The Other Side of the Game: An Interview with Herm Sorcher.

In December, President & GM Tony Novo (right) welcomes Herm Sorcher (left) to Sky Blue FC (Credit: Sky Blue FC)

When I asked Herm Sorcher to relive his favorite sports moment, the Director of Business Development for Sky Blue FC had difficulty pinpointing one. Upon further reflection, Sorcher selected his championship season with the Connecticut Whalers, but admitted that the actual moment of the victory was the least memorable. Instead, it was all of the preparation leading up to the final seconds of the final game, which stood out. The former CEO and Managing Partner of the Whalers reflected, “Every day for the Danbury Whalers was a championship day, except for the one day we won it! That was the day we culminated everything …”

That is the kind of hard work and fun Sorcher hopes to bring to Sky Blue FC. The team has missed out on the playoffs the past two seasons in the NWSL. The lone championship in club history was won as part of the WPS in 2009. Sorcher looks to capitalize on the existing Sky Blue reputation, “one of the great things that I think we have is that there is a foundation and a history with this team.” However, with a new coach, and the losses of Nadia Nadim (traded to Portland) and Brittany Cameron (will remain in Japan), Sky Blue FC can hardly rest on its laurels.

Sorcher is confident in the direction the club has taken in the offseason with the roster, but points out that his job is to create an atmosphere that fans can enjoy, regardless of the on-field results. Of his role, Sorcher stated, “We’re trying to play a percentage game. We’re trying to talk to as many people as we can … we have ten (home) games; we play in a 5,000 seat stadium; that’s 50,000 seats. We have to approach this like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna sell 50,000 tickets.’ But we’re gonna sell it one ticket at a time.”

Interacting with Fans

Since coming on board, Socher has spent a good amount of time talking to an important, yet possibly under-engaged stakeholder, the fans. Sky Blue FC has lagged behind NWSL attendance for three consecutive years. Sky Blue recorded a total of 21,889 spectators over ten home games last season. Although attendance to Yurcak Field on the Rutgers University campus has increased each year, Sky Blue has yet to reach the consistent crowds of teams who attract a larger, more involved fanbase.

As his first order of business, Sorcher hopes to involve fans with the team year-round, “The people who are fans of Sky Blue, they don’t want April to September. They want January to December,” said Sorcher, “What I really want to focus on is the experience, the value added, how our fans are interacting with the players … a lot of the things I want to focus on are about … connecting better [to fans].”

This offseason, Sky Blue FC began the Kids Club, a supporters group open to all children ages 5-12. Kids Club will feature special events and a ticket to a pre-selected Sky Blue match for the 2016 season. The hope is to offer exciting perks for children, enticing families to come to games together.

The club has also announced community partnerships with Kick ALS, the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, Go4TheGoal, The Atlantic Club, and most recently, Bianca’s Kids. While these community partnerships continue to bring a sense of service, youth development, health awareness and sponsorship, there are other community members Sky Blue hopes to engage as well.

(skybluefc.com)

On Cloud 9

Families are not the only ones coming to Sky Blue FC games. For the soccer-loving adults in New Jersey, the Cloud 9 Supporters Group is a great way to enjoy a match in New Jersey. Fans of the club occupy section 9 at Yurcak Field, dress in Sky Blue scarfs and banging drums. In an interview with Once a Metro, Cloud 9 member Jennifer Muller discussed the support Cloud 9 receives from Sky Blue FC, “Last year was our first as an official club, and they were very supportive. This year, even more so. They know that a strong supporters club is important and they want to help our numbers grow. So, while we are an independent group, we work very closely with the club.”

Sorcher said much of the same, “our approach is, let’s do whatever we can to help these community soccer ambassadors, these supporters, let’s help them grow what they’re trying to do.”

Growing Women’s Sports

“Should there be something, definitely. I think there are some great ways that we can connect … why wouldn’t we go to a women’s hockey game?”

Many called 2015 The Year of the Woman, from tennis to soccer; female athletes made, and continue to make, headlines. We asked Herm if there is value in connecting with other women’s teams in the area, “There are a lot of connections that can happen. I think the simplest way I can say it is, when I look at what we can do to grow our team, there are probably a thousand things we can do. But, we’re still so early in that list”

Like most female professional leagues, youth teams are the main market that supports the NWSL. Speaking with coaches and families is what Sorcher wants to prioritize for the upcoming season, “If you said, you can pick up the phone and make one phone call. Who are you going to call? I’m gonna say it’s probably the youth soccer coach of a 10 year old girls team.”

Cloud 9 attends the first home game of the New York Riveters of the National Women’s Hockey League (NWHL) Photo Credit: @Cloud9_Skyblue/Twitter

However, fans of women’s sports might have a role in pushing league partnerships closer to the top of the list. Members of Cloud 9 have attended New York Liberty and New York Riveters games together. Although a formal partnership may be down the road, soccer fans seem ready to share the love.

Hopes for 2016

Herm is looking to capitalize on the big names of the league as a whole to sell tickets, and often times that means capitalizing of U.S Women’s Soccer Team players. With the Summer Olympics taking place during the season, we asked Sorcher what the Rio Games can do to help Sky Blue attendance, “Having an event like the Olympics is a fantastic marketing opportunity for us. Hopefully it will be a good run for the [United States] team … can we somehow capture that enthusiasm and let people know, ‘hey, look you just saw these players perform. After the Olympics, here’s who’s gonna be here on this date.”

However, since our conversation, it is very likely that Sorcher will be looking to names like Kai and Rodriguez, not just Morgan and Solo. Sky Blue drafted a solid rookie class, picking up the 2nd overall pick and 2015 Hermann Trophy winner Raquel Rodriguez, Rutgers alumna Erica Skroski and goaltender Caroline Casey.

Additionally, Sky Blue fans were pleasantly surprised to hear that Tasha Kai would return this offseason. Kai played with Sky Blue in the Women’s Professional Soccer (WPS) league, helping them to the 2009 Championship. “Tasha is someone who comes with a huge personality that is very attractive to us and really connects with the fans”, said head coach Christie Holly. While the Hawaiian-native Kai has been off the grid for some time, she has great potential to be an ex-factor for a Sky Blue team looking to break out from the bottom of the standings. Cloud 9 is excited for fans old & new to she Kai in action, “I'm so glad she's back. Not only for the sake of those of us who are fans of hers,” said Muller, “but also for those who never had a chance to see her play. I think they're going to love the energy she brings. She's just flat out fun to watch. I think that's something this team needed."

However, fans will no doubt miss Brittany Cameron, who has officially announced that she will remain in Japan with her club Vegalta Sendai. News first broke that Cameron would remain in Japan in January, yet neither she nor Sky Blue FC confirmed until last Monday.

It might be too early to determine where Sky Blue will find themselves in the rankings for the upcoming season. There is a lot of young talent, as well as a new head coach. However, Herm Sorcher is focused on creating a championship environment for what he hopes can be a championship team. He is working to make sure the fans and community are just as ready come April 28th as the team. In a letter to Sky Blue fans, Sorcher stated, “ … [We] can do this together – I am looking forward to it.” So are we Herm, so are we!

Sky Blue FC will host the Washington Spirit on April 28th for the 2016 home opener. Tickets can be purchased at http://www.skybluefc.com

Follow Erica Ayala on Twitter @elindsay08