The NHL’s Sharks have pledged to run San Jose’s MLS entry for one year. The future is uncertain, but recent seasons have been dismal.

As the San Jose Earthquakes have flailed and struggled on the field, so too have they let a loyal audience slip away.

Four straight failures to reach the postseason and several near-purchases that collapsed have tainted this franchise.

But MLS is bullish on the San Jose market, despite missing out on a sale of the team in late December to a Yahoo! executive who pulled out as the value of his stock options plummeted.

That aborted deal came three years after a consortium led by MLS founder Alan Rothenberg pulled out of proposed purchase. In stepped the Kraft Sports Group, which ran a bare-bones operation until the league took over operations in late December.

MLS has granted operating rights to Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment, the marketing arm of the NHL’s San Jose Sharks. After two years of being run by the league and three more years of control from afar, the team has a local connection.

‘ELITE ORGANIZATION.’ “The Sharks are one of the elite organizations in the NHL,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “Through the success and expertise of SVS&E in hockey, tennis, golf and venue management, it is clear that their understanding of the Bay Area sports market is unmatched.”

That’s a fluff quote, but it’s true. The Sharks have set merchandising records since joining the NHL 10 years ago, and full houses at San Jose Arena are routine.

The former San Jose Clash had success in 1996, drawing an average attendance of 17,232. As with most MLS teams, the numbers have dropped.

Average Quakes crowds hit a low of 12,460 last season, a considerable drop from the 14,959 of 1999. That ’99 figure is misleading, including a crowd of 73,123 for a Stanford Stadium doubleheader with a Women’s World Cup semifinal. The other 15 games averaged 11,222.

The Quakes cannot escape the shadow of the WUSA and the women’s game. The Bay Area CyberRays also will play in Spartan Stadium, but if the Sharks can exploit their strong presence in the San Jose corporate community and local media to aid the soccer team, progress is possible.

BUDGET TRIPLED. Former director of business operations Tom Neale, who joined the Quakes in 1998, has been promoted to general manager and will work with another longtime employee, Chris Chamides, on operations.

“We know this is a great market,” said Neale. “With the backing of the Sharks, we can give the fans the team they deserve.”

SVS&E vice president of corporate partnerships Greg Elliott, who will oversee the team’s operations, says the Quakes already have surpassed last year’s season-ticket sales and that the advertising budget has been tripled.

“First and foremost, you have to put a good product on the field,” said Elliott. “To draw fans, you have to be exciting or winning, preferably both. This team hasn’t done either the past few years.

“We think we’ve taken steps in that area with some player moves. There’s a long way to go, but that’s the first step.”

by Soccer America senior editor Ridge Mahoney