Austin Aztex Gone Like The Wind

So the Austin Aztex are gone. This was a big surprise for just about everyone as well as a HUGE disappointment for all. From all indications, everything about the team on and off the field was moving in the right direction. So how did it come to this? What changed?

The team was pretty good. The future looked bright. Attendance was up 25% in 2010 from 2009 to about 3,300 per game. 3,300 fans per game put the Aztex smack in the middle of attendance ranks for USL D1 teams and the Aztex probably didn’t give away any more tickets than anybody else. That is not bad for Year 2 of D1 soccer.

The Austin area has at least 30,000 youths playing some sort of organized club or school soccer. Austin has around 10,000 adults playing some sort of organized soccer. There are about 40,000 people in Austin who are fans of the game, who watch and follow soccer. That is 80,000 people who you should be able to count on to support the local team, right? That does not include friends and family who might go to a game as well.

If every soccer fan in Austin came to just one Aztex game per year – the Aztex would average about 5,333 people per game. Would that be enough to keep the Aztex here – my guess is yes.

Everyone is complaining about Phil Rawlins and what a bastard he is and how he lied to everyone and how in the world he could do this to us. Or maybe we did this to him.

My only problem with the team leaving is that not much had changed from the time the team kicked off until now. The travel costs, stadium costs and stadium issues have been there since Day 1. Maybe the economy is not as good as it was when the idea for the team was born – but what else had changed? Nothing really.

But soccer is a tough sell in the USA. You have to sell it every day, you have to fight against the mainstream for every inch you get. Just ask MLS. Ask FC Dallas. It is every day, grinding work. It takes time to gain a presence and a following. Why? In part, because soccer fans don’t unite behind their sport. Youth soccer organizations work against each other. Many EPL fans think MLS is below them. The Aztex play on an artificial surface.

There are all sorts of reasons why a fine soccer fan won’t watch an MLS game or in this case an Aztex game. Wishing the team well is all fine and good – but if you don’t actively support local soccer it will go away. And now it has gone again. If you don’t go to the games and buy a ticket, you are not supporting local soccer. If you buy on-line or go to Academy to save $5 rather than go to your local soccer store – the soccer store will go away too.

Then you are left with nothing. If you didn’t go to a game this year, you have no right to lament their loss.

Soccer is not big enough in this country to survive through apathy from its own fans and players. Yes the team or the store has to earn your business, but their business is your passion and you should do what you can to support them if they deserve it.

Phil Rawlins deserves some blame for pulling the plug early but Austin soccer deserves more blame for not turning out in better numbers. We only have ourselves to blame.