Who Needs Fans? We Just Want to Win, Bulls Director Says

• Big Apple Soccer, Tuesday, May 22, 2007 3:30 PM

Red Bulls managing director Marc de Grandpre admitted that the noticeable dramatic dip in attendance at games in Giants Stadium is disappointing, but management isn't pulling the panic button yet. At 9,867 spectators per game, The Red Bulls are averaging the worst home attendance in the New York franchise's history and the second-worst average in the league, but what's most perplexing is the team is performing well, for a change.

"We're disappointed at the turnout," de Grandpre said. "Historically, if you look at the data, the first few months are never a great months in terms of attendance so we planned accordingly. We're going to be pushing for the second half of the season to see some significant increases in attendance." Nevertheless, "I'm not concerned," he said. "It's four games into the season," and the fact that two of the games were played in driving rain and two of the games were played on Sunday has contributed to the poor numbers.

Excuses aside, there's been a noticeable absence in any kind of marketing effort on the part of Red Bull. As for the lack of a budget, de Grandpre said, "Would you rather see a 40-foot billboard of the Red Bulls in Times Square for a week or would you rather have JPA [Juan Pablo Angel] on the field for a couple of years? We would rather have JP on the field."

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