How it works:
    Target audiences are spectators and players at men's and women’s open divisions, co-ed adult play and boys' and girls' divisions. Arenas also host pre- and post-professional premier leagues. This club environment has made soccer the most popular sport worldwide according to FSA president Kevin Milliken.
    "We have over 100 teams in our facility here in Chico," Milliken says. "There’s nothing else to do."
    The arenas also host birthday parties, corporate functions and other special events, bringing in additional consumer groups.
    Banners, scoreboards and dasher boards are the most popular sites for arena ads.
    Creative is brand-oriented with logos predominating.
    NBC affiliate KNVN in Chico, channel 24, displayed their news logo in NBC colors on a white background for a banner ad. Jill Florey, station account manager, plays in a women’s league at the Chico arena and says, "It appeals to kids and adults. It’s next to the goal. You can’t miss it."
     Soccer is often worked into the creative. For example, Coke combined their logo with the slogan "live the game" for their dasherboard ad, Milliken says.
    Advertisers can sponsor a league team, providing financial support in return for displaying their logo on team uniforms.
    Food and beverage suppliers as well as soccer supply dealers can contract to sell their products, as well as to advertise, in the arenas.
    Other advertising venues include naming an arena, having your name or logo on an official game ball, on pocket schedules or on the back of tickets. Advertisers can also sponsor a special event, youth camp or contest.
    Advertisers can place their campaigns locally, regionally or nationally. Regional campaigns currently lead the other categories. "A thousand dollars for a local pizza parlor is a fair amount of money for an ad," Milliken says. "But $15,000 for a regional Domino’s is cheap. Often one owner has several pizzerias."
    Exclusivity within a product area can be purchased.
    Demographics can be targeted. Leagues and tournaments are classified by age and gender.

Markets:
    California cities including Santa Clarita, Livermore, Arcata, Santa Rosa, Santa Clara, Mare Island, Belmont, Watsonville, Chico, Turlock, Sacramento, Grass Valley and Galt.
    Oregon cities including Corvallis, Springfield, Portland, Salem and Hillsboro.
    Washington cities including Seattle, Tacoma and Bellingham as well as neighboring Vancouver in Canada. 
    Member arenas are also located in Sparks, Nev., Springfield, Ill., Kansas City (area), Mo., and in several Mexican and Canadian cities.
    The FSA is currently expanding into the Southwest, Midwest, Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, Northeast and Great Lakes regions.

Numbers:
    How measured? Per impression.

Attendance:
    Based on 2000 data, the average number of participants and spectators per year, per arena is 130,000 with 97,000 participating and 33,000 watching the games.
    The average number of participants and spectators per week, per arena is 1,800 participants and 700 spectators.
    The annual attendance in all FSA arenas is five million participants and spectators. The average mix is 75 percent soccer players to 25 percent fans.
    The average time spent in an indoor soccer facility is one hour per visit. Games generally last 40 to 50 minutes.

Research:
    What product categories do well? Beverages, auto manufacturers and dealerships, insurance companies, mortgage and real estate companies, restaurants (especially pizza), hotel chains, rental cars and anything to do with soccer.
    "Dot bombs are out," Milliken says, though they used to be big in arenas.

Demographics:
    Most-frequent arena users are adults, ages 25 to 49, who also constitute the highest spending group in the U.S., Milliken says.
    Average household income for arena participants is:
    - 34 percent at $75,000 to $100,000
    - 19 percent at more than $100,000
    - 19 percent at $60,000 to $75,000
    - 16 percent at $45,000 to $60,000 
    - 12 percent at less than $45,000
    The age and gender for participants plus spectators, per year, per arena breaks down to 50,000 men, 36,000 women, 28,000 boys and 17,000 girls (18 and under). The gender and age of participants by quarter are:
    - 1^st quarter (January through March) is 30 percent adult males, 30 percent boys 18 and younger, 20 percent women and 20 percent girls 18 and younger.
    - 2^nd quarter is 35 percent adult males, 25 percent adult women, 25 percent boys and 15 percent girls.
    - 3^rd quarter is 50 percent men, 35 percent women, 10 percent boys and 5 percent girls.
    - 4^th quarter is 40 percent men, 20 percent women, 30 percent boys and 10 percent girls.
    The gender and age of participants and spectators per year, per arena, breaks down to 50,000 men, 37,000 women, 28,000 boys and 17,000 girls.

Making the buy:
    General advertising costs, per piece, run as follows:
    - Dasher boards (4 x 4 feet) at $1,500 per year, per arena
    - Dasher boards (4 x 8 feet) at $2,500 per year, per arena
    - Wall banners (3 x 10 feet) at $2,500 per year, per arena
    - Bleacher banners at $1,000 per year, per arena
    - Scoreboards at $3,500 per scoreboard, per year, on a five-year contract
    - There are also 8 x 3 feet, 3 x 4 feet and 14 x 2 feet dasher boards.
    Additionally, advertisers can buy:
    - Naming the arena at $10,000 per year, in a five-year contract
    - Uniform sponsorship at $250 per year
    - League champion T-shirts, with up to four advertisers per shirt, at $1.50 per shirt
    - Name on official game ball for $250 per year, per arena
    - Pocket schedules at $500 per 1,000, for one arena
    - The backs of tickets for $200 per 100 tickets
    - Building fronts are available, with pricing dependent on the facility. Billboards, wraps or naming the building are options. Five-year contracts are standard.
    - The area around the big screen televisions is also available. Monday Night Football is a great draw, Milliken says. It’s the crowds at women’s league night and the husbands who come along to cheer who often end up watching the game over a pitcher of beer in the concession area.

Factors that affect prices:
    - The location of the ad in the arena.
    - A total buy of multiple arenas costs less than buying a single arena.
    - There are market differentials that affect pricing. For instance, a dasher board in Santa Clara can cost $3,500 while one in Chico or Corvallis goes for $1,500 to $1,700. "The numbers (of players and spectators) are still there," Milliken says. "But it’s a different demographic."
    - Advertisers buying a dasher board in every FSA arena get a price break and a bottom line of $1,000 per arena.
    - Regional and national advertisers buying several arenas can negotiate prices.
    - Advertising packages can be customized to include league and event sponsorship, displays, youth camps and print ads on flyers and registration forms.
    - Production is included.
    Contracts generally run one year. Lead-time is four weeks. Creative deadline for the summer national league series (May 12 through August 5) is April 15. Deadline for fall tournament season ads is July 15. Dasher boards are available year round.

Who’s already in soccer arenas?
    Coca-Cola, ESPN, Pepsi, State Farm Insurance, All Sport, Birthday Express, Holiday Inn, Oregon State Bank, Nokia cell phones, Fox Sports World, Alpine Awards and Diadora are some of the regional and national advertisers.

What they’re saying:
    "The numbers are far greater than anybody would imagine, and we’re cheap." – Kevin Milliken, president of The Federation of Sports Arenas

Web site info:
    Federation of Sports Arenas at www.arenaleague.com/advertising.html

-Kathy Prentice writes about out-of-home advertising  for Media Life, penning her stories from the resort town of Traverse City, in the upper reaches of Michigan.

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