New York City Football Club blazes trail for US Soccer (Remembering AdWeek 2016)

New York City Football Club Blazes Trail for US Soccer
Attendees: Jon Patricof (President NYCFC), Ralph Rijks (VP Brand Heineken), Howard Handler (CNO, MLS), Gerhard Stochl (Publisher Vice)
Moderated by: Ian Thomas (Reporter, SBJ)
 
As many major brands are aware, soccer in the US is poised for substantial growth. However, how these brands can use this new opportunity in American sports is still being understood. During AdWeek 2016, I attended a panel focused on the marketing and advertising potential of soccer. In fact, it was this conference that fueled my idea for our final project in Scott Elias's class--an IMCP for National Women's Soccer League. However, reflecting on that discussion--several executives discussed the growth of the sports and how brands are looking to capitalize on it--especially in large cosmopolitan cities like NYC.

Case in point--The New York City Football Club. NYCFC is like the “new world” of soccer in the US--a place full of promise for marketers. The club has been reasonably successful in leveraging partnerships with major names like Heineken and their associations with “the best of the best” in both baseball--The NY Yankees are 20% owners--and in soccer--England’s Manchester United Football Club are 80% owners--give them a premiere position that many of the other US soccer teams envy. The combination of these factors with a backdrop like New York City gives the NYCFC president, and panel speaker, Jon Patricof, reason to be optimistic.

“A club for this city has been coming for decades,” said Patricof.    
With Heineken as a partner, the biggest sponsor of the game worldwide, NYCFC is able to make the fan’s experience familiar to international fans. But the local efforts by the club to engage New Yorkers is where they hope to make strides. NYCFC hosts more than 50 small side soccer pitches, alongside public schools in an effort to bring the game to urban environments. These activations are what they ultimately hope will sustain the club in NYC and in the process help boost the status of the sport elsewhere. There are signs that their efforts are working--clubs were introduced in both Atlanta and Minnesota.   
“Of course, a lot us are hoping for the next Ronaldo to come from the United States. Every club has an academy system from U12 and up, hoping for to find the next great talent this side of the atlantic,” he added.  
And teams want the Americans to get into the game. Clubs are considering creating content around “American concepts” like rivalry weeks and all-star games. Even Spain’s La Liga is exploring creating an all star game.

“We see the changes within the communities of the local teams. It is no longer an expat game,” said Gerhard Stochl, publisher of Vice.

Everyone agrees that more media attention is needed for the sport. While it may be on TV, it is not covered in the news, and more coverage is needed to attract new fans and keep current ones highly engaged.
“The women winning the World Cup was huge--but we still need more,” added Stochl.

And what about Heineken--what is in it for them? The US Hispanic market, of course. With over 80 million fans worldwide, soccer is no doubt a sport that many brands seek to connect with. For most of those 80 million, Heineken has a strong brand presence--except when it comes to the Hispanic community. They are not dominant there and US soccer gives them a way in.

“In the US, soccer is the #3 sport among those ages 12-24--but among Hispanics, it is #1, said Ralph Rijks, VP Brand for Heineken.

“Soccer is a way for us to connect with this audience,” said Rijks.

For now the two brands will continue to hedge their bets on NYCFC and the expansion of US Soccer overall. For NYCFC the goals to create a long-lasting franchise in NYC remain simple--win a championship and continue infusing the culture of the city into the game--and the game into the culture of the city.  

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