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Ronaldinho tutors kids from MS 129 in the Bronx at an FC Barcelona soccer camp.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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Sitting inside Barcelona’s new Park Avenue office, President Josep Maria Bartomeu "called the club’s decision to open its first U.S.-based office a simple one," according to Ian Thomas of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. He said, "We want to be closer to the people who like and follow our club, to learn and also to show this country what we know and help educate people about what we know about soccer." Barcelona is "the latest European club that is putting heavy emphasis on courting American fans through local relationships." He said, "At the end, of course it is to get more revenue, but we come to the U.S. to be closer to children through our soccer schools and our foundation, because those children should be the new fans for the future, ones that will be very knowledgeable about football." Setting up shop in the U.S. "also allows Barcelona to be closer to two important business partners, CAA Sports and Van Wagner Sports and Entertainment, who are assisting the club in securing a new kit partner and the worldwide naming rights and sponsorship for its stadium and sports facility development, respectively." Bayern Munich, which opened its U.S.-based office in '14 and recently expanded to a larger space in N.Y. earlier this summer, "followed a similar plan over the past two years" of investing toward supporting football. Bayern Munich Exec Board Member for Internationalization & Strategy Jörg Wacker said, "To influence your revenue streams, it’s all about your brand and your fan base -- the stronger either are, the more that stream is influenced." For Serie A side AS Roma, digital "is the forefront of its push into the American market, an investment that Jim Pallotta, chairman and president of AS Roma, thinks speaks to the fan as well." Touting that it was one of the first European clubs to stream a match live on Facebook and via Periscope, publish on a Medium account and use Google Glass, Pallotta said, "We are trying to really be at the forefront when it comes to the way that technology is changing interactions with fans. Playing games in the U.S. gives us a lot of exposure, especially when considering the status of the Italian league on television in the country, but when we look at the investments we’ve made in the tech distribution and content side, it’s a long game for us" (
SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/19 issue).
