|
|
 |
|
The club has confirmed that this year's pre season trip will be to South Africa. I must admit to being disappointed in this choice. There remains a tremendous opportunity in the North American market where no one club has achieved any kind of serious penetration.
Given Garry Cook's Nike connections in the north west of the US and the phenomenal success of the new Seattle club in the MLS I was hoping that City would take a trip to the west coast of the US and specifically the north west.
Football is the primary youth sport in the US where towns form recreation leagues that play over ten to twelve week seasons. For example, an aggressive campaign to make City kits available to youth leagues, in combination with a national sponsor and Rupert Murdoch's Fox Soccer Channel, the broadcaster of the Premier league in the US, could make the Manchester City name the most recognizable team brand in the market.
Contrast this with South Africa. Certainly the nation is hosting the World Cup next year, but at only one seventh the size of the US population there is a reduced potential. I would be curious to hear the club's reasoning for the South Africa trip. There may be business and marketing forces at work that are not obvious from the outside.
Comments
 |
Posted by Martin Nazimek on 05/05/2009
I would love to see city in the usa. i could actually go and see them play for a change. maybe in the future they will come. i keep hoping...city till i die.
|
Posted by CACityFan on 05/05/2009
Wallace, hate to disagree with you, but the Scum are very well known over here and have already secured the position of "default" favorite team (as it appears the despised/hated/loathed Yankees have in England - the US version of ManU). That said, a tour of the US playing a few of the "bigger" MLS clubs (DC, Columbus, Houston - and hopefully San Jose so I could see City) would be an excellent way to get into this market, since I think the ManU fascination carries little loyalty with it.
The best thing about a City tour would be that people might stop asking me if my bumper sticker is really supposed to say "United" and not "City"...
|
Posted by Luke on 05/05/2009
If they had chosen come to the US, I would have gone.
|
Posted by MVM on 05/06/2009
I a City fan living in Seattle, and would have paid handsomely to see them face the Sounders... The States are for the taking, and City has as a good chance as any to be the team to do it..
|
Posted by Neil on 05/06/2009
Believe costs versus income ratio may be better in SA, as well as less onerous travelling & the same time zone etc. Politically speaking it's also "better" whereby City have committed to a number of workshops, training sessions and community projects in SA, plus I believe Bellamy had a whale of a time in Cape Town recently, and Sparky may also be able to collect Elano & Robinho out of the clubs/shebeens at the end of their exertions in th Confed Cup?!! CTID!!
|
Posted by Jimmy on 05/06/2009
We are city! We are city! The combo of a "hitman" Hatton fight and a City North American tour would have been unbelievable. We must rally our fellow City supporters and make it happen for next year.
|
Posted by Garrett on 05/06/2009
I wore a City kit as a youth club player. (Our coach was from Manchester) It was when they wore the Eidos 'Le Coq' ones and were unknown outside of Britain. We would go to tournaments and everyone would ask who we were and after replied Manchester City, they never believed us, until we said it was the 'other' Manchester team.
In 8 years they are now known around the world... major accomplishment.
|
Posted by Paul on 05/06/2009
if they had chose to come to Chicago, I would've gone.
People in the US don't follow teams outside the big four though. That's alot of the appeal of the Premier League for fans overseas, I think. You just pick one of those four teams to support, and every other team may as well be the washington generals. That way you virtually guarantee that you won't have to put up with any losing seasons.
Sure in 05-06 Manchester United had a pretty mediocre season, and Arsenal was in the champion's league final...you wait a few years and it all changes.. but it's not like your team could ever not make the champion's league...
|
Posted by Sean on 05/06/2009
Wow! Well said assessment and idea for marketing soccer in the U.S. With the other leagues soaking up all the revenue in the U.S. there's no way an MLS team can market like a Premier League team can. Unfortunately, I don't think City is the one to do this. City is a team in the shadow at the moment (in the eyes of America). ManU reigns supreme over the casual soccer fans in the U.S. while Liverpool has a lot of dedicated supporters here. Robinho even lives in the shadow of Kaka and even Ronaldinho still in North America. Strange as it may seem, the U.S. to England breeding ground that is Fulham (and Clint Dempsey) could do well as well as Everton (with Tim Howard a big star). Americans look for homegrown heroes (hence, Tiger Woods revolutionizing Golf in the states) and could do well to bring a few over, market them and the club along with it while also increasing support for the U.S. national team.
|
Posted by expatvol on 05/06/2009
It soccer... stay across the pond.
|
Posted by Eric on 05/06/2009
If they had chosen to come to USA. I will definetely go to the game.
|
Posted by Timbertoon on 05/06/2009
There are two teams that have, in fact, penetrated the market here in the states. United and Liverpool. I would be embarassed to be a City fan, just like I would be embarassed to be a Yankee fan. And this coming from a Newcastle Supporter.
|
Posted by frankie on 05/06/2009
I completely disagree with you, despite the strong market, no one here in the US knows who Manchester City are and they will just be confused with Manchester United, and besides, Football is actually a watched sport in South Africa, it will make people somewhat happy in South Africa, who in the US besides a handful of people will care that City is coming
|
Posted by Vince on 05/07/2009
Perhaps this helps their scouting agenda. It is easier to pick player cheap in SA.
|
Posted by Robbie W on 05/07/2009
What about Australia? Although it is not the biggest market at around 21 million people, football is growing all the time and there is a huge Premier League following.
