Another loud criticism of Toyota Park: the parking situation. $15 to park in an unpaved lot in the middle of Bridgview can, and has, been a tough sell to Fire fans, so how can we turn this weakness into a strength?
Find a way to renegotiate the parking contract with the owners, the Villiage of Bridgeview. Offer a lump sum at the beginning of the season, representing all of the potential parking revenue for the Fire season, and hopefully, they would be willing to take a discounted fixed payment to not worry about the variance in parking reveune. Give them an opportunity to hedge their bet on the Fire's ability to draw a crowd and better forecast their annual municipal budget.
Village deal or not, get a name brand to sponsor the parking lot, essentially naming rights, free advertising, and the right to distribute marketing material. Free parking sponsored by, for example, Continental Tires, a league wide sponsor. Cars pull up and receive their "parking pass", a bright glossy flyer with the company logo as well as special offers or product information, perhaps some space for Fire offers as well. It would be a great opportunity to turn "$15 please" into "Welcome to Toyota Park! Go Fire!"
Use the parking flyer revenue to offset as much of the price set by Bridgeview as possible, preferably free. Sponsorship revenue can quickly turn into customer exploitation without a complete discount to the lots.
Lastly, open up the lots as early as possible. There is a large, and growing, tailgate culture at Toyota Park, and this is the one thing that committed fans of all backgrounds seem to have in common. Allow these fans and families the chance to get ahead of gameday traffic and spend their day at Toyota Park. Encourage this dynamic as much as possible, and it will help grow a loyal, committed fanbase.
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