Phil Steele Blog • August 22, 2015

 

 

*Update on Phil Steele 2015 FCS Digital Magazine

 

RIGHT HERE IS A LINK TO WHERE YOU CAN BUY NOW

(*Update*) The FCS Magazine has been on sale since the beginning of August. During that time only 500 magazines have been sold on cfbmatrix.com. That’s a very disappointing number to say the least. I’m still holding on to hope that the FCS Nation will show up to get this magazine going and KEEP it going for more years to come. Back in  June when I Tweeted to see if there was interest in this magazine over 340,000 people viewed it (2,127 retweets). This is the 3rd time I have stuck my neck out to get a FCS magazine published. I have the say if the number continues to be this low (right now about 2 magazines sold per school!) I will not be doing any FCS Magazine in future years..

If the FCS Nation can rally like I had expected I will even consider printing a full color version of the Magazine next year. On the other hand if we only get another 500 sales I will be forced to discontinue the FCS Publication all together. Below is a sample of the North Dakota St's team page from the magazine just click on the image to get the PDF version.

 

*Here is the original FCS Blog from August 11th.

OK, FCS fans- it is your time to step up to the plate!  In May I put out a tweet asking about the interest in an FCS football magazine and I received some impassioned pleas from FCS fans on Twitter.  I am able to monitor my Twitter activity and this tweet was viewed by 342,608 people, retweeted 2,127 times and favorited 556 times as of today. I was hoping for more people to take the extra few seconds to retweet it (2K out of 343K) but those were the results.

My first thought was that if only 2,127 retweeted it, which costs nothing, then how many would actually spend $9.99 to BUY the magazine? Given these results, I don’t think there is a magazine publisher in the world that would decide to spend the dollars that you have to spend to produce a quality magazine for the FCS. Luckily I think out of the box. I LOVE football as you know and I enjoy watching the FCS, as well as the FBS. For those not familiar with the term FCS, it is what was known as Division 1-AA football.

Even if you are purely an FBS fan, you should have an interest in this magazine because there are 106 games between FBS teams and FCS teams this year.  For those who love to read about and scout the games, don’t you want to know more about the FCS opponents on the schedule of your favorite team?  As we have seen in recent years, FCS teams are more than capable of beating, or at least putting a major scare into, FBS opponents.  Some recent highlights include James Madison beating eventual ACC Champion Virginia Tech in 2010 and, of course, Appalachian State (now FBS) notching a historic victory at Michigan.  This year has several intriguing matchups as well, led by Eastern Washington potentially facing its record-setting QB, Vernon Adams, who is now playing for Oregon. North Dakota State has of course has won back to back to back to back FCS championships including beating Kansas State in 2013 on a late TD. Did you know that ND State has now beaten an FCS team each of the last 5 seasons and 4 were P-5 opponents? ONLY TWENTY ONE FBS TEAMS HAVE BEATEN MORE THAN FOUR NON CONF POWER 5 FOES!

There are 125 FCS teams, most of which are well known to me because I have done FCS magazines in the past. Teams like Delaware, William & Mary, Sam Houston State and the 4 time defending champ North Dakota State (ESPN has had GameDay in Fargo the last 2 years and it has been a smashing success with a third trip likely in 2015) are also well known. Each of these teams has a solid fan base and last year the average FCS team drew 8,130 fans to its home games.  In total, over 5.76 million people attended FCS games in person, so many of those fans should have an interest. There are plenty of players in the NFL who attended FCS schools and there are big time transfers from the FBS who play FCS football.

This year, the FCS magazine with at least 220 pages will have:

  1. 6 year history (both games and stats) for each team.
  2. Individual leaders from 2014 with bold names returning.
  3. Game by game stats from 2014 color coded green (good) & red (bad).
  4. 2015 schedule.
  5. Coaches information .
  6. 2015 rosters (for teams that have released one).
  7. Returning starters.
  8. Depth charts.
  9. A 2 page recap for each of the last 5 FCS seasons.
  10. AND OF COUSE OUR ALL CONF AND ALL AMERICAN TEAMS.

This publication is available to view on your computer, android devices, iPhone or iPad using their browsers and you can flip through the full color pages right on your screen. I will not be printing a 2015 version, but if FCS Nation rises up and shows me that there is a market, then I would definitely plan on doing so for 2016.

Now if you an FCS fan or and FCS school, it is time for you to step up to the plate and display your passion! Starting today, you can purchase the FCS magazine right here from
cfbmatrix.com
. It is available so you can view it right on your computer for just $9.99. Once you order it you will soon recieve an email from cfbmatrix with your codes to take a look at the digital version of our magazine.

If you are indeed interested in FCS football, then I would encourage to buy a copy for this year and, more importantly, spread the word to FCS fans across the country. This will not be a profitable endeavor for me at first; in fact, I am just looking to break even the first 3 years or so. What I would like to do is to produce a quality national FCS magazine to promote the FCS and its players. I am doing my part by having my staff’s full attention on producing this years FCS publication. Now it is your turn to show me that there is an interest among FCS fans in having such a publication annually in print!

Come on FCS Nation show me there are true FCS Fans out there!

RIGHT HERE IS A LINK WHERE YOU CAN BUY NOW!


2015 College & Pro Football Previews
available right now on iTunes & Google Play!


Also Printed  Versions available thru office 1-866-918-7711
Click HERE:
Phil Steele Store



1). it will save you wear and tear on your printed magazine. If you get both you can use it as your mobile version of the magazine and that will keep your actual magazine from getting dog eared and torn up early in the year. The NFL version is also available right now.

2). It’s easy to use and works perfectly for both the iPhone, iPad and Android Devices. The download process may take up to 10-15 minutes but that’s because we have over 350 pages with jam-packed with information!

3). Non-U.S. Customers: The magazine will not be on the newsstands internationally, the only way to get the 2015 College Football Preview is to order through our offices and pay at least $35 (includes S&H) or get it on iTunes or Google Play for just $9.99.

4). It’s only $9.99! On the newsstand, the magazine will cost you $12.99.
5) The NFL magazine has 4 pages on each team and very limited distribution around the country. It is available at Drug Marts in Ohio. You can download it right now to you iPad or iPhone thru iTunes or your Android device thru Google Play. The College magazine is sold out at most spots around the country and you can download it as well.
Please note: after downloading and purchasing the App, please make sure you search for 2015 if the old 2014 cover/edition comes up on your screen.
NFL and College Magazines are available in PRINTED form thru our offices!
Call 1-866-918-7711.
Or order online at the Phil Steele Store. If you order a 2015 Phil Steele College Preview and a Pro Preview together to the same address you only pay for one shipping charge. The first magazine is $12.99 plus $6 for Priority Mail service. Add a second for $10 if delivered to the same address at the same time. OR, take advantage of our 7-6-5 special. Seven 2015 College FB Previews delivered to one address just $65 (and that includes postage! The NFL magazine is just $9.99 plus shipping.

Also the FCS Magazine is 220 pages and available right now for $9.99 Here is what the FCS Magazine looks like and how to order it right now and you can download that to your computer. Click Link for Preview of FCS Magazine: Here