As a City fan I would love to see them come to Aus, as Fulham, Wolves and Celtic have already confirmed tours Down Under for 2009 and Juventus visited in 2008, so they wouldn't be the first to come in the European summer.
Still I get the feeling I will have to travel some in order to see City in the flesh.
|
Posted by James McPherson on 05/07/2009
Spot on! The vast majority of youth playing soccer in the US don't have any alliance or favorite - they play because they enjoy the beautiful game. City has missed an incredible opportunity to put our name (and the imagination of our play!) into the limelight here, particularly in the summer season where the only major sport playing is Major League Baseball, a league that is hemorrhaging fans. I hope they didn't choose South Africa for fear of anti-Arab bias amongst us, and I hope they haven't ceded America to the scum and Chelski. Robinho would have delighted crowds, don't you think?
We'll fight the good fight ... superbia en proelia!
|
Posted by irvineredd on 05/07/2009
Must agree with CAcityfan, Wallace. I'm an everton supporter and it pretty much sickens me how much of a hold United has here. I've been to the City of Manchester Stadium and the City fans are quite enjoyable group, but unfortunately I think it will be really hard for clubs not named Man United or Arsenal to really gain a foothold here until the game itself gets more popular with the general public.
Although I must agree with you, it makes much more commercial sense to tour the USA as opposed to S.A., whose citizens already get to see the Confed. Cup this year.
|
Posted by Jon on 05/07/2009
I'm from Cali and we actually have a fairly even split between Chelsea, Man United and Barcalona supporters. Not many city fans though, I've only ever seen one person that wasn't me wear a city shirt and that was my girlfriend who wanted to wear it when we beat Villa (I was happy to let her). Anyways, would love to see them play in San Jose, since it's only an hour from me. CTID.
|
Posted by City Laxer on 05/07/2009
I'm gonna have to disagree withu u CA cityfan... i live in vancouver and i can count on one hand the number of city jerseys iv'e ever seen in this town (not including the 10 or so that were being sported at the recent oasis concert)... Vancouver is a very multicultural city with many soccer fans from all over the world and still i never see city jerseys... IT's ALWAYS MAN U!!!! would love to see city play in seattle, would definately be worth the 3hr drive.... been a city fan since i was a kid (my dad's from manchestr) and never have been able to see a game in person... here's hoping the visit vancouver once we get our MLS team in 2011!!!
|
Posted by City Laxer on 05/07/2009
woops... just realized i misread u post CA Cityfan... sorry for the insult lol!!!
|
Posted by ben on 05/07/2009
as an american arsenal supporter i gotta agree with caca here. i hate that Man Ure and Chelscum have become the popular teams over here. for this sport to truly make inroads in this country other clubs should strive to take more visits here to get them some exposure and grow their brand in new markets. south africa doesnt even measure up in terms of new possible sources of revenue and more importantly, south africa is a nation that already loves football. the states is a country that needs more exposure to the top clubs in europe to grow interest in the game here.
|
Posted by Ronan Gardiner on 05/07/2009
As a lifelong City fan now living in NY, I would have loved to see Superman, Robinho and co Stateside. I agree with Wallace that a truly concerted effort by a Premier League team could secure a strong following here. United are half way there as much by default as anything else, although you can't help but admire their marketing efforts when even urban Outfitters start carrying gear with their name on it! How about City start by supplying kits to teams made up of low income kids who can't afford their own? ...
|
Posted by Travis on 05/07/2009
In response to CACityFan, I happen to be United fan and there is one considerable difference between the current Yankees and the current United side: trophies. I don't recall City nicking any trophies lately. As a matter of fact, I do believe City is a more reasonable version of the current Yankees. Huge payroll, nothing to show for it.
|
Posted by Neil O...... Nothern California ! on 05/08/2009
Gotta' agree with you too Wally. I would love City to come to the US,there is a huge Market over here .I'm from Manchester and every Yank I mention where I'm from -too know's about utd but not our City.....
These people need Edgymercating
|
Posted by CACityFan on 05/11/2009
Travis, my comment was meant to highlight the tendency of people in the UK to wear Yankees gear for the same reason that people over here wear United gear - and it's not some deep abiding loyalty to either club, it's cos they've heard of the damn team. Wasn't talking about buying championships (why are ManU fans so sensitive about this??). As for huge payroll, etc. - it's been 9 months, the baby's barely outa the womb.
Posted by Joshua Sebastian on 05/24/2009
Travis: It has always bewildered me when supporters of any of the top four begin to make comments about another club "buying championships" or "bankrolling success". Aside from the intense hypocrisy that is obvious to nearly everyone that views the comments, this practice as shown to be, over time, the only way to truly compete with dominant clubs in nearly any league. The argument is a poor one to be sure.
| |
Post your comment |
|
|
|
|
|
About
Wallace Poulter is an award winning video game producer, designer, industry consultant and writer. He has been a football fanatic since the day he moved in next door to Brian Clough. "Cloughie" being the acknowledged genius that he was promptly moved out and went to manage Derby. A serviceable senior school left-back in his youth, Poulter played one season of Sunday league football as a striker proving conclusively that he was a serviceable senior school left-back! Today Poulter remains involved with football as a licensed referee and most recently as a consultant on a Football MMO.
|
Categories
Recent Posts
Archives
|
RSS feed