Football in the USA
In my role as a UEFA mentor (and the work we do at LBA Branding) I’ve got to see a lot of football in a lot of places but on Tuesday night I got the chance to attend a football (aka soccer) game at the St Louis stadium and 3 things come to mind for me;
- The Entertainment Experience
Football doesn’t have the same cultural capital and history that it does in say Europe or South America so the experience isn’t the same but that doesn’t mean it isn’t as good. It is just different. The music, the lights, the commentators, the hype men at the front of the ‘supporters’ safe standing terrace, and of course the drummers. It creates an atmosphere, which albeit by European standards may be classed as somewhat sanitised, it does feel entertaining. The kids who were sat all around us really seemed to enjoy it, as did the adults. The only thing is that half the time half the kids and half the adults were playing on iPads or iPhones respectively and the other half of the time they were wandering around the back to the food and drink concessions. They might need to learn from Rugby and close the bars 10 mins before kick off in order to get bums on seats and do the same at half time.
2. The Stadiums
Most European stadiums are on a journey from terrible to ok. This normally means poor toilets, poor accessibility, and poor food, as well as poor entertainment and commercial opportunities. The reality is that most of the MLS stadiums are new purpose built stadiums inside the metro centre. They want people to come by foot or by metro (and car with plenty of parking) and they want to make sure it is accessible to all - including families (which is why the kick off was also at 7.00pm… no late night for little Johnny or Sarah!)
Having facilities, lighting, and food and beverage choices that are of a great standard make it an experience worth paying for. Even if the game isn’t great at least it’s in a great environment and you can actually make a really good night of it.
3. The Football
Ok. It’s not Premier League… but again, it’s not EFL Championship (all blood and guts).
You can see the potential (many are young players rather than European retirees!) who are technically competent players. The play is fast and dynamic but what is often missing is the player who can put their foot on the ball and make the play. Similarly there feels a lack of technical awareness in the players. I would sum it up as closer to a Premier League Under 21 team.
With time and development of academies and potentially the continued smattering of European trained players will see the quality increase.
The reality is the US fans are sports mad and with over 300 million people it’s not a case of competing directly with other domestically strong sports but connecting with a different audience on different occasions.
The one challenge may be how clubs can extend the experience. NFL and MLB games can go on for hours. Soccer is 90 minutes with a 15 minute break. The same is true of Rugby at Twickenham where fans make a full day it. Can this happen at the MLS. I hope so, because I really enjoyed it.
#sportsbiz #brand #marketing #strategy