While U.S. soccer fans and federation executives debate where the program and sport stand in the wake of the United States’ Round of 16 exit in the World Cup, another question is starting to come to the forefront as the event moves closer to its conclusion.
How does Major League Soccer, and more specifically here in New York, the Red Bull New York and New York City FC, capitalize on the momentum the Cup has brought to the sport?
It’s a question that executives from both clubs are hoping they have the right answer to coming out of the tournament, with soccer’s relevancy in the United States at an all-time high, hosting the World Cup for the first time since 1994.
“We think it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to grow the game, grow the fan base for New York City FC and I think the biggest moment for soccer in the U.S. since 1994,” NYCFC CEO Brad Sims told The Post.
Both the Red Bulls and NYCFC have played major roles in local fan activities during the Cup, with NYCFC setting up shop at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to introduce soccer fans to the club’s future home in Willets Point. The Red Bulls’ stadium in Harrison, N.J., has been used as the official Jersey fan hub running through the length of the tournament.
Executives from both clubs said being involved with World Cup fan zones opened them up to thousands of potential fans. And as Katie Nahoum, the Red Bulls’ chief marketing officer, looks at her club’s strategy post-World Cup, she said it is a three-pronged approach.
“We want to inspire current and new fans, we want to engage them, and then the one that was the most important for us was to invite them back, invite them to Sports Illustrated Stadium,” she told The Post.
And one key component of that, according to Nahoum, has been providing free tickets to individuals through a program dubbed “First Match on Us.” It allows new fans to take in a Red Bulls match for free in order to hook them on the experience.
NYCFC is running a similar program that allows first-time fans to come out to a match for free.
According to data provided to The Post, the Red Bulls have allocated 5,000 tickets for the “First Match on Us” program and have received “hundreds” of applications since the program launched. NYCFC did not immediately provide data regarding the reception to their offer, but the club has seen thousands of people engage with their activations and ticketing offer during watch parties in the area.
It would seem the two clubs have a market among those who have taken an interest in the World Cup this summer. Several fans who The Post spoke with at recent fan watch parties indicated that they would be inclined to check out the local MLS clubs.
One fan, who identified himself as John W., said he would be interested in attending an NYCFC match after taking in the World Cup excitement at the Tennis Center — specifically noting the club’s future home, Etihad Park, as another driving factor.
Every match of the FIFA World Cup will air on either FOX or FOX Sports 1. If you don’t have cable, you can take advantage of a DIRECTV free trial to stream it all.
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Queens resident Arling Garcia, who is already a fan of Barcelona and Manchester City, said after the World Cup that she would be interested in checking out one of the local MLS clubs.
“I think they need more of everybody to get more exposure to what soccer is, especially here in New York,” she said. “You don’t see it that much up here, but I think that’s why we need more soccer experiences for everybody.”
Vanessa Destime from Long Island, had attended a Red Bulls match when the club hosted Lionel Messi-led Inter Miami. She, too, expressed an interest in returning to an MLS match for the Red Bulls or NYCFC, but getting fans back into the building more than once is always the tricky part.
“You need to become relevant,” Nahoum said about getting fans to come back, noting that it’s about creating a connection between players and potential fans to explain to them “why you should care.”
“We’re trying to showcase beyond just the sport, but also a little bit around who these players are, who our coaching staff is,” she said.
“I think we’ve been investing a lot for a number of years now in content creation and trying to create compelling content,” Sims said about NYCFC’s strategy for marketing the team. “Get people more vested and interested in our players and learn more about them, be more closely connected to them and we think that really helps us get through the clutter.”
NYCFC will have the benefit of having three players who competed in the World Cup on their roster once the MLS season resumes in mid-July following the World Cup break. Goalkeeper Matt Freese was the U.S. starter, and Kai Trewin and Aiden O’Neill represented Australia during the tournament.
And for Sims, the most exciting thing is that soccer “will be top of mind to people.”
