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 From New York to Los Angeles, some of the game's brightest stars
and most valuable teams will spend the next three weeks packing
America's biggest stadiums with the highlight coming on Aug. 2 when
a record crowd of 110,000 - the largest ever to watch a soccer game
in the United States - is expected to fill Michigan Stadium to see
Real Madrid take on Manchester United.
European clubs big and small will cross the Atlantic looking for a
piece of the American pie with giants like Real Madrid, recently
rated the world's most valuable sporting franchise by Forbes at
$3.44 billion, Manchester United and Bayern Munich joined by more
modest outfits such as Crystal Palace and Fulham.
Teams that once looked upon the U.S. as a soccer wasteland now
arrive in waves, keen to broker sponsorship deals and partnerships
allowing them to tap into new revenue streams that will provide the
financial might to make blockbuster moves like Real's signing on
Tuesday of Colombia's World Cup's Golden Boot winner James Rodriguez
in a deal worth $107.9 million.
"Some clubs like Manchester United figured this out a long time go,"
Charlie Stillitano, CEO of Relevent Sports, the company that put
together the International Champions Cup that will feature eight of
Europe's biggest clubs, told Reuters.
"These teams were very aggressive (about North America) when it was
hard to get them to come here, you had to pay them a lot of money
and convince them to come here.
"A lot of it was because there wasn't really any commercial element.
A lot of these teams felt that travel and pre-season were not
conducive to a good season on the field.
"Now it's about how they can activate their sponsors, how they can
sell merchandise, the commercial side goes hand-in-hand with the
team, the football."
VARIED SUMMER MENU
There will be a game for every soccer taste on this summer's menu in
the United States, ranging from Italian rivals AC and Inter Milan to
Greek champions Olympiakos.
Premier League fans will not be disappointed either with United,
Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur leading
the British invasion.
According to the U.S. Soccer Federation, the U.S. is now the largest
market in the world for international matches and this summer's
lineup is sure to have the turnstiles swirling with soccer A-listers
such as Real's Cristiano Ronaldo, AC Milan's Mario Balotelli and
United's Wayne Rooney taking center stage.
The American appetite for top international soccer seems almost
insatiable with fans and sponsors lining up to get in on the action.
Guinness will be the title sponsor for the International Champions
Cup, an eight-team tournament that will kick off in Toronto on
Thursday when Olympiakos take on AC Milan and end on Aug. 4 with the
winners of the two groups meeting in Miami.
Car maker Audi has signed on as sponsor for Bayern Munich's visit
which is being promoted as the Audi Football Summit and will see the
Bundesliga champions challenge the Major League Soccer All-Stars on
Aug. 6 in Portland, Oregon.
"It is very important, that is why we try travel to the United
States," said Bayern head coach Pep Guardiola, during a conference
call on Tuesday to promote the mini-tour.
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"There are not only American people, also Latin people who love a
lot of football. We know how football has increased in the United
States."
SOCCER ROYALTY
Only America's massive grid-iron stadiums and baseball shrines were
deemed suitable for European soccer royalty, the homes of the
National Football League's Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins,
Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears among those being converted
into soccer pitches.
Fenway Park and Yankee Stadium, two of America's most storied
sporting venues, will also host matches, as will the Rose Bowl and
the "Big House" Michigan Stadium.
In just its second year, the heavily promoted Champions Cup expects
to see attendance double and television ratings sky rocket with the
many of the matches available in 150 countries.
"We had 350,000 last year, same type of tournament, and we will
double that this year with at least 700,000 people seeing our games
live," said Stillitano.
"We will have 110,000 people in Michigan and that will be the
biggest game ever in North America. We sold 95,000 tickets in 24
hours. There is a waiting list and we expect that we can
legitimately claim over 110,000."
What was once seen as an unwelcome promotional grind has become, for
many clubs, the ideal way to prepare for the upcoming season.
Teams are able to take full advantage of first-class training
facilities and venues while playing top-flight competition and
generating additional revenue.
"You're talking great facilities for these guys and then on top of
that great competition," said Stillitano. "It really prepares these
guys for the season.
"The managers have all said to us, 'This is perfect for my
preparation for my team'. Before it was, 'We need a training site
and 10 showers for 25 people'. These were the serious demands.
"Now the demands have grown into everything, teams bringing 'our
sponsors', 'our TV people', 'our merchandising people', 'our
licensing people'. It used to be just about the football."
(Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)
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