Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

1/24

Armada FC makes Baseball Grounds homeJuly 11, 2014

Action News (FOX 30)

http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/news/local/city-leaders-and-

jacksonville-armada-fc-make-annou/ngdML/

JACKSONVILLE, Fla.

Jacksonville city

leaders and

Jacksonville Armada FC

announced that 20

home games will beplayed in Jacksonville

Friday morning at the

baseball grounds.

Armada FC will play 20

games at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville for the next three seasons,

from February through November.

See more at:http://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/news/local/city-

leaders-and-jacksonville-armada-fc-make-

annou/ngdML/#sthash.JHuOuDxh.dpuf

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

2/24

Citys new soccer team will play home games at Baseball

Grounds of JacksonvilleJuly 11, 2014

Clayton Freeman, Florida Times-Union

http://jacksonville.com/sports/2014-07-11/story/citys-new-soccer-team-

will-play-home-games-baseball-grounds-jacksonville

The Jacksonville Armada will begin its voyage in the heart of downtown.

The new North American Soccer League franchise announced Friday that it

will play its home games next season at the Baseball Grounds of

Jacksonville. Mayor Alvin Brown and Jacksonville Suns owner Peter Bragan

Jr. were among the speakers at the news conference at the ballpark.

The Armada selected the Baseball Grounds after months of evaluation,

based in part on the park's downtown location. The team intends to

develop a soccer-specific venue in the future.

The Armada will begin NASL competition next spring

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

3/24

Soccer Fans! Jacksonville Armada FC to play at the

Baseball GroundsJuly 11, 2014

Florida Times-Union

http://jacksonville.com/breaking-news/2014-07-11/story/jacksonville-

armada-fc-play-baseball-grounds

The Jacksonville Armada FC announced Friday morning it

will play its North American Soccer League home games

at Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville beginning in 2015

inaugural season.

Armada FC president Steve Livingstone had said the team

will likely begin play at either the University of North

Florida stadium or at the Baseball Grounds.

Read more at Jacksonville.com:http://jacksonville.com/breaking-

news/2014-07-11/story/jacksonville-armada-fc-play-baseball-

grounds#ixzz37TPM9zsg

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

4/24

Jacksonville Armada to pay at the Baseball GroundsJuly 11, 2014

Stephanie Brown, News 104.5 WOKV

http://www.wokv.com/gallery/news/local/jacksonville-armada-play-

baseball-grounds/gCL6W/

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

5/24

Jacksonville Armada home fieldWOKV News 104.5

July 11, 2014

http://www.wokv.com/photo/news/local/jacksonville-armada-home-

field/pCLJbF/

The Jacksonville Armada FC will play their first three seasons with the

Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville as their home field. WOKV got a preview

of how the field will be set up.

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

6/24

The Morning ShowJuly 11, 2014

Channel 4 WJXT

The mayor will make amajor announcement with

the Jacksonville Armada at

10 a.m. the soccer team,

we'll let you know what it

is during the news at noon

Action News at Noon on CBS 47July 11, 2014Action News WTEV

Erica is live at the baseball

grounds. This will be our

territory for right now

temporarily at least. The

baseball grounds of

Jacksonville will be homefor. Now, they're going to

play for the city of Jacksonville starting in the inaugural season for 20 a 15.

They'll play 20 games. It will have to be converted each time starting with

the removal of the pitcher's mound. Theyll play up to 7,000 for the

conversion. They're thrilled to make such a great facility their temporary

home. We're big advocates of downtown Jacksonville, number 1, and its

received recognition as one of the top ball parks in the country year after

year. Again, we're fortunate to have this great venue and the facilitation

and being open to this.

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

7/24

Armada FC to play games at Baseball GroundsJuly 11, 2014

Jacksonville Financial News and Daily Record

http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=543381

The Jacksonville Armada Football Club will have a home for its first three

years of play beginning next year.

The team and city have come to

terms for the North American Soccer

League team to play its first three

years of home games at the Baseball

Grounds of Jacksonville.

The city-owned facility is home of the

Jacksonville Suns, a minor league

affiliate of the Florida Marlins.

The announcement was made at a

Friday morning news conference

featuring Mayor Alvin Brown, Armada

owner Mark Frisch and Suns owner

Peter Bragan Jr.

The extent of the overlap between the soccer and baseball seasons hasnt

been fully determined, nor has a finalized agreement of how revenue will

be shared.

The item will fall under the citys Sports and Entertainment Office budgets,

with an amount not to exceed $700,000. Anything over that would be

covered by the soccer club.

In addition, the soccer club will pay an annual lease of $10,000.

