tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951782330457966647.post3428370260412917551..comments2024-03-28T19:07:23.178-04:00Comments on MOLOVINSKY ON ALLENTOWN: Allentown Soccer Historymichael molovinskyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12581039755319742687noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951782330457966647.post-968591820833178692012-01-08T13:23:58.277-05:002012-01-08T13:23:58.277-05:00Eine was fuer wundervolle Ueberraschung mit diesem...Eine was fuer wundervolle Ueberraschung mit diesem Sonntag ... What a wonderful surprise with this Sunday!<br /><br />WILLIE EHRLICH, a genuine visionary, and his PENNSYLVANIA STONERS were quite revolutionary, even by top shelf European professional standards in existance at that time.<br /><br />Ehrlich's use of shirt advertisement other efforts to combine with the business sector as well as his philosophy regarding a productive youth policy for the senior professional club are now the model which every pro club in Europe (and everywhere else, actually) tries to emulate.<br /><br />The club I traditionally follow, Bayern Munich, were one of the very first to have corporate advertisement on their jerseys (Addidas, during the famous 1973-74 season I have been chronicling). Bayern started to get very, very serious about developing youth players and formulating relationships with business during this time period, as well. Nowadays, Bayern are one of the richest clubs in all of Europe, in part because they always have plenty of young talent to consistently sell off and, in part, because they have serious sponsorship pumping money into the club. <br /><br />It is interesting to wonder what might have been with Mr. Ehrlich in this day and age of a Major League Soccer. I have been to plenty of IronPigs games at Coca-Cola Park (capacity 10,000) when the crowd was 8,300 or so and it is hard not to think back and compare, sometimes. Of course, Ehrlich and the Stoners never got any major assistance from the Government (in the form of a purpose-built stadium)...<br /><br />contironpigpenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11792492001296361796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951782330457966647.post-52966080894055939912012-01-08T13:23:40.683-05:002012-01-08T13:23:40.683-05:00... today, the "Philadelphia" Union play...... today, the "Philadelphia" Union play in Major League Soccer at PPL Park (capacity 18,500) in Chester.<br /><br />According to Wikipedia (for what it's worth) --- the PPL Park project was funded by $30 million from Delaware County and another $47 million from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (Ed Rendell, Governor).<br /><br />The total construction cost of PPL is listed at $120 million by Wiki (I pay little attention to MLS but that is another matter altogether).<br /><br />It is interesting to note that RICH REICE, the former Penn State All-American from Levittown who scored one of the Pennsylvania Stoners' two goals in the 1980 ASL title game, later testified to The Morning Call that the Stoners had been able to draw considerable fans from the Philadelphia area ... Reice had come to the Stoners in 1980 after two seasons with the Philadelphia Fury in the rival North American Soccer League (which overwhelmingly relied on past-their-prime European pros and other foreigners). <br /><br />ROironpigpenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11792492001296361796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951782330457966647.post-89713966044250350192012-01-08T11:10:32.741-05:002012-01-08T11:10:32.741-05:00More popular among whom and where, Bernie?
I agre...More popular among whom and where, Bernie?<br /><br />I agree that many of our youngest athletes in this country play soccer. However, if you would take a poll of adults in the country about which sport is more popular, it still is not close.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951782330457966647.post-65372790412253147322012-01-08T05:30:31.948-05:002012-01-08T05:30:31.948-05:00also much more popular than hockey.also much more popular than hockey.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-951782330457966647.post-14829100130487480572012-01-07T21:56:29.143-05:002012-01-07T21:56:29.143-05:00Beautiful story about a beautiful game that is now...Beautiful story about a beautiful game that is now more popular than football in the Fall.Bernie O'Harehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13756311150988957401noreply@blogger.com