June 14, 2025 • 30 mins
On the first edition of the Business of Soccer, Vanessa Perdomo speaks with US Soccer CEO and Secretary General JT Batson and DAZN CEO of Growth Markets, Pete Oliver.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Hey, everybody, Welcome to a new special edition of the
Bloomberg Business of Sports show. We are calling Business of Soccer.
We are officially one year out from the twenty twenty
six FIFA World Cup and this weekend marks the start
of the twenty twenty five FIFA Club World Cup as
well as the CONCA CAF Gold Cup. Now all three
tournaments are being held in the US, so there's just
(00:22):
so much soccer going on over the next year. We
knew we needed to do something special. There are going
to be countless things to talk about around the big
money that surrounds both FIFA World Cups, the economic impact
on host cities, and will this finally be the thing
that makes soccer as big here in the US as
it is around the world. So welcome to the Business
(00:42):
of Soccer. I am your host, Vanessa Perdomo. I am
a former Division one soccer player, so I am so
excited for this year to come. I want to set
the tone for anyone who's unaware of what the Club
World Cup is. Thirty two clubs from across North America,
South America, Europe, Asia and after are competing for title
of Club World Champions, but also competing for a prize
(01:05):
pot of a billion dollars. Yep, you heard that right,
one billion dollars with the B and the winner takes
home one hundred and twenty.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Five million dollar prize.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
A lot of soccer clubs operate in the red, so
one hundred and twenty five million dollars should be enough
of an incentive to get some real competition. Our first
guest is p Oliver, CEO of Growth Markets at di Zone.
The Zone has the exclusive global rights to broadcast the
Club World Cup and they are putting an out on
their platform for free. He explained why they chose to
(01:35):
put this out there for free instead of behind their
usual paywall and why are there confident that this is
going to be the most stream sporting event ever. Here's
my conversation with Pee Oliver, chief Executive Officer of Growth
Markets at DE Zone. So I am joined by Pete Oliver,
CEO of Growth Markets at Dizone. Pete, thanks for joining
the Bloomberg Business of Sports, Business of Soccer special. Thanks
(01:58):
so much to have you made so Club WORL Cup
is kicking off this weekend. Super excited for it. The
Zone has the global rights for it. Tell us all
about how to find it, where where the games are,
because there's also TV partnerships as well, right there are.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
I mean, this is quite a unique and a bit
of a first for a streaming platform. So the Zone
will be streaming every single game for free, and Dezgone
is a available worldwide, so whether you're in the US, Europe,
the Middle East, you'll be able to download the de
Zone app and watch all sixty three games for free.
(02:37):
And it's the first time there's been a single streaming
platform running in a competition of the scale, and we
think it will actually become the most streamed sporting event
yet because of the popularity of soccer internationally. But you're
absolutely right. We've also worked with local broadcast partners. So
here in the US we're working with T and T
(02:58):
and Univision, who have got a selection of games, not
all of the games, but selection of games, and that's
really helping, you know, extend the audience, make people aware
of the tournament, and you know, promoting FIFA and the
Zone overall. So just over twenty games will be available
on those two broadcasters for US customers as well.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
And the Zone is typically a subscription based platform, right,
so why make these games free for everyone.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Yeah, we started ut We've traditionally been a PATV platform
with subscription and pay per view, but around a year
ago we started experimenting with free content and in Europe
we've run a number of events for free and we
think it's a very good model for an event like
this because we can bring in a huge new audience
to our platform and introduce our brand to a lot
(03:45):
of new sports fans. Obviously, we asked people to register,
so we do get some details, we get their email
address and in the future can sell them a paid subscription.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
And for an event like this, we've had.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
A very big opportunity on advertising and sponsorship, so by
making the event free, were able to really really increase the.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
Reach for brands.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
I should say we have got a paid version of
the products as well, so the free products is very good.
But if you want to have HDR picture quality less ads,
you can upgrade for a small fee and pay for
a premium version of the Club World Cup. But we
do expect most people will watch it for free and
that's really going to build the Dezone brand and the
Zone installed user base around the world.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
How does less ads work for a live sporting event.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
So it's a great question because obviously we have breaks
where there will be some ads. So for a soccer game,
actually you don't really have much break in play, so
you've got half time, but apart from that, it's a
pretty continuous match. And we will be removing sort of
in play advertising for people who pay a small fee.
So during the game there will be some in play advertising,
(04:53):
not a huge amount, but some, and if you pay
you won't see that. You'll still get breaks, you know,
before and after the game, like regular ad breaks, but
you won't see as much of the in game advertising.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Right.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Okay, And recently we were at an event together and
you had talked about this being one of the catalysts
for growing the brand in the US, specifically because here
known more as a boxing platform. Right, So why was
this the tournament? Why this tournament do you think is
going to help extend the brand reach overall for soccer
(05:25):
and for overall for the brand.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Yeah, And that's I mean, great question.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
I mean, I think you know, first of all, for
the US, we have historically here been a combat sports platform,
whereas if you look in Europe and Japan, we're very
well known as you know, a leading multi sport provider
with a lot of soccer, baseball and so on in
those countries. I think the great thing about the Club
World Cup is that it's happening in the US and
(05:50):
when it kicks off next week, I think people are
going to be very excited to see Real Madrid PSG,
who just won the Champions League in Europe, River Plate,
Boca Juniors, you know, team from all over the world
coming to play in a competition where there's a lot
of money at stake. And so for US, having a
tournament that's hosted in the US, we think is very powerful.
