Hearing that the Sunbelt will sponsor Soccer with the following teams making up the league:

1. Marshall #3
2. WVU #25
3. UK #4
4. South Carolina
5. ODU
6. Coastal Carolina
7. Georgia State
8. Georgia Southern
9. James Madison #23

That's a nice, tight geographical league and features four of those teams currently in the top 25. I'm not a soccer fan but I'm happy for the teams and the fans. Arguably the best soccer conference in America with those schools.

129 just stepped back from a cliff.


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This is a great league.

Bring it back, App!![/align]

If we get the ESPN money from the new deal I would expect we would bring it back.

(10-23-2021 07:48 AM)APPdiesel Wrote:  129 just stepped back from a cliff.


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I'm pumped. I hope we can also get FIU as an affiliate. They are currently ranked #17.

This would make us arguably the best soccer conference in the country.

I wonder if App will reconsider men's soccer now?any of the players and the coach are still in Boone. The program was heading in the right direction with a win over UNC in 20019.

SBC on its way to being a premier soccer conference as well. I swear could the news keep getting any better?

No way we don't bring soccer back with this lineup.

Wow...

As I'd posted here and in the C-USA board in response to a UAB fan calling someone from Marshall "salty", the Sun Belt won here, not the AAC.

According to Ben Moore then Sun Belt media deal will payout the same as new AAC members get. Our exposure on ESPN linear nchannels will be the same. Our travel will be less. The majority of us don't have to pay entry or exit fees. We added two good mid-major basketball programs, a football power, a softball power with exceptional football potential and facilities, and a program with a foundation that negates its ability to remain down for long once the exposure hits.

Not sure if ESPN or anyone will really do enough digging to write about it. This deserves some press once everything goes through.

(10-23-2021 09:28 AM)ericsaid Wrote:  Wow...

As I'd posted here and in the C-USA board in response to a UAB fan calling someone from Marshall "salty", the Sun Belt won here, not the AAC.

According to Ben Moore then Sun Belt media deal will payout the same as new AAC members get. Our exposure on ESPN linear nchannels will be the same. Our travel will be less. The majority of us don't have to pay entry or exit fees. We added two good mid-major basketball programs, a football power, a softball power with exceptional football potential and facilities, and a program with a foundation that negates its ability to remain down for long once the exposure hits.

Not sure if ESPN or anyone will really do enough digging to write about it. This deserves some press once everything goes through.

You know deep down that the AAC schools are secretly nervous about the Sun Belt pulling this move off. They would never admit it, but once Memphis and USF leave then they know their goose is cooked.

Also, I want to thank ESPN for making this happen. I think it will prove to be a great investment for them over the next 10 years and hopefully longer.

Marshall and the newcomers need to keep our mouths shut and do our jobs (win). If that happens we will see some major growth here.

(10-23-2021 09:11 AM)seaking4steel Wrote:  No way we don't bring soccer back with this lineup.

I hope you guys bring it back. It will be tough to build a team from scratch in such a strong conference, but it should make it easier to recruit for the same reason.

If we pull this off this will be one of the best soccer conferences in the entire country. I'm pumped to hear this. I would love to see App add soccer, plus you guys are located in the center of most of the soccer teams so not much travel.

I mean, holy hell. If we bring FIU as well we go from not even having soccer to probably the second best conference in the NCAA overnight.

Damn!

(10-23-2021 09:11 AM)seaking4steel Wrote:  No way we don't bring soccer back with this lineup.

Do you want to start the GoFundMe or should I? North Carolina will have Major League Soccer next season. Soccer is the fastest growing sport in the United States. App State athletics needs to create a funding push showing the programs that App would be playing with the jump start soccer as soon as new conference play begins.

I'd argue that the only reason App cut Men's Soccer was because of conference affiliation and travel. Time to bring it back.

(10-23-2021 09:53 AM)rileylives Wrote:  I mean come a holy hell. If we bring FIU as well we go from not even having soccer to probably the second best conference in the NCAA overnight.

Damn!

Will the new Sun Belt Soccer league be as good as C-USA was or better? I know Charlotte was pretty good as well.

