With all the hoopla surrounding the New York Red Bulls’ signing of French striker Thierry Henry, it should have been expected that ticket sales for the team would take off.
Since last Wednesday’s announcement making it official that the Red Bulls have signed Thierry Henry, Stover said that the staff is in overdrive handling the demand and interest generated by the acquisition.
“The phones have been ringing off the hook,” [managing director Erik] Stover told MLSSoccer.com.
Stover would not confirm any hard numbers on ticket sales, only to say that the post-World Cup lull in ticket sales “is over.”
Having “more than doubled our season tickets since last year,” Stover said that Henry’s impact won’t be fully felt until next year. Currently, only partial ticket plans and individual games are available for purchase through the club, including for this week’s Barclays New York Challenge, which begins on Thursday when Henry is expected to start against Tottenham Hotspur.
The trick for the Red Bulls will be turning the initial interest into a long-term upsurge.