(06:11):
It's in the time zone, it will be you know,
across eleven different US cities. People are going to be
very aware it's happening. So for US, that's a good
tournament to grab brand in the States. And also we
are soccer experts. We have all of the big leagues
in Europe, so you know in Italy we have Seriah,
the Bundesliga, in Germany, LaLiga and Spain, and so our
(06:32):
production teams are very expert in that kind of coverage.
So we feel we can give a really great experience
for viewers. I should say, beyond the US soccer, or
as I would call it. Living in the UK, football
is the biggest sport in the world. You know, it's
loved in South America, It's loved across Europe, the Middle East.
You know, it is actually the most popular sport in
(06:55):
the world. And as a result, we'll be able to
bring in a very very large global audience.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Do you think that the global audience is going to
outweigh the audience here in the US.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Well, that's an interesting question.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I think I think in the US we will get
a very significant audience, you know, in the tens of
millions of people I think we'll watch this tournament, But
if we take the sort of global footprints with we
think it will be much more in the hundreds of millions.
And that's because of the sheer scale of fans you
have in countries in South America, Europe, the Middle East
and so on. So we think it'll be very significant
(07:30):
for us in the US, but on a global scale
probably even bigger.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
So you mentioned hundreds of millions of viewers there, and
I know that one of the things that you guys
are looking at to be the most streamed sporting event,
you know, in the history of streaming. Is that because
you're looking at all sixty of those games global globally
that you think will reach that over one hundred million
mark that is held right now by what Jake Paul
(07:56):
and Mike Tyson fight.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Yes, I think, I mean, I think over the tournament
will easily see over one hundred million individual people watching
it or streaming it. To give you a sense, you know,
if I take a soccer club like Real Madrid, they've
got over half a billion fans worldwide, you know, huge
huge audience. The clubs in South America typically you know,
tens of millions of people following River Plate, Boca Juniors.
(08:20):
So these these teams have huge, huge followings and as
a result, we think the cumulative number will be very
high in terms of you know, the single biggest stream
match clearly that will be towards the end, the semi
finals of the final, I would predict, depending on the teams,
and we think that would be a very significant number.
But we'll have to see how we get on and
which teams make it. It'll be a bit dependent on
(08:43):
the teams that get there.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Yeah, absolutely for sure.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
I mean, if Miami makes it all the way that
far them that'll be really good for the audience here
in the US, I could imagine, right absolutely. One of
the things that I think is interesting that could be
you know, unique for you guys in this tournament is
being the global rights partners across everywhere.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Right, So how do you make sure.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
That in those specific markets that you're speaking to those
fans directly here in the US, there in South America,
in Europe and all that.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
It's a great question. So we are doing twenty seven
different feeds on the platform with localized commentary, localized presentation talent,
and that even goes down to for English language, we'll
have a US team you know, who talk soccer and
you know more for the US audience, and we'll have
a British team who talk about as we would say
(09:33):
in the UK football. So we're even localizing within the languages.
You know, We've got a Latin American Spanish feed, and
we've got a Spanish feed for Spain and Europe, so
we are producing this in multiple languages with relevant talent.
The talent we're using is a mixture of you know,
soccer experts, but also influencers ex players, and we will
(09:56):
be tailoring the experience in local language, So although it's platform,
the production will feel very localized. Depending where you are,
they'll be you know, in Europe French, German, Italian, in
South America Portuguese for Brazil, Latin, Spanish, and even in
the Middle East will be producing an Arabic feed.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
So depending where you are in the world, you're going
to get a feed that's relevant to you.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
So really really global on that different aspect, Yeah, for sure.
So when we're looking at you know, the excitement and
why you think that this will be so successful. Is
it because of this continuous cycle that we're going to
see in the US over the next year, you know,
on the on the heels of the World Cup coming
in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Yeah, there's a few factors.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
I mean, first of all, for the Club World Cup itself,
there's a combination here of some of the best teams
in the world playing in a competition with real meaningful
prize money, but also the best players. You know, we've
got Messi obviously playing at Into Miami, but Harlan's come
in with Man City and Bape's come in with Real Madrid.
You know, this will be very exciting in terms of
(10:59):
the top clubs the top players, and some of these
teams really have never competed before because they're coming from
all parts of the world.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
But on top of that, you have a bit of
a movement in the US.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Now where we've got the World Cup for national teams
coming next year. The MLS continues to sign increasingly strong players,
and we see that soccer is one of the fastest
growing sports in the US, particularly with younger fans as well.
So it's really good timing and I think very very
(11:30):
you know, it's a good moment for the sport in
the United States.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
How do you continue that growth in the name of
Disonne maybe in for soccer here in the US after
the tournament's over.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
Yeah, it's a good question.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
So we're working on a few things at the moment,
we can't quite say what they are yet, but we
will be shortly announcing some soccer rights and content that
we'll have for next season, which typically starts in August
for most leagues, and we'll be bringing some of our
European expertise from the big leagues we have there. So
after the Club World Cup we expect to have more
(12:07):
live soccer. We also have a long term partnership with
FIFA for their FIFA Plus service, which will be available
on the zone. So we're hoping to have when we've
practical planning to have a lot of extra content for
people to stay with us after the tournament finishes in July.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
And as we're talking about the global aspect of it all,
then how does that work, you know, in terms of
continuously growing that as well. I know you guys have
a partnership with Saudi Pro League. Is that going to
continue to extend as well.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Yeah, We've got a number of big leagues we work
with and for instance, you know, having global highlights, having
access to the big European leagues where we can get interviews, news,
you know, on the ground footage, all of that will
kind of go into our global service. There are a
number of other things we're working on at the moment
of global rights beyond what we current we have. And
(13:01):
again over the summer, I think you'll see a few
more announcements from US about other soccer rights and other
sports rights that will be making available worldwide.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
One of the things you know that has recently come
out about the Club World Cup is that ticket sales
aren't going as well as you know. Originally thought, does
that give you any sort of concern for the viewership
aspect of it?