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

8/24

Jacksonville Armada pick Baseball Grounds for home

pitchJuly 11, 2014

Clayton Freeman, Florida Times-Union

http://jacksonville.com/sports/other-sports/2014-07-11/story/jacksonville-

armada-pick-baseball-grounds-home-pitch

The Jacksonville Armada will begin its voyage from the heart of downtown.

The new North American

Soccer League franchise

announced Friday a

three-year deal to play

its home games at theBaseball Grounds of

Jacksonville. The team

chose the Baseball

Grounds, home of the

Jacksonville Suns minor

league team, over the

University of North

Floridas Hodges Stadium. The Armada said it hopes someday to have a

soccer stadium of its own.

The deal is dependent on City Council approval to authorize the Armada to

play at the city-owned ballpark, as well as to cover a portion of the cost

involved in converting the park between baseball and soccer. Mayor Alvin

Brown and City Councilman Johnny Gaffney both offered their support for

the legislation on Friday.

The Armada chose the Baseball Grounds after talks between the Armada

and UNF failed to reach an agreement.

Team owner Mark Frisch said the Armada went all the way through the

negotiations with UNF, made a bunch of assumptions, and ran the

numbers before deciding on the Baseball Grounds.

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

9/24

He cited the challenges involved in improving the Hodges Stadium seating

areas, concession stands and walkways beneath the grandstand.

It was two very different options, he said. One great field where we

would have to do upgrades to the venue, and one wonderful stadium withall of the amenities but not having the perfect field situation.

UNF athletic director Lee Moon acknowledged a meeting with the Armada,

saying a lot of things were discussed, never in detail, just general terms,

and that the negotiations were not just an athletic decision.

Frisch expressed confidence that soccer fans throughout the area, many of

whom live to the south and east of the St. Johns River or in Clay County,

would be willing to travel the extra distance downtown.

Were going to talk up this place, show them some of the layouts that we

have here, and show them that this is a fantastic venue for soccer, he said.

One challenge for the Baseball Grounds will be converting the stadium from

baseball to soccer and back, including the removal or retraction of the

pitchers mound to accommodate soccer.

Suns owner Peter Bragan Jr. welcomed the new neighbors and

roommates.

I have some trepidation about the field, which is natural. I dont think its

perfect for soccer and baseball to share, Bragan said. But were going to

do everything we can to make it work.

Armada president Steve Livingstone said that the park would have a

capacity of about 9,000 for soccer, which might be expanded by several

hundred more depending on capacity in the standing terraces beyond the

left field foul line for baseball.

He said that 2,000 season ticket reservations have already been sold, with

prices ranging from $10-$50 per game.

Livingstone said the Armada plans to play most home matches on Saturday

and Wednesday nights, although the exact arrangement will be dictated in

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

10/24

part by the Suns Southern League schedule. The NASL schedule is expected

to run from April to November.

He said that converting the field would likely take eight to 12 hours, and the

club is hoping to keep the total number of transitions below 10.

Its going to be dependent on the way the schedules fit out. Obviously,

wed like it to be less than that, and well work with the NASL as well in

terms of scheduling, Livingstone said. TheSuns come first, and well work

our way around that.

Frisch also said the Armada is still in the exploratory phase of pursuing its

long-term goal of a soccer-specific venue.

When asked whether the three-year deal meant that the club intends tohave the stadium completed by 2018, Frisch said he was hopeful but

acknowledged there is much work to be done.

For now, hes busy with the work of transforming the Armadas first home

into a soccer venue that he hopes will leave fans surprised and

impressed.

Thiswas one of those big events on our list of things to do that we can

now check off. One more question that our fans have been asking isanswered, Frisch said. So now we can focus on selling tickets and getting

fans in love with this place.

Read more at Jacksonville.com:http://jacksonville.com/sports/other-

sports/2014-07-11/story/jacksonville-armada-pick-baseball-grounds-home-

pitch#ixzz37TQPwvu4

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

11/24

Action News at 6:00 pm on CBS 47July 11, 2014

Action News WTEV

The Jacksonville Armada football club will make the baseball mound its

pitch. Soccer and baseball field is nothing new. We showed you the Tampa

Bay Rowdies field yesterday and Kansas City club playing in a ball yard as

well. The armada made it official this morning and getting a glimpse of

what the field will look like next April. The team's owner believes they can

transition in just one day to work around suns home stands. We know the

schedule with them and avoid the conflicts we can avoid and we anticipateno conflicts. Now fans can start choosing their season. An idea of where

they will to $35 actually sit. Games include all the way up to the pink seats.

