Gary Hopkins - Star-Spangled Soccer: The Selling, Marketing and Management of Soccer in the USA

The Selling, Marketing and Management of Soccer in the USA

Gary Hopkins

Gary Hopkins 2010

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First published 2010 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN

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ISBN 9780230239739

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Printed in the United States of America

To my wifePaula, who encouraged me to put pen to paper and whose endless patience love (and cups of tea) got me through it. My childrenDavid, LindsayandVeronica, who simply make me proud every day I am their father, and my mom and dad who have loved and supported me since the day I was born what more can you ask for? Also to my brothersPaul, Graham, Mick, sistersJulie, Mandy, and niecesKelly, SophieandLucy.

Finally toDoug Hamilton, Keith HeyesandMichael Forte, friends I met through soccer in America who sadly never made it to full-time. I had some great times with all of them

Star-Spangled Soccer could not have been written without the support of friends and colleagues in the American soccer world, many of whom have been there from the beginning. For the early days Alan Rothenberg, Hank Steinbrecher, Chuck Blazer, Sunil Gulati, Scott Parks LeTellier, John Guppy, Dan Flynn, Matthew Wheeler, and Edward Leask were all generous with their time and insights. For the past decade and the rise of MLS and Soccer United Marketing, Don Garber, Mark Abbott, Ivan Gazidis, Doug Quinn, Tim Leiweke, Joe Roth, Nick Sakiewicz, Clark Hunt, Jonathan Kraft and Will Chang along with Doug Logan all allowed me repeated and, sometimes, I am sure intr usive requests for just one more thing. Agents Richard Motzkin, Mark Levinstein and John Langel all gave hours of time without sending a bill, for which I thank them!

Much of the story about soccer on American television was written and lived by David Downs and John Skipper who, despite World Cup bids and ESPNs push to South Africa 2010, made themselves available whenever I asked, as did Seth Ader at ESPN. I speak little Spanish but an afternoon with Mal Karwoski at Univision unveiled the true grass-roots story of the role soccer played in building a network from someone in the trenches from day one, while Dermot McQuarrie (Fox Soccer) provided a great view into soccers 24/7 network.

Continuing with television, Mike Cohen (MLS) educated me on the important influence of television production, commentary and digital playbacks. If its been sold in soccer over the past decades, chances are Randy Bernstein and Kathy Carter were somewhere around it and their sponsor stories were greatly appreciated, as were those of current sponsors from Russell Sargeant (MLS). Perennially buying such sponsorships was Bruce Hudson, a great soccer man whose dollars (from Budweiser) paid a lot of bills. No one knows more about buying soccer than Bruce.

At the youth level, Larry Monaco, Bill Sage and Lynn Berling Manuel all brought a perspective born of decades of involvement at the very core of the sport. At the team level, my thanks go to Tom Payne (Galaxy) and Gary Wright (Seattle Sounders) for their perspective from the sharp end, along with Dave Kasper (D.C. United) who talked me through the complexities of player recruitment and development. Charlie Stillitano (CAA) as ever provided colorful insight into a sport that runs through his veins. Joe Cummings (NSCAA) and Joe Quinn (ex-WUSA) helped enormously with my understanding of professional womens soccer, while Chris Price (Xara), Antonio Zea (Adidas) and Ken Chartier (ex-Adidas) assisted with the perspective of brands that make a living from getting it right. And Garry Cook at Manchester City gave an international viewpoint. The game is of course all about players and thanks are due to Marcelo Balboa who provided solid soccer perspective.

For his research, I would also like to thank Jack Gidney someone who knows more about soccer around the world than just about anyone I know. Thanks also to Sue Bridgewater, Director of the Center for Business in Sports at Warwick Business School, for not only helping me secure a publishing contract, but also her support and guidance throughout the process; and to Keith Povey my copy editor at Palgrave Macmillan who defines the word patient!

Finally, to all my friends and colleagues in American soccer many, many thanks.

As the trains started to arrive, it was clear something special and momentous was happening. Painted faces, flags over their shoulders, banners waving, thousands upon thousands of soccer fans singing, laughing, chanting, roaring their support and proudly stating their presence. Hour by hour the streets, bars and restaurants filled with these marauding masses: songs echoed, cheers went up, the banter and laughter was non-stop: to and fro with the opposing fans, standing their ground, giving better than they were getting, fearless and proud, passionate and fervent, friendly yet watchful. At 1pm the roar that went up was a deafening and almost surreal wall of sound: USA! USA! USA! not necessarily original but stirringly powerful.

It started outside the station where fans had gathered and journeyed along the narrow palisade that wound through the town center. It flooded walkway cafes, restaurants, and bars, it echoed through tight alleyways and overhead balconies, it drifted through open shop windows and market stalls, drenching the air with the fervent sound of unfailing patriotism that only soccer fans can deliver. Locals stood in amazement, Czechoslovakian fans stood back in begrudging respect. For on 12 June 2006 in a small town called Gelsenkirchen, American Soccer came of age. The thousands of fans, many of them fresh out of college, who flooded the streets of Gelsenkirchen that day, out-sung the Italians in Kaiserslautern five days later and took over the Nuremberg stadium a week after that, made a statement missed by the soccer world: a statement that reflected everything that had been happening for the past 20 years on soccer fields and in boardrooms from Los Angeles to New York. For at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany a sleeping soccer giant awoke, the American soccer fan, putting the world on notice that everything they thought they knew about football in the USA was about to change forever.