Speaker 4 (13:24):
Well, I think there's a few things.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
On ticket sales, the first thing I would say is
I would fully expect the very big teams to sell out.
So if Chelsea come and do a preseason tour in
the US, not even in a competition like this, they sell.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Out all of the stadiums straight away.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Real Madrid will sell out, you know, the big South
American teams will sell out. So I think when we
get to the stadiums, we're going to see them a
lot busier than maybe people are saying they will be. Clearly,
some fixtures may may feature teams that are less famous,
less popular, and we'll see how they get on. But
I think, first of all, I think, you know, we
will see stadiums for up a lot more. And people
(14:01):
do often make late decisions on these things. But from
an audience point of view on streaming, we are very
confident on it. We can see trends when we look
on Google and for how many people are searching for
this tournament worldwide. You know that that is growing really
really well. At the moment, we've already seen a very
large number of customers register for the de Zone app,
(14:21):
so they're ready to watch it, and we're very confident
the audiences will be big because of the popularity of
soccer worldwide.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Is do you think that there's some sort of you know,
partnership between you and FIFA and the clubs themselves that
you know, you want to make extra content around maybe
those teams who aren't as popular.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Is their plans for that? Are you already doing that?
Speaker 4 (14:43):
Yeah, we're already on the case.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
So we've already made a short documentary for each team
about who they are.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
You'll be seen as we go into the tournament.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
We'll be pushing that with FIFA on a lot of
our social media channels. And there are some really exciting teams,
you know, in the tournament that people may not be
fully familiar with. So you know, as an example, Al Halao,
who are coming from the Middle East, have been champions
out there for years and years and have some of
the best players in the world, particularly from South America,
(15:12):
playing for them. So I think I think fans are
going to discover a lot of new players and a
bit like a national team World Cup, there will be
new stars that come out of this, players who score
a lot of goals, goalkeepers who make incredible saves, and
that's all part of the sort of intrigue of bringing
these teams together.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah, heck yeah, give it on for the goalkeepers there,
because I love that I as a goalkeeper, and we
don't get enough love, I don't think.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
And our highlights are just good.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
And you stalked there about you know a little bit
about social media and stuff, and recently announced a partnership
with TikTok. How does that work, you know in terms
of are people going to be able to share, you know,
because with rights on social media that's a little bit
tricky with sharing highlights and things like that.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
Well, I mean again, as part of making this you know,
widely available, we will be throughout our social media channels
machine highlights throughout the tournament. We're working with a number
of partners to distribute those and you drive awareness of them.
So the big social media platforms, including TikTok, who recently
announced a bit of a strategic partnership with around this tournament,
(16:16):
but also more traditional publishing groups will be providing with
highlights and clips, you know, really to drive the excitement
and to drive people back to watch the live games
on the designed platform as well. So we're a very
digital company and we've always thought about sport both on
our platform, but it extended onto social platforms to reach
fans wherever they're consuming Pete.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
As we wrap up here, is there any sort of
bar or metrics you're looking at that you have now
for fans in the US, for you know that you
want to have growth at the end of this tournament
that you're looking at metric wise, Yes, for us, I.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
Mean it's very important how many new registered customers we
get who download our app and experience it the first time. Obviously,
the audience figures for the for the games themselves are important,
and as you asked earlier, you know we will have
follow on content. So for us, retaining people into the
app is important as well, and we just think this
(17:14):
is a massive opportunity for de Zone to be installed
on more smart TVs, more mobile phones, and for fans
to see you know, what we can do because we're
quite unique as the you know, a sports app that
is purely dedicated sorry, a streaming app that is purely
dedicated to sport.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
But yes, we'll look at.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
The numbers at the end and hopefully we'll have significantly
more customers registered with US than before when we started.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
That was my conversation with Pete Oliver, CEO of Growth
Markets at his zone. Now. Not only is the Club
World Cup free to striam online, it's one of the
cheapest major sporting events that's been held in the.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
US over the last few years.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Average ticket prices are about one hundred to two hundred dollars,
whereas if you wanted to go to the Super Bowl
this year, the average ticket prices were about two thousand
to six thousand dollars.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
This is a special edition of.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
The Bloomberg Business of Sports podcast The Business of Soccer.
Up next, we'll hear from the CEO and Secretary General
of US Soccer Federation, JT. Batson. I'm Vanessa Prodemo.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
This is Bloomberg.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
You're listening to a special edition of the Bloomberg Business
of Sports podcast The Business of Soccer. I'm Vanessa Prodemo.
