With talks resurfacing about European leagues potential staging matches in the United States, fans have expressed concern about the direction professional football is taking.
The English Premier League has been at the forefront of the push to stage a so-called ’39th game’ in the US, and the backlash has been venomous.
The adverse reaction is completely understandable, given that home-based fans are famed for cherishing their historical attachment to the clubs they support.
They have little regard for fans based overseas, who are seen as little more than ‘plastic hangers-on’ garnered purely for commercial purposes by big clubs.
However, the clubs will argue they cannot ignore those commercial benefits, particularly when their respective leagues have worked hard to generate them.
For those fans who are using to pursuing different winning strategies for online pokies with real money, clubs aiming to maximise their own earnings is simple self-interest and not a betrayal of the trust fans put in them.
Broader horizons equate to more income
Competitions such as the Premier League and La Liga have become global behemoths in recent years, transcending way beyond the boundaries in which they operate.
It has been estimated there are more than 80 million Premier League fans in the US, and almost half of them have yet to choose a team to follow.
While this concept may seem alien to fans whose support is often generational, those numbers are a tempting proposition for top-flight clubs.
Clubs such as Manchester United and Liverpool have already established strong roots in the US yet have probably only scratched the surface of what is possible.
Football fever – also known as soccer – is gripping the US and is guaranteed to accelerate over the next couple of years due to several factors.
Lionel Messi’s move to Major League Soccer has ramped up interest in the sport, giving it the legitimacy it craves in a hugely competitive marketplace.
Staging the 2024 Copa America has also ramped up interest in football, while hosting the 2026 World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada will likely fire the sport into another stratosphere.
Many European clubs have already recognised the possibilities by organising lucrative pre-season friendlies in the US over the past few years.
Tickets for the matches generally sell out, highlighting the demand to engage with European club football at its highest level.
Financial analysts have estimated that cracking the US market could be worth approximately $300m per year for clubs who fully capitalise.
A core element of this strategy is the controversial ’39th game’, which home-based fans have been completely opposed to up to this point.
The ‘39th game’ – threat or opportunity?
Foreign investment has transformed Europe’s biggest leagues, with club ownership, sponsorship and broadcast revenue among the ways this has manifested itself.
For example, the Premier League has numerous deals with overseas broadcasters which generate massive revenue annually for each of its clubs.
Without that revenue, those clubs would be unable to attract the world’s top players and compete effectively with other top European leagues.
Given that fans constantly clamour for their clubs to splash the cash on new players, they cannot quibble about where those finances come from.
Liverpool are an excellent example of why clubs in European leagues are pushing behind the scenes to play competitive matches in the US.
Without Fenway Sports Group as owners, the Merseyside club would most likely be struggling alongside neighbours Everton towards the bottom of the league.
Their involvement with Liverpool has helped the club build a massive fanbase in the US – a factor the club cannot afford to ignore.
Those fans invest in tickets for pre-season games, buy the club’s merchandise and subscribe to pay television services.
While their outlay may not be as high as that someone who buys a season ticket and attends every away game, their contribution to the club’s coffers cannot be ignored.
Looking further down the football pyramid, Wrexham are an excellent example of how clubs can use the US market to their advantage.
This is a club with deep roots in its local community, but one which has shaken off its insular shackles to recognise that the US presents an opportunity rather than a threat to them.
They have shown that by taking a strategic approach to capturing the hearts of US sports fans, it is possible to build an overseas fanbase which benefits the club at local level.
The final word
The main sticking point for the proposed ’39th game’ is the sense that football is somehow losing its community soul by heading down that route.
However, this stance ignores that club football at the top level is no longer an entity where the local fishmonger owns their local club.
Whether home-based fans like it or not, we are now in a position where it’s a matter of ‘when’ rather than ‘if’ the ’39th game’ will come to fruition.
To facilitate this, clubs must ensure that local fans are not overlooked when they finally stage competitive games in overseas markets.
Piecing together some benefits to soften the perceived blow would be a great place to start and show that clubs still value what their home-based fans bring to the table.
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