As Major League Lacrosse attempts to expand -- in number of teams as well as popularity -- the New Jersey Pride face growing pains. As a result, it is one of the franchises MLL Commissioner David Gross said the league is "monitoring."
"New Jersey is an interesting market to say the least," Gross said.
In 2007, the Pride ranked second-to-last in attendance, averaging 2,647 fans per game. In New Jersey's first two home games this season, the average crowd was 2,343 -- last in the league.
The Pride have played in four stadiums since 2001, so venue has been an ongoing battle. The current venue, Rutgers' Yurcak Field, boasts a top-notch playing surface, but has bleacher seating and is not permitted to sell beer. On the other hand, the team that draws the most fans, the Denver Outlaws, plays at INVESCO Field, where fans and players enjoy all the amenities of an NFL stadium -- including beer.
The Pride is also one of two MLL franchises not centered in a city -- the Long Island Lizards are the other -- and Pride acting GM Stephen Ferretti believes the commuter-driven crowd has taken a hit due to rising gas prices.
"But the biggest hurdle we have, being in the New York-area," Ferretti said, "is that we are in a super-saturated sports market."
This summer, Philadelphia is a road team, playing its "home games" at test markets including Dallas and Virginia Beach. Gross said the league hopes to add six new expansion teams over the next decade -- but there is always the possibility, he added, of a new market replacing a current one instead. . .
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