News4Jax at 6PMJuly 11, 2014

Channel 4WJXT

Speak of home, they have

place to play the games

when they debut next

spring. Team announces they

will use baseball grounds as short-term fix. Interesting partnership between

the suns and considering the season overlap. They will play 20 nasl home

games friendly and exhibition matches. Ultimate goal is to build a soccer

specific stadium in Jacksonville but for now owner mark says this will work

just fine. >> Being downtown here with the opportunity to close off streetsand have street festivities before the game and party after the game and

game close to the field and fans pumped up for the game. >> l we think we

have a great deal on our ticket want to encourage as many people to be

charter members and build this. >> Back to the NBA. Not all is lost for the

Miami heat. They just re-signed to 5 year 11.

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

12/24

Jacksonville Armada hopes Baseball Grounds give a

home-field advantageJuly 11, 2014

Stephanie Brown, WOKV News 104.5

http://www.wokv.com/news/news/local/jacksonville-armada-hopes-

baseball-grounds-give-ho/ngdXX/

Jacksonville, FL

The Jacksonville Armada FC will

call the Baseball Grounds of

Jacksonville home for their firstthree seasons.

The team unveiled details of a

proposed lease agreement

today, which has them share

the venue with the Jacksonville

Suns. You can see the planned

set-up for the field in the

gallery attached to the left- onfield seating and a Beer Garden will all be features of the set-up, which

includes around 9,000 seats.

It provides you that nice, intimate feeling that you want in a soccer

match, says Armada Owner Mark Frisch.

The Armada says more than 1/5thof season tickets have been reserved.

Under the proposal, which still needs to be approved by the City Council,

the Armada would pay $10,000 per game for the estimated 20 home games

each season. The City would give a capped $700,000 each year to help

switch the field between soccer and baseball. The City has included this

money in its budget proposal, which is due out on Monday.

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

13/24

Frisch says theyre leasing the Baseball Grounds for three years and there

are renewal options included. While the team prepares for their inaugural

season, however, he says they continue to explore building their own

stadium as well.

Its very early in the process of that long term facility development, he

says.

He says theyre evaluating locations for where that stadium could be. He

expects they would build something with roughly the same capacity at the

Grounds. Frisch says hes optimistic they would have a more permanent

location when their lease with the Grounds is up, but theyre willing to

consider all options.

Season tickets are now going on sale as well. Tickets start at $10 per game,

and season ticket packages are available in one and three year deals.

Armada to use Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville as home

stadiumJuly 11, 2014

Clayton Freeman, The St. Augustine Record- Online

http://staugustine.com/sports/2014-07-11/armada-use-baseball-grounds-jacksonville-home-stadium

The Jacksonville Armada will begin its voyage in the heart of downtown.

The new North American Soccer League franchise announced Friday that it

will play its home games next season at the Baseball Grounds of

Jacksonville

Mayor Alvin Brown, City

Councilman Johnny Gaffney, andJacksonville Suns owner Peter

Brogan Jr. were among the

speakers at the news conference

at the ballpark.

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

14/24

The Armada selected the Baseball Grounds after months of evaluation,

based in part on the park's downtown location. The team intends to

develop a soccer-specific venue in the future.

The Armada will begin NASL competition next spring.

Action News at 11:00pm on CBS 47July 11, 2014

Action News WTEV

Were happy to announce

that the Jacksonville Armada

Football Club makes thebaseball grounds its home

pitch. Reporter: envision the

future soccer in a baseball

field. The field yesterday and

they played a couple of

seasons in a ball yard. The t

making its official announcement this morning. Getting a glimpse of what

the field will look like. They think they just need to work around suns home

stands. >> We hope to schedule around them with our league and avoid allthe conflicts we can avoid and we anticipate no conflicts.

News4Jax at 11pmJuly 11, 2014

Channel 4 WJXT

Changed that a bit, the

Jacksonville armada now

have a place to play their

games when they debut next

spring. The team announced

they'll use the baseball

grounds as a short term fix..an interesting partnership between the suns

and armada considering the seasons overlap. The armada will play 20 NASL

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

15/24

home games, friendlies and exhibition matches. The ultimate goal is to

build a soccer specific stadium in Jacksonville but owner Mark Frisch says

this is the perfect fit.

Mayor Brown and Armada FC announce Baseball

Grounds of Jacksonville as teams temporary homeJuly 12, 2014

City of Jacksonville

http://www.coj.net/mayor/headlines/mayor-brown-and-armada-fc-

announce-baseball-ground.aspx

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., July 11 -- The city of Jacksonville issued the followingnews release:

Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown, City Councilmember Dr. Johnny Gaffney

and Jacksonville Suns Owner Peter "Pedro" Bragan joined leaders of the

Armada FC, Jacksonville's professional soccer club, to announce that the

team will play its North American Soccer League home games at the

Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, beginning with its inaugural 2015 season.

