This past weekend I had the misfortune of missing the FA Cup match against Everton because I was at a party. I've now watched most of the match and seen all the highlights of the 1-1 draw. I won't use this post to write a recap or match thoughts because most of what I would want to say has already been said, but I will say that I'm delighted we earned a draw and a match replay at the Stadium of Light.
One thing I did get to do at the party, which I rarely get to do in the States, is have a long conversation about sports that only included talking about the premiere league. Don't get me wrong, I love some American sports too, but none of it compares with watching Sunderland compete in the EPL. As I talked with my cousins and friends about footy I was struck with how big a market there is for footy in America. Unfortunately none of the people I was with were Sunderland fans (I was with Liverpool, Arsenal, and Barca fans) but I believe that Sunderland could really benefit from a growing fan base in the United States. Here is what I noticed in the conversation we had...
-All of us watch matches whether our team is playing or not.
-All of us were aware of major stories in world football whether our team were a part of the story.
-All of us are spending money on footy. We all own shirts, jerseys, scarfs of our teams and all of us pay to watch the matches.
-We are all real fans who passionately support our clubs. My cousin even flew to London to watch Liverpool play in the Carling Cup final.
So what does any of this mean for Sunderland? I believe the club could really tap in to the US market. Fans here in the States follow the big clubs because that is who is most often on TV and in the news. However, smaller clubs like Newcastle are beginning to get a following because they came to the States and played. Americans are now spending money to watch and follow Newcastle, and they do this because they got the chance to see them play live.
Another reason US fans follow teams is because they have Americans on their teams. Everton and Fulham have growing fan bases here, and all because of Tim Howard and Clint Dempsey. I'm not saying Sunderland should sign an American just to get some more fans, but I believe there is a growing number of quality players coming out of the US and some players are worth taking a look at.
Another way Sunderland could connect with the fans in the States would be to get connected to a club here in the States. Similarly to what they are doing in Ghana, I believe Sunderland could partner up with a club and there could be real mutual benefit both for Sunderland their American partners.
Sunderland has an American owner with ties to both Texas and Missouri. Both states have long and rich heritages of producing great talent, so Mr. Short, if you are reading this (and I assume you are), bring the club over to America for a pre-season tour, connect with a city and a club here in the States, and get ready for the support to pour in!
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