FIFA, MLS, Olympics

Soccer In The States Reaches It’s Tipping Point…

As mentioned in a post earlier this week, March  could be a great jump starting point for several properties.  One was IRL, the other really is soccer in North America.  Although MLS certainly has made its solid and steady strides in the past few years, the opening of a new stadium in the New York area, the launch of a new franchise in Philadelphia, the continued growth of success stories in the Pacific Northwest and the World Cup, can maybe, just maybe position soccer for its growth to the next level in 2010 and beyond. However with all the yin of positive vibes, there is still the yang of a potential work stoppage, still sluggish TV numbers and the ever-present issue of quality of top-level play that hang in the distance like a coming rainstorm.  So can soccer…MLS, youth soccer feeding in, and even WPS…finally, finally make the jump in 2010?

Here are some reasons for hope.

First, even with labor troubles, the clubs, many of which are now playing in soccer-specific venues (including the new Red Bull Arena which opens with a sellout this Saturday), have done a great job of cost control in troubled times.

There has not been the great overpaid spend that has doomed many rising sports and leagues in the past, and that helped MLS get through very turbulent times in the past  Whether that changes when a new CBA works out we shall see, but for now cost containment on salaries has helped build the foundation for the future. The foundation was also built on years of grassroots growth by USA Soccer. While that has not translated into blockbuster attendance or TV yet, the group that has cultivated the youth play, players now maturing into ticket and product buyers, may finally start to see the uptick in conversion to the professional game in the next few years at a much higher level.

Brand integration and partner support has been very high. Those brands looking for ways to get into sport at the professional level without huge budgets may have been stifled in ways to integrate product.  MLS has used jersey and grassroots sponsorships to get brands involved in cost efficient activation opportunities, setting a high level of ROI for sponsors and opening the doors for future growth.

Help arrives in the Northeast. The long dormant New York market (despite a run to the finals in ’08) will get a breath of fresh air with the opening of the Red Bulls new stadium.  Whether the team can cut through the clutter for the long term and how long the halo effect of the new stadium remains to be seen, but it gives the sport ammunition in the world’s toughest market.  Also, the potential growth of WPS with Sky Blue FC, the defending champion, having a permanent home at Rutgers University will help in some ways as well.  However the biggest boost in the Northeast will be in Philly, where both men’s and women’s expansion teams begin play this year and a new stadium is on the horizon.  If there is a way to muster joint promotions and partnerships to cover the corridor from Delaware to Connecticut with the gospel of professional soccer success, the sport could be sitting very pretty going forward.  Tough to do, but opportunity abounds.

Replication of the Seattle story in the Pacific Northwest. Arguably the best launch of any sports franchise took place in Seattle last year with the Sounders.  In the next two years, MLS gets to replicate and grow that success in Vancouver and Portland.  The blueprint is there and hopefully that halo as well will expand.

The World Cup. More now than ever, America is a land where immigrant populations are soccer savvy.  This summer’s World Cup in South Africa, not a world away from most North American time zones, will be a great Petri dish for the selling of global soccer in this country, the effects of which could and should spill over to marketing and branding success for the sport. North American domestic TV, English and Spanish, put up big numbers for rights fees and will be testing 3D TV.  Quality international “friendlies” will abound in MLS stadia, and soccer will have another window to shine and shows its wares to a casual sports fan like never before, on multiple platforms.  Of course the success of the U.S. team will also help. Will brands use this platform to activate with MLS or the sport?  That is TBD, but the opportunity is there for sure.

All of these factors point to solid optimism that soccer on the professional level can finally make the jump past 2010.  However the labor issue and the continued lagging problems with quality of play on a global scale still sit as potential disasters. It seems like the casual fan is ready to really like, if not love, soccer on all levels now.  Their kids play and enjoy it.  They “get” the nuances of the game more.  Their colleagues at work, especially in major cities, who are not native to this country, love it.  They may have even sampled MLS or on a smaller scale, WPS, recently and enjoyed the experience.  And they probably know that the World Cup is coming in the near distance, just like they knew the Winter Olympics were around the corner.

Will they bite and engage on the pro level?  Maybe. However it will be more of a possibility now because of the great table that has been set over the past decade and beyond. How much they partake is TBD. Hopefully it is a very large and enjoyable meal, one without the very displeasurable taste of a work stoppage.