indoor boarded game. In fact they like it a lot. So why do we get confused over a fun game as it relates to outdoor skill levels? If my customers are having fun, I do not care if we ever win the World Cup. It is like checkers and chess. It is the same flat surface, but a different game. Some super fields principle uses are for multiple games played sideways on the big field. Without nets or boards, it is wild to see the chaos of three or four balls flying all over the place. The stoppages and disruptions are disastrous. We do not need twelve month soccer training. We need more fun, and for the indoor operator, fun leads to more participation and profits. As you frantically try to fill your facilities with dog shows and flea markets, just think about your occupancy rate if most kids didn't quit soccer by age thirteen? Before you adapt philosophies of outdoor training methods to your indoor business, remember the outdoor game is no longer adding millions of new kids. We have long been successful as indoor business operators. We should be careful not to subscribe to the ongoing political chaos in outdoor youth select soccer. We are not a backup plan for the outdoor game. We are a recreational family sport meant for fun and exercise. We need to make a profit. The Message The indoor game attracts players of all ages and is a growing sport. What sports, other than maybe golf or poker, can a forty-something mom or dad pick up and not be laughed at too loudly? Indoor soccer, because of its pace and field size, embraces all ages at every level. Indoor soccer may not promise high school play, scholarships, or professional careers, but by making soccer accessible, indoor boarded soccer has made enormous contributions to soccer in general. I do not think the outdoor soccer establishment much recognizes the contributions of the indoor soccer game. Indoor soccer, with its clunky boards and green plastic grass, represents a unique proprietary product that is very difficult for non-soccer competitors to duplicate. The popular boarded game cannot easily be duplicated in church basements and old K-Mart stores. When you remove the boards, you become exposed to all sorts of easy and inexpensive competition. The old gym- ball is easy to duplicate. Even the municipal parks and recreation departments, with their endless construction budgets, have been slow to include arena soccer fields in their multi- sports facilities. With walls we maintain our identity and our profits. I am for anything in our business that makes us money. If the customers, especially the kids, like it that's even better. Many years in this business, however, have taught me to approach faddish business design and unproven trends with trepidation. We have to be careful not to try to reinvent a good business with an extra few million dollars. We have to do the research, talk with experts, and watch the guys that have already taken the plunge. With several non-boarded facilities and several super-field outdoor-indoor field facilities in operation, we have time to watch these daring soles with their daring and patient investors. In conclusion, the sports facility business remains a business. It has to be run like a business. The indoor soccer business is a business of subtleties and is ruled by pennies. We must plan carefully and generate a reasonable return on our investment. With only careful research and review can we integrate profitable new trends into our facilities. Do not let the passion for the unique and innovative cloud the issue. In the meantime let's hold the passion and add the profit. Size does matter and small may be better. Jim Cline is the Principal of The Goals Group (Columbus, OH) and a member of USIndoor's team of professional consultants. (Grossman, continued from page 14) specialize in sports. Of our current clients, many people have been burned in the past by not having sport-specific coverage. I'm not an insurance company apologist, I'm on the side of the clients; I will fight for them. Ever since I've been in the insurance business, I've been adamant about correcting mistakes made by insurance companies." As a sports enthusiast, Mark wants to make sure people who work in sports business are able to concentrate on what they do best. Though Mark has played indoor soccer, he enjoys playing outdoor. "I'm not as skillful as most indoor players, but I am fast. I can use speed more to my advantage in the outdoor game." Of his five favorite sports, he has continued to play baseball and soccer. He also coaches kid sports, including baseball, soccer, and basketball. "I'm amazed when I coach kids and see that a lot of them have never had anyone throw or kick a ball to them. When I was a kid, there was no Nintendo; sports were our source of entertainment." He has a hard time understanding kids who have mastered the virtual versions but have never actually played the games. Mark feels as if he has the perfect job because sports insurance incorporates his passion for sports with his ability to run a successful company. "After being one of the suits for so long, it's great to wear soccer shorts and T-shirts and still be able to work really hard. We put in a lot of hours. I was on the phone the other night at 10:30 setting up a policy with someone on the west coast because that was the only time that person could talk to me. I don't mind putting forth the extra effort because we're working for people in sports." Monument Sports Group will take part in US Indoor's Third Annual Facility Operators' Conference in Las Vegas. "I'll be at the Conference in September if anybody wants to pick me for their team, unless you don't like insurance; then you can play against me." GOAL Indoor • August/September 2003 • 23

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• In this Issue
• History: Speaking with Ron Newman