Category: Soccer Business Insider

When does the business of soccer get in the way of the game itself?

The NSCAA has created the most vital gathering in U.S. soccer…but does their expo hall reflect that?

52% of the soccer player market is female…but unisex sizing is still the norm.

The biggest challenge is to find a player who is compatible with your company or brand, someone respected by, and popular with, consumers.

The WWC tournament has the general public and the general media talking about players, coaches, and even about issues of women’s soccer.

How can you compare MLS to other pro sports leagues?

Soccer tournaments are one of the key vehicles for reaching America’s soccer player “masses.”

It’s time to get real about the numbers we use to invite potential sponsors to the soccer “party.” Our industry’s reputation suffers every time a sponsorship proposal is built on claims that are not delivered.

The U.S. soccer market is a primary target for many foreign soccer clubs. Their objectives include match competition, revenue generation, player identification, plus fan, player and business development. To these clubs we offer the following advice:

We have heard for years that marketers are salivating to tap into the youth soccer market. Various soccer entities from US Soccer, US Youth Soccer, AYSO, MSL, state youth associations, clubs, and individual teams claim they can deliver the goods.

With the FIFA Women’s World Cup to kick off September 10 in China, where is the build-up for the new women’s professional soccer league?

For decades the American soccer marketplace was a confusing maze for potential sponsors.

When it comes to targeting a mainstream message to an appropriate, receptive and responsive audience, how can you possibly do any better than the suburban soccer market?

What do Manchester United, AFC Ajax and the University of North Carolina women’s soccer teams have in common? They have each developed a distinctive, entertaining and successful style of play for which they are famous.

Beckham is coming to America to lend his enormous global brand power to pro soccer, to underscore that the game has arrived here, and to help the former colonists grasp the gravity of the sport. Although I am a lifelong player and coach, and passionate about soccer, I believe “Beck’s” arrival will have even less impact on the pro game than did Pele’s in his era.

The first issue of Soccer Business Insider kicks off with Clive Toye, arguably the founder of modern American soccer marketing. As president of the New York Cosmos in the 1970s, the former English sports journalist brought Brazilian legend Pele and German superstar Franz Beckenbauer to America and put the North American Soccer League on the map. His unique perspective on the rise of the U.S. soccer market lays the groundwork for our diverse columnists to come. Enjoy!