The Armada FC will partner with the City of Jacksonville and the JacksonvilleSuns to convert the Baseball Grounds into its soccer headquarters to play

20 NASL home games, preseason friendlies and exhibition matches and U.

S. Open Cup matches as the soccer club develops plans for a new soccer-

specific stadium on the First Coast.

"Jacksonville is a great soccer city, as we saw when more than 52,000 fans

attended Team USA's final match at EverBank Field before heading to the

World Cup," said Mayor Brown. "The Armada will give soccer fansthroughout the First Coast area a team of their own to cheer. I look forward

to joining everyone when the Armada takes the field at the Baseball

Grounds next spring."

The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville is recognized as one of Jacksonville's

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

16/24

top sports facilities and is part of the city's prominent sports complex

district in downtown Jacksonville. The Armada will play 20 home games at

the stadium each season for the at least the next three seasons, from

February through November.

"We are proud that Armada FC's first-ever matches will be right here in the

heart of downtown Jacksonville," said Mark Frisch, owner of Armada FC.

"By hosting our home games here, we expect to draw more people into the

downtown core - both residents and travelers from out of town. This, in

turn, is expected to positively impact surrounding merchants, restaurants,

bars and hotels, particularly during the traditionally slower summer

months. We are excited to be bringing professional NASL soccer to

downtown Jacksonville!"

"This is a great announcement for the city of Jacksonville and for

downtown," said Peter 'Pedro' Bragan, owner of the Jacksonville Suns, who

also call the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville home. "We know that the

Jacksonville Armada will share the Suns' goals of providing quality sporting

entertainment and a fun fan experience. The Suns are happy to share our

home with the Armada and we are looking forward to working with the

team in the months and years ahead."

During the conference, Frisch said that Armada FC will transform theBaseball Grounds of Jacksonville into a new professional soccer experience

for fans before, during and after the matches. This includes: a pre-match

soccer street party outside of the stadium; in-stadium, pre-match, half-time

and post-match entertainment; and the designation of specific sections of

the stadium for specific soccer interests such as standing terraces and a

craft beer garden, affordable family seating and sideline, midfield and

special field-level seating.

Along with the temporary venue, the Armada FC announced details of its2015 season tickets, which are now on sale, starting at $10 per game. More

than 80 percent of the 9,000 seats available on a season basis will be priced

between $10 and $35, making Armada FC season tickets some of the most

affordable among professional sports in the city. Season tickets will be

available on a one-year or three-year basis and fans who invest in the

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

17/24

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

18/24

Armada finds home at Baseball GroundsJuly 11, 2014

Michael Kelly, Channel 4 WJXT

http://www.news4jax.com/sports/armada-finds-home-at-baseball-

grounds/26919196

JACKSONVILLE -

You can call it a temporary home. The Jacksonville Armada, set to debut in

2015, announced it will play its games at the Baseball Grounds for the first

three seasons.

"You're going to see a field that really brings in the entirety of this complex

that will provide that intimate experience for our fans so there's a lot of

opportunity here," said Armada owner Mark Frisch.

The team will partner with the city and the Jacksonville Suns who will share

the facility. The seasons overlap which could create some long hours for the

groundskeeping crew.

"You're going to have baseball Friday night and try to turn it into a soccerfield by Saturday so the schedule is the toughest thing," said Suns owner

Peter Bragan Jr.

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

19/24

The ultimate goal is to build a soccer specific stadium on the First Coast.

Frisch says he's "optimistic" that will happen when the three-year lease

expires in 2018.

The Armada will play 20 home games at the Baseball Grounds each season,from February through November.

Mayor Brown dodges budget questions, present spending

plan on MondayJuly 12, 2014

First Coast News, WJXX Online

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/story/news/local/2014/07/11/mayor-

alvin-brown-city-budget/12542745/

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Mayor

Alvin Brown on Friday morning

praised the city's efforts to

promote sports while

attending an event for the

Jacksonville Armada.

Following his public

appearance, Brown raced off

declining to answer questions

about the billion dollar city

budget his staff is preparing. Brown will present the budget to the city

council on Monday morning.

Staff said Brown had another meeting to attend and did not have time to

handle questions.

Staff did answers questions about the proposed spending plan saying it is

still being refined.

"I think the good news for residents no new taxes, for employees no

layoffs," said Karen Bowling the mayor's Chief Administrative Officer.

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

20/24

Last year, Brown submitted a budget calling for cuts and no new taxes. The

city council restored funding to many programs and voted to raise taxes.