My next guest is CEPO and Secretary General of the
US Soccer Federation JT. Batson. So, alongside the Club World
Cup happening right now is the Kunka CAAF Gold Club,
which is this huge tournament between national teams in North America,
Central America and the Caribbean. This is one of the
(18:48):
last big tournaments before the World Cup next year, and
the US men's national team needs to do well. The US, Canada,
and Mexico do have automatic bids into the World Cup
next year as the host nations, but the US has
been struggling, so they need to make their mark on
the international stage. Let's listen to my conversation with CEO
and Secretary General of US Soccer JT.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Batson.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
So we are one year out from the start of
the twenty twenty six fee Foot World Cup.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
I am so excited. You know, how quickly has this
come for you? Is it?
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Is it right around the corner for you? Do you
feel or is it still a long way's a way.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
The way the soccer calendar works, there's always something right
on your doorstep, and of course the Men's World Cup
being here in twenty twenty six is a huge moment.
We're all incredibly excited about it. You know, we joke
a lot that the soccer calendar never sleeps, and so
you know, team's up for it, our organization's up for it,
(19:45):
our fans are up for it, and we're certainly excited.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
It definitely is constantly populating the soccer calendar for sure.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
So JT.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
You came in to the Federation just a few months
ahead of the twenty twenty two World Cup and guitar
and that must have been quite a busy first few months.
But now you're you're in it. You know, you're in
tune with the job and everything. So how is this
year going to be for you different for you in
going into twenty twenty six than it was in twenty
twenty two.
Speaker 5 (20:11):
Well, the going into the twenty twenty two World Cup
you I joined in September. Obviously the World Cup was
a few months after that. Those plans are long baked
before before two months out, and so you know, as
you think about the prep for next summer, you know,
Matt Crocker a sporting director working with Mauricio Pochettino and
(20:32):
staff planning out everything going into next summer. You know,
so that that work is very actively going on, and
everything from where's the team based during the World Cup,
to what are the games you're you're playing to prepare
to all of the sort of logistics and everything we're doing,
you know, off the field as well to take full
(20:53):
advantage of this unique moment.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
So you know, I was, you know.
Speaker 5 (20:58):
In guitar, I was able to be from all of
that work, whereas in this instance, obviously we're all knee
deep in it, and with the World Cup being here
presents all sorts of new opportunities for us to really
seize the moment and help transform what soccer looks like
in this country.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Right exactly, I mean there are so much This is
gonna be the biggest moment for soccer really in the
US ever, right because the last time we hosted a
World Cup, nineteen ninety four, we hosted a World Cup,
the MLS was on the cusp of being created because
of that World Cup, right, So how is this going
to be different because of everything that's on the line,
(21:35):
MLS ANDWSL, everything that can benefit from this time.
Speaker 5 (21:39):
You know, in ninety four, we had aspirations of being
a soccer country. You know, you mentioned Major League Soccer
was sort of born out of the ninety four World Cup.
Nineteen ninety four World Cup is still the most attended
World Cup in history, even those only twenty four teams,
so you know, imagine forty eight teams in summer is
(22:00):
going to shatter that record. But I think as you
think about where we are now, we are a soccer country.
They're over one hundred million fans of the men's and
women's national team. There are more soccer games available to
wash on television in the US than any other country
in the world. You've got tens of millions of people playing,
You've got an incredible amount of commercial investment success of
(22:21):
Major League Soccer NWSL, USL and sort of all forms
of soccer in this country. So, you know, conceivably maybe
twenty twenty six is when the rest of the world
learns that we're a soccer country. And so, you know,
for us, you know, the journey from ninety four to
twenty twenty six has been one of incredible growth and
(22:42):
real maturity of the soccer market, and you know, it's
around how do we take that to the next.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Level, in your opinion, how do we show the rest
of the world that we are a soccer country since
we are one of the hosts of the twenty twenty
six World Cup.
Speaker 5 (22:54):
Well, first and foremost, you know, we have to have
a team that everyone believes in, and to have a
team that after every game you're proud of their fight,
you're proud of their performance, and you're excited about the
next opportunity for them to go win.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
You know.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
The one of the things that was very true in
Qatar was colleagues from around the world kept coming up
to me and some of my colleagues at US Soccer
is saying, wow, this US team, look at you know,
look at you know, look at you guys, And they
weren't expecting that. I think, what, of course, we got
to perform on the field, But I think where our
(23:33):
big opportunity is is for the millions of people that
come to America to experience the tens of millions of
fans UH here in America and their passion, their love,
their knowledge for the game UH and helping them really
appreciate how deep and broad the sort of love of
soccer is in this country, and of course benefiting from
(23:55):
the amazing facilities and infrastructure and restaurants and hotels and
and everything we have in the US that makes it
such an amazing place to witness a global sporting spectacle.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Are there any metrics in terms of growing the game
percentage wise by fans or viewership, or in terms of
youth participation that you're looking at that it stands now
to where you want it to grow over the next year.
Speaker 5 (24:22):
So overall, US Soccer believes that we exist in service
to soccer. Our job is to support those who are
bringing soccer to life in communities all across the country,
you know, and those folks have three shared ambitions. They
want soccer everywhere, so they want everyone in the country
to be able to experience the joy of soccer. They
want our teams to win, so they of course want
our national teams, they want our pro clubs to win
(24:43):
on the world stage, and they want to maximize investment
in the sport at all levels. So that's commercial investment,
philanthropic investment, government support, private capital coming in. And so
as we think about the opportunity of Club World Cup
in twenty five, Men's World Cup and twenty six Olympics
in twenty eight, and us being the sole bidders for
(25:03):
the Women's World Cup in twenty thirty one, there's a
really unique opportunity for us to move the needle across
all three of those shared ambitions. And as we think
about what that means, we launch the Soccer Ford Foundation
to drive more access to soccer, to make it to
where everyone in this country can walk, ride their bike,
(25:25):
or take public transit to a safe place to play soccer.
