Football Partnerships

By Alex Kotler

Football Partnerships is pleased to announce the launch of PlayBeautiful - an interactive, community-driven pop-up experience and celebration of the 2010 World Cup coming to New York City from June 11-July 11.

For 30 days, New York City residents and visitors will enjoy real-time match-viewing, live demonstrations by local and international football freestylers, free coaching clinics, panel discussions, film series, concessions and retail shopping for soccer’s top brands in and around the neighborhood of NoLIta, in lower Manhattan.

As an organizing partner of PlayBeautiful, Football Partnerships will go on hiatus during this time - suspending its blog post, its weekly member newsletter and its podcast.

In the meantime, visit the PlayBeautiful website for more information and to register for your FREE tickets to New York’s top destination during the 2010 World Cup.

By Alex Kotler

Football Partnerships y European Football Group comparten el resumen ejectivo acerca del fútbol y los medios sociales con orgullo.

La Encuesta de Futbol y Medios Sociales fue producida en conjunto con TWEET! Blowing the Whistle on Social Media, una discusión de panel organizado por Football Partnerships en la sede de Major League Soccer en Nueva York el pasado jueves, 5 de noviembre.

Comuníquese con Alexander Kotler or Michael Wiesenfeld para más información.

Football Partnerships y European Football Group le agredecen a Fabián Banchiero, CEO de Banchiero Sports Enterprises, por traducir el resumen ejecutivo.

Descargar el resumen ejecutivo

By Alex Kotler

Football Partnerships and European Football Group are pleased to release their groundbreaking study on soccer and social media.

Prepared as a follow-up to TWEET! Blowing the Whistle on Social Media, a panel discussion organized by Football Partnerships at Major League Soccer headquarters in New York City in November, the report highlights the relationship between soccer fans and their favorite leagues and teams, and the effectiveness – or lack thereof – of those leagues and teams to connect with their supporters.

The report will be available in Spanish and French next week.

Please feel free to contact Alexander Kotler or Michael Wiesenfeld with any questions.

Download the Soccer & Social Media Study Executive Summary

By alex kotler

Both parties have good reasons for making the decisions they have, [but] the history of this type of separation in soccer is not positive. We need to find ways to work together rather than moving in different directions, further dividing the soccer community and the very limited resources, such as sponsors and fans, among multiple outlets. Historically, this has been a recipe for disaster!

-Jack Huckel: Secretary, Executive Committee, Board of Directors at the NSCAA

Secession movements, historically, are failures.

Take Tibet, Kashmir, Padania and Catalonia. Though each is occupied by culturally distinct and proud, independent people, each nation-state lacks the resources to sever ties with its “parent” and become a self-sufficient, recognized autocracy. (For argument’s sake, and to keep my friends in these regions, we will assume that the objective of secession is purely autocracy.)

Ultimately, if separatist nation-states cannot fully break free, they become like arthritis – ever present, costly to treat and painful reminders of what used to be (or might have been) but never will be (again).

Thus I draw the parallel with what is currently happening with what is/was the United Soccer Leagues.

A very brief summary
The United Soccer Leagues represent(ed) the second and third tiers of professional soccer in North America, along with amateur tiers beneath those. Nike purchased Umbro in 2008, which owned the United Soccer Leagues, but by 2009 wanted to focus on its core competence and, thus, sell its stake.

Several parties, including Major League Soccer, Traffic Sports, Team Owners’ Association (TOA) and Jeff Cooper (owner of WPS side Saint Louis Athletica), were said to be in the running. As the story goes, Cooper – who had amicable relations with TOA – was the high bidder, but NuRock Soccer Holdings, an Atlanta-based group with ties to the existing USL administration in Tampa, Florida, made a late offer and won Nike’s majority stake.

The nature of how and why the deal went down as it did remains unclear to the public, but the result is a shambles. TOA and Traffic Sports aligned with Jeff Cooper and his St. Louis expansion group, forming a breakaway league comprised of the Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks FC, Miami FC, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact, and the Vancouver Whitecaps. Certain teams loyal to the USL, the Charleston Battery for one, remained, while others, such as the Rochester Rhinos, waited for the recent USL AGM to hear NuRock’s plans for the upcoming season.

Now, the breakaway league claims to have up to 10 teams, including the Rhinos, Crystal Palace Baltimore and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, having re-branded as the North American Soccer League – the same known for the likes of Pele, Beckenbauer and Best.

The fate of NuRock’s United Soccer Leagues is yet unknown.

Is this the beginning of the beginning or the beginning of the end?
According to Greg Lalas on his recently-launched podcast, Waiting for Gaetjens, the USL was stale and in need of a shake-up and – while not suggesting that the manner in which this situation unfolded was favorable – it could represent an opportunity to elevate soccer in North America to a new standard.

Kartik Krishnaiyer, on this week’s Football Partnerships podcast, hoped for the same, although his measure of optimism was veiled with a layer of wariness.

I echo my colleagues’ sentiments and keep Jack Huckel’s opinion in mind. Across an already fragmented landscape, the song of the secession siren is a dangerous and lustful tune that typically ends for the worse.

Then again, I think of Singapore, of the Republic of Ireland and that tiny nation of the United States of America.

Maybe it can work.

By ALEX KOTLER

For the second time in two weeks, Football Partnerships delivered a top-level event without a hitch.

KICKOFF: ATLANTA, held at STATS on Marietta Street downtown, featured presentations by Steve Bellis, Commercial Director at KickWorldwide, Jill Robbins, Executive Director at Soccer in the Streets and Alex Kotler, Founder of Football Partnerships.

The evening also provided the opportunity for soccer industry professionals to meet, mingle and learn within one of the city’s premier sporting venues.

“We enjoyed an important evening meeting others in the business of soccer and were thoroughly enthralled by the tales of Steve Bellis from KickWorldwide,” commented delegate David Bash, Founder at Techno Soccer Ventures. “As a soccer-entrepreneur, I recommend that you attend the next KICKOFF in your area and help support this grass roots effort to unify the business of soccer.”

Among the delegates in attendance were representatives from The Atlanta Beat, Red Bull North America, Georgia Soccer, Georgia Soccer Park, Insignia Promo and more.

Following a period of informal networking, complemented by refreshments, guest presenter Steve Bellis shared the insightful and, at times, humorous story of his experience as Commercial Director at English League 1 side Stockport County FC and how he brought the club to China’s uncharted western provinces, garnering crowds that dwarfed those at matches played in Beijing and Shanghai by the likes of Manchester United and Barcelona FC.

Later, he discussed his newest project, reality television program Soccer Prince, which awards the winning participants apprenticeships at English Premier League football clubs. Soccer Prince has been viewed by over 130 million people in China.

Listen to Mr. Bellis’ presentation from KICKOFF: ATLANTA via the Football Partnerships podcast.

“Football Partnerships is providing a much-needed forum for soccer industry professionals to build relationships and explore commercial opportunities,” said Alex Kotler, Founder of Football Partnerships. “Bringing together the industry’s decision-makers within a comfortable and welcoming environment – and providing educational and entertaining programming – is what Football Partnerships’ KICKOFF events are all about.”

Partners for KICKOFF: ATLANTA included The Georgian Terrace Hotel, Autograph Signs, Todo Alemán and Soccer Wholesale.

Next on the schedule for Football Partnerships is the 76er Mixer, a top-level networking breakfast at the 2010 NSCAA Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The event is free for all NSCAA Convention exhibitors and is $15 for Football Partnerships members, the latter of which enjoy a complimentary day pass to the exhibition and seminars.

Register for the 76er Mixer

Download the partnership/exhibition opportunity presentation