How Liverpool intend to split the United States as a huge opportunity lies ahead

With a World Cup on the horizon in 2026, three-year Premier League broadcasting rights bought for nearly £2bn, a rapidly growing fan base and with a wave of capital entering the European market, the U.S. and football finally seem to be in place the same page to come.

For decades the strategy of tapping into the sports-loving nation of 332 million people, where passionate fandom and disposable income exist alike, is also proving to be the challenge of conquering the domestic sports of American football, baseball, basketball and ice hockey a mountain is great for “football” to climb.

For a long time, Major League Soccer (MLS) was seen as having a poor relationship as it sat next to the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB. Interest came and went, but it remained a kind of retirement home for the best players, something that arose from the strategy of recent years to attract attention to a sport that was struggling to get a seat at the table.

Things are starting to change quite dramatically, however, as MLS manages to secure a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal with streaming giant Apple, in which games will be shown on the company’s Apple TV+ platform. . A step that gives MLS security and the opportunity to continue growing.

But as the United States seeks to achieve growth in the domestic game, the premium product is what fans want to consume and positioning the Premier League at the top of that tree means it holds the greatest rights in football and is where American football fans turn to. when it comes to engaging in sport.

For Liverpool, as with any other major European football club, the US market is where they have big plans to try to grow, with the club eyeing a potential physical retail store in the US in the future.

What Liverpool, who have part of their trade and partnership team based in New York, commercially play an important role in the business model of the Reds, who have been in the United States with Fenway Sports Group for almost 13 years.

For the club to continue to grow on the pitch, there needs to be continued growth, which has been achieved commercially in the latest published financial statements for the year ending May 2022, which saw the Reds record a £29m increase in commercial revenue around the club.

At £247million. This is likely to grow further when the club releases 2022/23 figures early next year due to sponsorship renewals from both Standard Chartered and Expedia.

Part of this continued growth will hinge on making the most of existing opportunities in the United States, where through its relationship with kit supplier Nike, the club has sought to tap into new audiences by capitalizing on the sympathetic relationship between Nike, Liverpool and basketball. LeBron James icon.

Liverpool commercial director Ben Latty, speaking to ECHO, said: ‘We have a strong team in the United States. It’s a huge market for us, a huge growth market. I think we’ve shown that there’s a lot of potential in the market from a commercial collaboration perspective. do more and more than we did in the past.

Liverpool are unlikely to travel to the United States for their pre-season tour this summer and are likely to make another trip to Asia as they did last year with a pre-season tour. season in Thailand and Singapore.

With interest in the World Cup leading up to the competition likely to increase from next year, the Reds are more likely to time their visit across the Atlantic to maximize the opportunity before them.

Although there are considerable efforts to enter the US market and establish the club as the number one brand, the focus on other markets has not waned and the club also plans to continue expanding into areas where it is already very popular.

Latty said, “We don’t ignore other markets around the world. Southeast Asia remains our biggest market. It’s about what you do, when and where.

“What you would do in Southeast Asia would be different from what you would do in China, and what you would do in China would be completely different from what you would do in the United States. We have to weigh the value of what we we’re doing for the fans but also for our business partners there.”

CONTINUE READING…..
Jurgen Klopp gives updates to Naby Keita and Roberto Firmino as Liverpool review defender’s fitness for West Ham

“We have to see. We will use full time,” he told reporters. “We will leave today, so we have to make the decision today. Ibou, we have to see how he is. At the moment I’m quite positive, but that’s not saying much. As potential starters, I think that’s all.”

Klopp also revealed that Naby Keita is much closer to returning, but he hasn’t returned to squad training yet. The Guinean is also due this summer and last played a draw at Crystal Palace.

He said: “Hopefully, I think he might be in partial training today. That’s what I heard yesterday. He’s not in squad training yet, but he could be warming up.