(10-23-2021 09:36 AM)HTOWN_HERD Wrote:  

(10-23-2021 09:28 AM)ericsaid Wrote:  Wow...

As I'd posted here and in the C-USA board in response to a UAB fan calling someone from Marshall "salty", the Sun Belt won here, not the AAC.

According to Ben Moore then Sun Belt media deal will payout the same as new AAC members get. Our exposure on ESPN linear nchannels will be the same. Our travel will be less. The majority of us don't have to pay entry or exit fees. We added two good mid-major basketball programs, a football power, a softball power with exceptional football potential and facilities, and a program with a foundation that negates its ability to remain down for long once the exposure hits.

Not sure if ESPN or anyone will really do enough digging to write about it. This deserves some press once everything goes through.

You know deep down that the AAC schools are secretly nervous about the Sun Belt pulling this move off. They would never admit it, but once Memphis and USF leave then they know their goose is cooked.

Also, I want to thank ESPN for making this happen. I think it will prove to be a great investment for them over the next 10 years and hopefully longer.

Marshall and the newcomers need to keep our mouths shut and do our jobs (win). If that happens we will see some major growth here.

It's their own fault.

They could have invited App State and Marshall if they were serious about performance.

We are in a much, much better situation right now. I've told AAC additions this and they don't like to hear it, but it's true...

They still think any of us would leave to join that conference after the deflections of Memphis and SMU, they've completely lost touch with reality.

(10-23-2021 07:27 AM)MUHERD76 Wrote:  Hearing that the Sunbelt will sponsor Soccer with the following teams making up the league:

1. Marshall #3
2. WVU #25
3. UK #4
4. South Carolina
5. ODU
6. Coastal Carolina
7. Georgia State
8. Georgia Southern
9. James Madison #23

That's a nice, tight geographical league and features four of those teams currently in the top 25. I'm not a soccer fan but I'm happy for the teams and the fans. Arguably the best soccer conference in America with those schools.

I could even see UCF joining, as the Big 12 doesn't sponsor soccer. I mean my goodness, this could be a powerhouse.

This is so hilarious. CLT on the CUSA board tries to start a thread making fun of Marshall, gloating Charlotte's premier status, in 2 years Marshall eclipses them, wins the national championship and brings all of the good teams to the Sun Belt.

(10-23-2021 09:54 AM)ericsaid Wrote:  

(10-23-2021 09:53 AM)rileylives Wrote:  I mean come a holy hell. If we bring FIU as well we go from not even having soccer to probably the second best conference in the NCAA overnight.

Damn!

Will the new Sun Belt Soccer league be as good as C-USA was or better? I know Charlotte was pretty good as well.

This is better.

The ACC now has serious competition to claim best soccer conference.

(10-23-2021 09:54 AM)ericsaid Wrote:  

(10-23-2021 09:53 AM)rileylives Wrote:  I mean come a holy hell. If we bring FIU as well we go from not even having soccer to probably the second best conference in the NCAA overnight.

Damn!

Will the new Sun Belt Soccer league be as good as C-USA was or better? I know Charlotte was pretty good as well.

Probably a push. Lose Charlotte bring in JMU. If FIU ends up needing a home they’d be a good invite. Otherwise trading UAB & FAU for GSU & GS.

Assuming all of the associates come along which I don’t see why they wouldn’t. Membership and footprint pretty much the same.

(10-23-2021 10:06 AM)mturn017 Wrote:  

(10-23-2021 09:54 AM)ericsaid Wrote:  

(10-23-2021 09:53 AM)rileylives Wrote:  I mean come a holy hell. If we bring FIU as well we go from not even having soccer to probably the second best conference in the NCAA overnight.

Damn!

Will the new Sun Belt Soccer league be as good as C-USA was or better? I know Charlotte was pretty good as well.

Probably a push. Lose Charlotte bring in JMU. If FIU ends up needing a home they’d be a good invite. Otherwise trading UAB & FAU for GSU & GS.

Assuming all of the associates come along which I don’t see why they wouldn’t. Membership and footprint pretty much the same.

Well, I will say it's better because it's with the Sun Belt. Not sure how keen ESPN is on College Soccer but if popularity grows, it's a good position for the Sun Belt to be in.