To make it to where soccer is in every school
in this country. We've launched the US Way, which is
our comprehensive strategy to ensure our teams win, to focus
on all levels of the game, to set our teams
up for success in these big moments. And of course,
from an investment standpoint, think about the investment that's going
(25:47):
on and all levels of our game, whether it's infrastructure,
building facilities.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
Our new Arthur M.
Speaker 5 (25:53):
Blank US Soccer National Training Center in Atlanta, almost a
two hundred acre project, first ever national training center and
headquarters for US Soccer, will be the best in the
world when it opens next year. To the investments in
the professional leagues, the investments in all of the infrastructure,
the digital infrastructure that US Soccer is doing around supporting
(26:15):
the rest of the soccer ecosystem. So this is a
very very very important time for us to take advantage
of the growth of our sport, the momentum and the
focus and if anything, we are thinking about using twenty
six twenty eight thirty one sort of forcing functions to
get people to take big, bold steps forward around transforming
what the sport can look like.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
And is that looking to get investors and the stakeholders
in leagues and things like that. Those are those the
people you're looking at to take big, big swings and
big you know things like you just said, Like I mean,
you guys obviously had a lot of investment this year.
The Ken Griffin Donation made a lot of headlines this
year and helping with Merchu Po Chattino get hired as
(27:00):
US men's national team coach and then obviously, like you mentioned,
Arthur Blank in that training facility. Michelle Kang, big donations
talk to us a little bit about those specific people
and investors that you're looking at to help grow and
the role that philanthropy plays for US soccer.
Speaker 5 (27:17):
So when you think about US soccer, one analogy for
folks who are listening in terms of our sort of businesses,
we've got almost like a pro sports part of our business.
Speaker 4 (27:28):
Those are our national teams.
Speaker 5 (27:29):
We have twenty seven national teams, most known for our
men's and women's national teams, but those sort of resemble
a pro sports organization. We have a trade association type
of business, think of coaching, education, referee certification and licensing,
sort of promoting a health and safe and positive ecosystem
type of work. And we have the Impact ARM Soccer
(27:50):
Ford Foundation, which is around accessibility and ensuring our game
can be everywhere for everyone. And so as you think
about investment, those coming different forms depending on which of
those businesses your your business lines you're you're talking about UH,
And as you think about US Soccer at the organization,
you know, we've had incredible success over the last two
(28:13):
years UH launching our commercial rights business. We have been
able to partner with some of the great brands in
the world, from Nike to Bank of America, to Coca Cola,
to Visa to you know, and and and to where
we have you know, grown revenue had a really impressive
(28:33):
clip over the last couple of years from people who
believe in our vision, believe in our mission, and believe
in in the opportunity UH to use soccer as a
force for good in their relationship with US Soccer to
to bring that to life. We also have had incredible
success from a philanthropic standpoint. You know, you mentioned, you know,
the support from Arthur and Blank, from Michelle Kang from
(28:55):
Ken Griffin and others who believe that, you know, US
soccer can go do big things. You know, unlike our
peers US soccer around the world, US soccer receives no
government support directly, and so, you know, philanthropic support is
a unique American thing and it's something that you know,
(29:15):
we want to embrace as we are trying to go
be best in the world, and so why not use
what America's great at. And so we've been very fortunate
to have people who believe in our overall mission and
believe in our ability to go do big things and
being great stewards of their money. And so we're excited
about about what it looks like. Then more broadly, we
(29:36):
care about what's the health of the soccer ecosystem in
this country. Our investors stepping up to invest in professional teams. Absolutely,
you're seeing that every day on the MLS, NWSL and
USL side. Our governments investing in making soccer more accessible
in their communities. Every week, new communities across the country
(29:57):
opening up new soccer facilities, whether they're big you know,
soccer complexes or sort of small fields or spaces to
play in denser areas soccer and schools that are expanding rapidly,
you know, thanks to school districts. Investing in soccer is
an incredibly accessible sport, very high ROI to achieve health
(30:19):
outcomes and positive community outcomes. So as we think about
sort of investment, we take a very broad lens on
that and it's something that you know, across the board
we're seeing growth, growth, and more growth.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
That was JT.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
Batson of US Soccer and that does it for this
edition of the Business of Soccer. It's part of our
new series we're starting on the Bloomberg Business of Sports
as we get ready for the FIFA Club World Cup
in twenty twenty six. I'm Vanessa Perdomo. Subscribe now so
you never miss an episode. You're listening to the Bloomberg
Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio around the world.
Hey, everybody, Welcome to a new special edition of the
Bloomberg Business of Sports show. We are calling Business of Soccer.