This year the city is expecting to collect $18 million more in revenue due to

increasing property values.

Mayor Brown at 9 a.m. Monday will give his "State of the City" address and

outline his spending plans. Brown's proposed budget will be reviewed this

summer by the city council before it is voted on. The new budget year for

the city starts on October 1.

Armada FC to kick of the season at the baseball grounds

of JacksonvilleJuly 11, 2014

Colleen Michele Jones, Jacksonville Business Journal

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2014/07/11/armada-fc-to-

kick-off-the-season-at-the-

baseball.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaig

n=Feed%3A+bizj_jacksonville+%28Jacksonville+Business+Journal%29

Its official: The Jacksonville Armada Football Club will make the Baseball

Grounds of Jacksonville its new home playing field.

The announcement, made earlier today by the soccer organizations

leaders, means the Armada FC

will play at least 20 home

games at the site during its

inaugural season, which kicks

off in Spring 2015.

The professional soccer teamowned by Beaver Street

FisheriesMark Frisch,will

continue to look for a new

soccer-specific stadium on the

First Coast that fits its plans in

the long term.

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

21/24

The Armada, part of the North American Soccer League, will kick off its first

season in April 2015. The team had been deciding between playing

temporarily at either the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville or the University

of North Florida.

The football club will partner with the City of Jacksonville and the

Jacksonville Suns to convert the Baseball Grounds into its temporary soccer

headquarters.

Jacksonville MayorAlvin Brown,who joined other city leaders at the press

conference today, said: Jacksonville is a great soccer city, as we saw when

more than 52,000 fans attended Team USAs final match at EverBank Field

before heading to the World Cup. The Armada will give soccer fans

throughout the First Coast area a team of their own to cheer. I look forward

to joining everyone when the Armada takes the field at the Baseball

Grounds next spring.

The Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville is part of the citysprominent sports

complex district in Downtown Jacksonville.

We are proud that Armada FCs first-ever matches will be right here in the

heart of downtown Jacksonville, said Frisch. By hosting our home games

here, we expect to draw more people into the downtown core both

residents and travelers from out of town. This, in turn, is expected topositively impact surrounding merchants, restaurants, bars and hotels,

particularly during the traditionally slower summer months. We are excited

to be bringing professional NASL soccer to Downtown Jacksonville!

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

22/24

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

23/24

UNF spoke with Jax Armada FC about playing at Hodges

Stadium

July 14, 2014UNF Spinnaker

http://unfspinnaker.com/unf-spoke-with-jax-armada-fc-about-playing-at-

hodges-stadium/

The Jacksonville Armada FC, a member of the North American Soccer

League, will temporarily play home games at the Baseball Grounds of

Jacksonville for three seasons starting in 2015. Mayor Alvin Brown made

the announcement alongside Suns owner Peter

Pedro Bragan and city council member Dr.

Johnny Gaffney on Friday, July 11. Armada FC

franchise leaders also revealed seasonticket deals

and the citys plan to build the team apermanent

soccer stadium.

Hodges Stadium, home to UNF Division I mens

and womens soccer and track & field teams, was a

potential site besides the Jacksonville Suns

downtown turf. The University of North Florida

met with Armada FC owners in regards to Hodges

Stadium becoming the temporary home of

Jacksonvilles new ssoccer team, according to UNF Athletic Director Lee

Moon.

The university had discussions with the Armada, Moon said. We had one

full meeting with them, and thats as far as it went to my knowledge.

Moon said he doesnt recall when the meeting took place.

The Armada FC playing at Hodges Stadium would not have been the first

presence of a professionalsoccer team at UNF.In early June, the United

States Mens National Team trained at Hodges Stadium in preparation for

the final match of the Send-Off Series prior to the FIFA World Cup. On

8/12/2019 Armada July Media Report (for Portfolio)

24/24

Saturday, June 7, around 50,000 fans witnessed the USMNTs 2-1 victory

over Nigeria at Everbank Field.

The Armada FC choosing Hodges Stadium would have likely boosted sports

enthusiasm at UNF among students and local fans in regards to soccer, asport that is growing in popularity in Jacksonville. Nevertheless, the Armada

FC has chosen its temporary home in downtown Jacksonville and will play

in close proximity to Everbank Field.

Moon didnt care to speculate upon the excitement and buzz the Armada

FC would have created had they chosen to nest in the Ospreys backyard,

but it is an interesting notion to consider for students and faculty alike.

I wont comment relative to speculating any kind of impact or any of those

things, Moon said. Theyve got to look at it as a business decision anddo

whats best for them as a business and a sports entity in the Jacksonville

community. They obviously made the decision to do that.