International Champions Cup invite

[Matthew Gilbert]

Was anyone aware that we were invited to play at the ICC in the US this summer but turned it down to do our own thing in order to build our fan base and engage with them?

A very interesting read reading what Donna Cullen has to say. Really hoping this foundation building we are doing in the US will lead to us getting a stream of untouched talent coming to the Lane. The next stage should be partnering up with one of the big soccer colleges to entice athletes to play soccer instead of other sports and sign them up before the MLS draft. Also a closer partnership with an MLS team would not hurt either. Always thought we had something with LA Galaxy

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896...sive?CMPID=FBUK_140814_YedlinPLCharmOffensive

 

[HobbitSpur]

Good article. I really like the way that we seem to be perceived over there, as a club looking to help youth & communities, and not just a behemoth just chasing the dollar.

 

[Armstrong_11]

So.....

did our spot go to the bindipper?

feel it was a good choice, the clubs that were in it already have a good fan base, and we want to build our presence in the US.

so i guess this means we won't be going for the Barclay's Asian Trophy next year*.... but i wonder if we will play friendly matches in Asia due to our link with AIA. Most likely HK and China me think since Leds is already in China, plus HK is where AIA's HQ is. Hopefully they will come to Singapore and.... WIN this time!

*iirc ICC and BAT takes place once every 2 years, alternating.

 

[Matthew Gilbert]

That's not how it works though. You go to college at 18. You can't learn the sport at 18. The issue for football in American, and this applies to many smaller sports as I am coming to realize on our club swim team, is quite literally "pussy".

I realize that is crass, but it's not meant to be provocative or funny. When boys hit puberty and girls suddenly become the most important thing in their lives, they tend to notice that football, baseball and basketball players have a much higher public profile in their school and thus more pull sexually. Hockey would have this in certain places as well (and here' I am talking about town level......my town worships american football due to Doug Flutie, so a hockey player wouldn't necessarily have an advantage over a sawker player. But a town near me named Burlington is so hockey that, there, the hockey players would be ahead of the football, basketball and baseball players)

That's not to say that kids who play footie, swim, row/crew, play lacrosse or tennis don't have sex in high school, but they have to work harder at it than those kids who play in the bigger sports.

So if you have a ton of athletic talent, and you're a horny young man, you're going to think about the football that doesn't use feet over the one that does.

This is changing. But slowly. But that's where the talent drain actually exists in football over here.

I've said nothing about learning the sport at 18. Right up till 18, kids are playing numerous sports in High School. And from my experience, its more than just being a "pussy", I give these kids much more credit than that. They want a future. When I used to live in Florida, I had many friends who I worked with and knew who had kids playing multiple sports. It was when the big schools came recruiting that they were just not trying to get them to go to their school, but also play their particular sport. In most cases for the kids in the area I used to live, it was playing football with Florida being SEC country as their first choice. That leads them with the chance of an NFL career. Now if one of the soccer coaches came along and said to them that we are linked in with such and such Premier League club who are looking for talent, that's an alternative to sell them on.

 

[thinktank]

Way to give our strategy away, donna. lol

Brad's will be able to get his teeth into our US market building project over the next few years. All good stuff.

 

[txspurs]

Was anyone aware that we were invited to play at the ICC in the US this summer but turned it down to do our own thing in order to build our fan base and engage with them?

A very interesting read reading what Donna Cullen has to say. Really hoping this foundation building we are doing in the US will lead to us getting a stream of untouched talent coming to the Lane. The next stage should be partnering up with one of the big soccer colleges to entice athletes to play soccer instead of other sports and sign them up before the MLS draft. Also a closer partnership with an MLS team would not hurt either. Always thought we had something with LA Galaxy

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896...sive?CMPID=FBUK_140814_YedlinPLCharmOffensive

Yes. The last time the club was in the states there was a mooted announcement to the fans in one of the Newsletters they sent out.

 

[yankspurs]

We're starting to build a program here, I think. Partnership with Toronto and LA(?). Good relationships with Seattle and Chicago. Just announced a youth program in Florida also. I think the club is trying to do more than just build a following here.

 

[SpursManChris]

Really hoping this foundation building we are doing in the US will lead to us getting a stream of untouched talent coming to the Lane.

I hope you're not being too optimistic about "untouched US talent."

 

[Matthew Gilbert]

I hope you're not being too optimistic about "untouched US talent."

About as optimistic as finding English talent. People easily forget how culturally diverse America, especially with a huge latino population. When I was living in Florida, I've seen many youth sides who could give kids team over here in the UK a good beating. Some of their talent was amazing. As soccer becomes bigger and more kids see the opportunities from it as a career, America will become the new South America with youngsters coming across to play in Europe.

 

[SpursManChris]

About as optimistic as finding English talent.

HAHA! SUCH a good point! I didn't think of that. Are the English really any better? I guess all you have to do is compare the national teams. Not much between them.

When I was living in Florida, I've seen many youth sides who could give kids team over here in the UK a good beating.

Isn't that because they were kids? Do you mean youth as in teens and kids as in preteen?

 

[Flashspur]

I travel to the West Coast of the US a lot and football is really getting a momentum there from the last few WC's, higher profile of the MLS and the grass roots soccer Mum's involvement for a couple of decades now finally starting to kick in. A lot of their kids are now in their late teens and early twenties and tuning into PL games etc. Good to see the club trying to ride the wave.