We are officially one year out from the twenty twenty
six FIFA World Cup and this weekend marks the start
of the twenty twenty five FIFA Club World Cup as
well as the CONCA CAF Gold Cup. Now all three
tournaments are being held in the US, so there's just
(00:22):
so much soccer going on over the next year. We
knew we needed to do something special. There are going
to be countless things to talk about around the big
money that surrounds both FIFA World Cups, the economic impact
on host cities, and will this finally be the thing
that makes soccer as big here in the US as
it is around the world. So welcome to the Business
(00:42):
of Soccer. I am your host, Vanessa Perdomo. I am
a former Division one soccer player, so I am so
excited for this year to come. I want to set
the tone for anyone who's unaware of what the Club
World Cup is. Thirty two clubs from across North America,
South America, Europe, Asia and after are competing for title
of Club World Champions, but also competing for a prize
(01:05):
pot of a billion dollars. Yep, you heard that right,
one billion dollars with the B and the winner takes
home one hundred and twenty.
Speaker 2 (01:13):
Five million dollar prize.
Speaker 1 (01:15):
A lot of soccer clubs operate in the red, so
one hundred and twenty five million dollars should be enough
of an incentive to get some real competition. Our first
guest is p Oliver, CEO of Growth Markets at di Zone.
The Zone has the exclusive global rights to broadcast the
Club World Cup and they are putting an out on
their platform for free. He explained why they chose to
(01:35):
put this out there for free instead of behind their
usual paywall and why are there confident that this is
going to be the most stream sporting event ever. Here's
my conversation with Pee Oliver, chief Executive Officer of Growth
Markets at DE Zone. So I am joined by Pete Oliver,
CEO of Growth Markets at Dizone. Pete, thanks for joining
the Bloomberg Business of Sports, Business of Soccer special. Thanks
(01:58):
so much to have you made so Club WORL Cup
is kicking off this weekend. Super excited for it. The
Zone has the global rights for it. Tell us all
about how to find it, where where the games are,
because there's also TV partnerships as well, right there are.
Speaker 3 (02:17):
I mean, this is quite a unique and a bit
of a first for a streaming platform. So the Zone
will be streaming every single game for free, and Dezgone
is a available worldwide, so whether you're in the US, Europe,
the Middle East, you'll be able to download the de
Zone app and watch all sixty three games for free.
(02:37):
And it's the first time there's been a single streaming
platform running in a competition of the scale, and we
think it will actually become the most streamed sporting event
yet because of the popularity of soccer internationally. But you're
absolutely right. We've also worked with local broadcast partners. So
here in the US we're working with T and T
(02:58):
and Univision, who have got a selection of games, not
all of the games, but selection of games, and that's
really helping, you know, extend the audience, make people aware
of the tournament, and you know, promoting FIFA and the
Zone overall. So just over twenty games will be available
on those two broadcasters for US customers as well.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
And the Zone is typically a subscription based platform, right,
so why make these games free for everyone.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
Yeah, we started ut We've traditionally been a PATV platform
with subscription and pay per view, but around a year
ago we started experimenting with free content and in Europe
we've run a number of events for free and we
think it's a very good model for an event like
this because we can bring in a huge new audience
to our platform and introduce our brand to a lot
(03:45):
of new sports fans. Obviously, we asked people to register,
so we do get some details, we get their email
address and in the future can sell them a paid subscription.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
And for an event like this, we've had.
Speaker 3 (03:55):
A very big opportunity on advertising and sponsorship, so by
making the event free, were able to really really increase the.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
Reach for brands.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
I should say we have got a paid version of
the products as well, so the free products is very good.
But if you want to have HDR picture quality less ads,
you can upgrade for a small fee and pay for
a premium version of the Club World Cup. But we
do expect most people will watch it for free and
that's really going to build the Dezone brand and the
Zone installed user base around the world.
Speaker 1 (04:26):
How does less ads work for a live sporting event.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
So it's a great question because obviously we have breaks
where there will be some ads. So for a soccer game,
actually you don't really have much break in play, so
you've got half time, but apart from that, it's a
pretty continuous match. And we will be removing sort of
in play advertising for people who pay a small fee.
So during the game there will be some in play advertising,
(04:53):
not a huge amount, but some, and if you pay
you won't see that. You'll still get breaks, you know,
before and after the game, like regular ad breaks, but
you won't see as much of the in game advertising.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Right.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
Okay, And recently we were at an event together and
you had talked about this being one of the catalysts
for growing the brand in the US, specifically because here
known more as a boxing platform. Right, So why was
this the tournament? Why this tournament do you think is
going to help extend the brand reach overall for soccer
(05:25):
and for overall for the brand.
Speaker 4 (05:27):
Yeah, And that's I mean, great question.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
I mean, I think you know, first of all, for
the US, we have historically here been a combat sports platform,
whereas if you look in Europe and Japan, we're very
well known as you know, a leading multi sport provider
with a lot of soccer, baseball and so on in
those countries. I think the great thing about the Club
World Cup is that it's happening in the US and
(05:50):
when it kicks off next week, I think people are
going to be very excited to see Real Madrid PSG,
who just won the Champions League in Europe, River Plate,
Boca Juniors, you know, team from all over the world
coming to play in a competition where there's a lot
of money at stake. And so for US, having a
tournament that's hosted in the US, we think is very powerful.
(06:11):
It's in the time zone, it will be you know,
across eleven different US cities. People are going to be
very aware it's happening. So for US, that's a good
tournament to grab brand in the States. And also we
are soccer experts. We have all of the big leagues
in Europe, so you know in Italy we have Seriah,
the Bundesliga, in Germany, LaLiga and Spain, and so our
(06:32):
production teams are very expert in that kind of coverage.
