Soccer United Marketing and CONCACAF are issuing a request for proposals this week for bids to host matches in the next three editions of the Gold Cup set to take place in 2017, 2019 and 2021.
The tournament, which brings together men’s national teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean to determine a continental champion, has been hosted primarily in the United States since 1991.
The process will require bids to be due by Sept. 16, and is being refined this year to allow each venue or market to submit one bid for multiple events over the course of the three editions, according to Court Jeske, SUM vice president of international business.
“We believe this property has grown to the point where we can take a long-term approach with venues, as well as improve and streamline the process for them as well,” Jeske said. “The Gold Cup has grown with each edition, and we only see more growth in the future.”
SUM has assisted CONCACAF in the RFP process since 2011, and has seen growth in terms of the number of bids in both the 2013 and 2015 tournaments, topping more than 30 bids for the most recent tournament. In 2015, 14 venues were selected to host the 26 matches.
Venues selected for the 2017 edition will be notified in November, and while the venues for the 2019 and 2021 tournaments will not be selected until the coming years, Jeske said this process will “help lay the groundwork” for those decisions.
SUM and CONCACAF will be looking for venues with a minimum capacity of 15,000 and with coinciding suite, broadcast and media facilities to host what has become a major international event. Half of the venues selected will be of the scale of college or NFL-sized stadiums for the later round matches and the final.
The RFP has no financial components tied to it, but rather looks more at venue capabilities and other specifics regarding logistics and scheduling.
The 2015 tournament averaged more than 41,854 fans across the 14 sites, up 6.4 percent from the 2013 tournament, according to data from SportsBusiness Daily. The final between Mexico and Jamaica, held at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, drew 68,930.
SUM also will handle CONCACAF’s sponsorship sales for Gold Cup on a contract that runs through 2021 as part of a deal struck in May. Traffic Sports had held those rights, with that agreement being terminated July 2015 after the agency pleaded guilty to fraud charges.
