SPLASH NOTEBOOK / MARTIN HENDERSON : Franchise Is Hitting High Notes Off the Field

What do Barbra Streisand, Tatu and Mike Dowler have in common?

All were pains in the you-know-what for the Splash last year.

Streisand’s concert engagement at The Pond of Anaheim forced the team to change the dates of two games. Players were moved out of their locker room to accommodate her demands. Her stage took away one end of the building from the fans.

This year, the Splash won’t get pushed around so much. First, Streisand’s not touring. But more than that, Splash management has had a full year to market the team, pick choice arena dates and develop an identity. Now, the Splash seems poised to become one of the more successful Continental Indoor Soccer League teams off the field.

Four franchises turned a profit last year, and Anaheim was near the break-even point. But indicators point to a highly successful campaign this year. Overhead and expenses are down, and attendance is up.

This is why General Manager Tim Ryan is all smiles. Before the first game last season, the Splash sold 380 season tickets. Before the first game this season, the total was up to 1,005.

At the end of the regular season last year, in which attendance averaged 4,688, Ryan’s goal was 1,000 season tickets. By January, that goal was 1,250.

The final total was 1,437 season-ticket holders. Excluding those allotted through advertising and sponsorship agreements, there were 1,061 season tickets sold specifically for the Splash.

Renewal sales for 1996 begin Aug. 27.

“The season-ticket holders we have have turned into a very loyal group of fans,” Ryan said. “The bottom line is that attendance to date has exceeded our expectations.”

Attendance has been booming, too. Through seven home dates, average attendance has been the league’s best, 8,165. The league average is 5,069.

The Splash’s high-water mark last year was the final five home games--including the playoffs--during which it averaged 7,129.

“They have stepped up to the plate to become the model franchise in this league,” Commissioner Ron Weinstein said. “When you step into their arena, you are at a class event. This is a team that went from rags to riches through hard work and dedication.”

The franchise drew only 1,913, on average, its first year in Los Angeles.

The Splash’s success in off-season marketing has forced Ryan to do some serious long-range readjusting.

“The original five-year plan was an increase of 250 season tickets per year,” Ryan said. “In five years, I would be very pleased with 2,500-3,000 season tickets, considering that would be No. 1 throughout the CISL. If we continue to show the growth we had in 1995, we’ll surpass any benchmark set by any team for indoor soccer in the past.”

Ryan said the key to his team’s financial success is the procurement of major sponsors, and that horizon appears bright. Ryan is sure that sponsorship will increase in 1996 as the Splash continues “to generate loyalty to the fans.”

Ryan said the Splash staff visited more than 50 soccer-related environments in the off-season spreading ticket information and sharing the concept of the indoor game.

“Once people come and see the Anaheim Splash,” he said, “it dispels a lot of myths associated with traditional outdoor soccer.”

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According to a league survey, the average cost for a family of four to attend a game, park, buy two programs, one souvenir cap, one logo T-shirt, two draft beers, four soft drinks and four hot dogs is $97.49; the average for the Splash is $90.44, the 12th-highest total in the 15-team league. According to the Fan Cost Index compiled by Team Marketing Report, the average NBA game cost in 1994 was $180.62.

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The Splash’s outreach into the community is heavy on kids. There are more than 250 members of the Junior Splash Club for kids 14 and younger when the season opened. A $10 membership gets you two games, a T-shirt, a pregame party with players, and a free soft drink to every game you attend.

There are more than 900 Junior Splash members. Defender Doug Neely took it upon himself to sell corporate sponsorships--$100 at a time--to provide Junior Splash memberships to about 300 kids participating in the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Orange County; 100% of the net revenue from those 300 memberships--$2,150--was presented to Big Brothers/Big Sisters before the Sacramento game.

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The Splash recently scored on seven consecutive power-play opportunities--a period covering five games. Doug Neely scored one against Sacramento; Neely scored one and Raffaele Ruotolo scored two against Arizona; there were no opportunities against Houston; and Jose Vasquez scored one and Neely two against Las Vegas. Over a longer span, the Splash scored on eight of its last nine opportunities. The streak ended against Portland--failing twice--in a 7-4 loss to the Pride.

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In its 6-4 victory over previously unbeaten Sacramento, Splash goalkeeper Ruben Fernandez tied a league record with two assists in a game, and set the record for most assists in a half. Fernandez has three assists this season; the record is eight, set by Arizona’s Warren Westcoat in 1993.

In that game, the Splash ended Jon Parry’s 21-game scoring streak.