I would like to see quite a few changes, these are a few of my ideas. With all things said (state of the game, economy, lack of players ect) this is what I would do.
Lets use Dania as the target fronton
First off if you are going to keep Jai Alai long term, I would definately invest some good money on the roof. You are in hurricane alley, and cant afford to flood the place everytime a storm comes through. Not a patch, but a strong reinforced roof.
I would do away with the betting area by the front wall, and put in a resteraunt(not fast food) set at an angle with VIP seating with TV and self service betting machines right at the table. If people want fast food, they can keep the one by the entrance. Behind the resteraunt where the tellers are now, I would make that Slot machine area, Reopen the main entrance like it used to be, have a way for people to get to the slots/resteraunt area to the right, and maybe an elevatorstairs to get to the poker room/fronton.
The rear upstairs where the old resteraunt is should be the betting area, with maybe some added self service machines on the arena floor. I would redo the seats and make them alittle more comfortable, with possibly some upgraded seats like orlando with tables. Would have a couple girls going through the audience serving drinks ect. Bathrooms with a couple Tvs installed on the walls and made to look alittle nicer.
The court repainted with the lines taken away except for over under and serving area( i think this may confuse new patrons). I would also change the colors to maybe a dark blue to give alittle better contrast to the white ball. The players names should be on the jerseys ala miami.
I do like the scoreboard at dania, but would like to see a quinella board like orlando used to have somewhere inside the arena. Quinellas take in 10 times what win bets do, so lets see some odds in plain view like some of the other frontons.
I respect and honor the traditions of jai alai like the players march and what not, but we need to think outside the box. Keep the march, the fajas(spelling) the flags etc. but these are some ideas i would not mind seeing. I say go to 2 refs, one front one back, with a lasar over/under system. This would reduce the amount of stress due to bad over under calls. I would like some more modern music played between games, maybe the player who scored most points the day/performance before could choose the music LOL. I would also allow players to show some but not excessive(not directed towards fans or refs) emotion on the court.
I would also like to see some advertising sold either on the pads by the frontwall, or by the scoreboards or on the virtual scoreboard. Maybe even something subtle on the side wall, all proceeds of this advertising should go towards some type of pension/injury fund for players. Some help if you are injured and connot receive boleto. Also maybe a small percentage should be put away for a retirement or pension, maybe for each year you play at that fronton you get a small increase..This idea could be toyed with a bit.
I would also like to have a night where the format could be changed. I would love to see a double elimination partido night (could be done over a weekend) Where all players are teamed with a partner in a tournament. Winners /losers bracket..With partners generated by computer (late fronts with early backs and early fronts with late backs) Partidos to 7 or 10 by str8 points with 2 teams playing off for the win. This opens alot of different types of bets. You could bet on the wps overall, quinella tri and exactas would have alot of combinations. Supers would be crazy. Just one pool for all those at beginning of night. Also straight win bets for each partido game and also final score betting for each partido. So there would be 20 possibilities for those(kinda close to a quinella) but some would be very long. You could also do some type of bet where you pick winners from every game scheduled for that round in that bracket.
I know I went on a crazy tangent, but the point is this is the most amazing sport in the world. For this sport to survive you must have an amatuer program (love you orlando), players who play are very much into the sport and will come to watch their heros. You must be willing to change with the times. (kudos to college night, do things to bring in fans, giveaways, fan appreciation day, wack the wall, etc. Dania is always trying new bets, lets try a new format, even if just for a tournament. Start it on a Sat matinee and get down to 2 or 4 teams sat night with finals on Sunday after the performance with a 20 point partido. Give the players some good boleto for that tournament. From bottom to top, increasing as you get deeper with a trophy for the winner. Give everyone a ticket when they come in and they can draw a number for each team, and if your team wins you win!!!
I would be a fool to put what a roof would cost on a building that size, but i am sure some of these things are within the reach if the company was going to build a whole casino complex. Be proud of your fronton, invest the money to make your business great once again. Do this through promoting, fighting for your slots at all costs, cater to a multiple level of diverse patrons, and be willing to make changes and think outside the box...Just my 2 cents...