So we feel we can give a really great experience
for viewers. I should say, beyond the US soccer, or
as I would call it. Living in the UK, football
is the biggest sport in the world. You know, it's
loved in South America, It's loved across Europe, the Middle East.
You know, it is actually the most popular sport in
(06:55):
the world. And as a result, we'll be able to
bring in a very very large global audience.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
Do you think that the global audience is going to
outweigh the audience here in the US.
Speaker 4 (07:06):
Well, that's an interesting question.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
I think I think in the US we will get
a very significant audience, you know, in the tens of
millions of people I think we'll watch this tournament, But
if we take the sort of global footprints with we
think it will be much more in the hundreds of millions.
And that's because of the sheer scale of fans you
have in countries in South America, Europe, the Middle East
and so on. So we think it'll be very significant
(07:30):
for us in the US, but on a global scale
probably even bigger.
Speaker 1 (07:34):
So you mentioned hundreds of millions of viewers there, and
I know that one of the things that you guys
are looking at to be the most streamed sporting event,
you know, in the history of streaming. Is that because
you're looking at all sixty of those games global globally
that you think will reach that over one hundred million
mark that is held right now by what Jake Paul
(07:56):
and Mike Tyson fight.
Speaker 3 (07:58):
Yes, I think, I mean, I think over the tournament
will easily see over one hundred million individual people watching
it or streaming it. To give you a sense, you know,
if I take a soccer club like Real Madrid, they've
got over half a billion fans worldwide, you know, huge
huge audience. The clubs in South America typically you know,
tens of millions of people following River Plate, Boca Juniors.
(08:20):
So these these teams have huge, huge followings and as
a result, we think the cumulative number will be very
high in terms of you know, the single biggest stream
match clearly that will be towards the end, the semi
finals of the final, I would predict, depending on the teams,
and we think that would be a very significant number.
But we'll have to see how we get on and
which teams make it. It'll be a bit dependent on
(08:43):
the teams that get there.
Speaker 2 (08:44):
Yeah, absolutely for sure.
Speaker 1 (08:46):
I mean, if Miami makes it all the way that
far them that'll be really good for the audience here
in the US, I could imagine, right absolutely. One of
the things that I think is interesting that could be
you know, unique for you guys in this tournament is
being the global rights partners across everywhere.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
Right, So how do you make sure.
Speaker 1 (09:05):
That in those specific markets that you're speaking to those
fans directly here in the US, there in South America,
in Europe and all that.
Speaker 3 (09:12):
It's a great question. So we are doing twenty seven
different feeds on the platform with localized commentary, localized presentation talent,
and that even goes down to for English language, we'll
have a US team you know, who talk soccer and
you know more for the US audience, and we'll have
a British team who talk about as we would say
(09:33):
in the UK football. So we're even localizing within the languages.
You know, We've got a Latin American Spanish feed, and
we've got a Spanish feed for Spain and Europe, so
we are producing this in multiple languages with relevant talent.
The talent we're using is a mixture of you know,
soccer experts, but also influencers ex players, and we will
(09:56):
be tailoring the experience in local language, So although it's platform,
the production will feel very localized. Depending where you are,
they'll be you know, in Europe French, German, Italian, in
South America Portuguese for Brazil, Latin, Spanish, and even in
the Middle East will be producing an Arabic feed.
Speaker 4 (10:14):
So depending where you are in the world, you're going
to get a feed that's relevant to you.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
So really really global on that different aspect, Yeah, for sure.
So when we're looking at you know, the excitement and
why you think that this will be so successful. Is
it because of this continuous cycle that we're going to
see in the US over the next year, you know,
on the on the heels of the World Cup coming
in twenty twenty six.
Speaker 4 (10:37):
Yeah, there's a few factors.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
I mean, first of all, for the Club World Cup itself,
there's a combination here of some of the best teams
in the world playing in a competition with real meaningful
prize money, but also the best players. You know, we've
got Messi obviously playing at Into Miami, but Harlan's come
in with Man City and Bape's come in with Real Madrid.
You know, this will be very exciting in terms of
(10:59):
the top clubs the top players, and some of these
teams really have never competed before because they're coming from
all parts of the world.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
But on top of that, you have a bit of
a movement in the US.
Speaker 3 (11:09):
Now where we've got the World Cup for national teams
coming next year. The MLS continues to sign increasingly strong players,
and we see that soccer is one of the fastest
growing sports in the US, particularly with younger fans as well.
So it's really good timing and I think very very
(11:30):
you know, it's a good moment for the sport in
the United States.
Speaker 1 (11:34):
How do you continue that growth in the name of
Disonne maybe in for soccer here in the US after
the tournament's over.
Speaker 4 (11:43):
Yeah, it's a good question.
Speaker 3 (11:44):
So we're working on a few things at the moment,
we can't quite say what they are yet, but we
will be shortly announcing some soccer rights and content that
we'll have for next season, which typically starts in August
for most leagues, and we'll be bringing some of our
European expertise from the big leagues we have there. So
after the Club World Cup we expect to have more
(12:07):
live soccer. We also have a long term partnership with
FIFA for their FIFA Plus service, which will be available
on the zone. So we're hoping to have when we've
practical planning to have a lot of extra content for
people to stay with us after the tournament finishes in July.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
Yeah. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (12:22):
And as we're talking about the global aspect of it all,
then how does that work, you know, in terms of
continuously growing that as well. I know you guys have
a partnership with Saudi Pro League. Is that going to
continue to extend as well.
