Arsenal & The USA: Incredible Potential For Commercial Partnerships

In recent seasons the English Premier League (EPL) has exploded in popularity across the USA. Despite the European assumption that the States was never going to become a hot-bed of soccer, the truth is that the sport has been seriously popular for decades. The problem was that interest seemed to die by the time kids who may have played the sport through school went off to college. However this is increasingly looking like ancient history as today all the signs are that finally Americans are now supporting individual European clubs exclusively. In the modern global game this means a highly lucrative market for clubs to generate vast amounts of revenue.

The top EPL clubs have pioneered global expansion. Initially the major battle was over attracting supporters from the emergent for eastern economies, but Arsenal adopted a slightly different approach. Being a glamorous club based in London with a great tradition and a perpetually competitive team made them an especially attractive proposition for US based fans deciding on which club to follow. The key factor behind this has also been their ownership. The American sports entrepreneur Stan Kroenke is the major shareholder and has used his experience in the domestic US sports sector to seriously take Arsenal to market. Subsequently they are one of the most popular clubs in North America with an estimated ‘loyal’ fan base of around 1.5 million.

While far from loved by British Arsenal fans Kroenke has spearheaded the drive to commercialize the club in the USA. At heart he is a businessman and knows every trick in the book to spin a commercial tie-in with a company brand and product into an additional revenue stream. Arsenal operate a wealth of services in the States themselves including the Arsenal Foundation lottery – which while it may yet have some way to go to take on the likes of PlayUSALotteries.com it offers global fans the chance to invest directly into the club’s ethos.

It’s likewise no coincidence that Arsenal are regulars when it comes to playing a series of pre-season matches in the USA. Almost every season since Kroenke became majority shareholder the club have played friendly fixtures in cities with solid soccer credentials. Internationally the USA is now the major market for all Arsenal themed goods available via their online store. Indeed it’s not uncommon to see an Arsenal replica shirt anywhere, be strolling down Palm Beach or navigating a way through Times Square. Yet the potential for commercial partnerships is where the real money comes into play.

There’s no secret that EPL clubs are already extremely cash rich thanks to an eye-boggling TV deal that far supersedes what’s on offer for other global leagues. One of the key advantages to following the EPL from the USA – and one that many British fans are deeply envious of – is that every fixture featuring the top teams is available live on TV. In the UK TV scheduling is highly restricted in order to keep fans attending matches in person at the traditional 3pm Saturday kick off time. This isn’t the case in the States where fans can watch games whenever they wish.

What this means is that top teams such as Arsenal can enhance their global reach every single week simply by being televised across the globe. More exposure = greater commercial revenues, as has been demonstrated by the rapidly increasing costs of sponsoring team shirts and even stadiums. That being said the EPL still has some way to go to catch up with the major US sports franchises when it comes to being associated with every kind of brand under the sun. But they’re rapidly gaining ground.