Speaker 3 (12:38):
Yeah, We've got a number of big leagues we work
with and for instance, you know, having global highlights, having
access to the big European leagues where we can get interviews, news,
you know, on the ground footage, all of that will
kind of go into our global service. There are a
number of other things we're working on at the moment
of global rights beyond what we current we have. And
(13:01):
again over the summer, I think you'll see a few
more announcements from US about other soccer rights and other
sports rights that will be making available worldwide.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:10):
One of the things you know that has recently come
out about the Club World Cup is that ticket sales
aren't going as well as you know. Originally thought, does
that give you any sort of concern for the viewership
aspect of it?
Speaker 4 (13:24):
Well, I think there's a few things.
Speaker 3 (13:26):
On ticket sales, the first thing I would say is
I would fully expect the very big teams to sell out.
So if Chelsea come and do a preseason tour in
the US, not even in a competition like this, they sell.
Speaker 4 (13:37):
Out all of the stadiums straight away.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
Real Madrid will sell out, you know, the big South
American teams will sell out. So I think when we
get to the stadiums, we're going to see them a
lot busier than maybe people are saying they will be. Clearly,
some fixtures may may feature teams that are less famous,
less popular, and we'll see how they get on. But
I think, first of all, I think, you know, we
will see stadiums for up a lot more. And people
(14:01):
do often make late decisions on these things. But from
an audience point of view on streaming, we are very
confident on it. We can see trends when we look
on Google and for how many people are searching for
this tournament worldwide. You know that that is growing really
really well. At the moment, we've already seen a very
large number of customers register for the de Zone app,
(14:21):
so they're ready to watch it, and we're very confident
the audiences will be big because of the popularity of
soccer worldwide.
Speaker 1 (14:29):
Is do you think that there's some sort of you know,
partnership between you and FIFA and the clubs themselves that
you know, you want to make extra content around maybe
those teams who aren't as popular.
Speaker 2 (14:40):
Is their plans for that? Are you already doing that?
Speaker 4 (14:43):
Yeah, we're already on the case.
Speaker 3 (14:44):
So we've already made a short documentary for each team
about who they are.
Speaker 4 (14:49):
You'll be seen as we go into the tournament.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
We'll be pushing that with FIFA on a lot of
our social media channels. And there are some really exciting teams,
you know, in the tournament that people may not be
fully familiar with. So you know, as an example, Al Halao,
who are coming from the Middle East, have been champions
out there for years and years and have some of
the best players in the world, particularly from South America,
(15:12):
playing for them. So I think I think fans are
going to discover a lot of new players and a
bit like a national team World Cup, there will be
new stars that come out of this, players who score
a lot of goals, goalkeepers who make incredible saves, and
that's all part of the sort of intrigue of bringing
these teams together.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah, heck yeah, give it on for the goalkeepers there,
because I love that I as a goalkeeper, and we
don't get enough love, I don't think.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
And our highlights are just good.
Speaker 1 (15:37):
And you stalked there about you know a little bit
about social media and stuff, and recently announced a partnership
with TikTok. How does that work, you know in terms
of are people going to be able to share, you know,
because with rights on social media that's a little bit
tricky with sharing highlights and things like that.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
Well, I mean again, as part of making this you know,
widely available, we will be throughout our social media channels
machine highlights throughout the tournament. We're working with a number
of partners to distribute those and you drive awareness of them.
So the big social media platforms, including TikTok, who recently
announced a bit of a strategic partnership with around this tournament,
(16:16):
but also more traditional publishing groups will be providing with
highlights and clips, you know, really to drive the excitement
and to drive people back to watch the live games
on the designed platform as well. So we're a very
digital company and we've always thought about sport both on
our platform, but it extended onto social platforms to reach
fans wherever they're consuming Pete.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
As we wrap up here, is there any sort of
bar or metrics you're looking at that you have now
for fans in the US, for you know that you
want to have growth at the end of this tournament
that you're looking at metric wise, Yes, for us, I.
Speaker 3 (16:54):
Mean it's very important how many new registered customers we
get who download our app and experience it the first time. Obviously,
the audience figures for the for the games themselves are important,
and as you asked earlier, you know we will have
follow on content. So for us, retaining people into the
app is important as well, and we just think this
(17:14):
is a massive opportunity for de Zone to be installed
on more smart TVs, more mobile phones, and for fans
to see you know, what we can do because we're
quite unique as the you know, a sports app that
is purely dedicated sorry, a streaming app that is purely
dedicated to sport.
Speaker 4 (17:32):
But yes, we'll look at.
Speaker 3 (17:33):
The numbers at the end and hopefully we'll have significantly
more customers registered with US than before when we started.
Speaker 1 (17:42):
That was my conversation with Pete Oliver, CEO of Growth
Markets at his zone. Now. Not only is the Club
World Cup free to striam online, it's one of the
cheapest major sporting events that's been held in the.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
US over the last few years.
Speaker 1 (17:54):
Average ticket prices are about one hundred to two hundred dollars,
whereas if you wanted to go to the Super Bowl
this year, the average ticket prices were about two thousand
to six thousand dollars.
Speaker 2 (18:05):
This is a special edition of.
Speaker 1 (18:06):
The Bloomberg Business of Sports podcast The Business of Soccer.
Up next, we'll hear from the CEO and Secretary General
of US Soccer Federation, JT. Batson. I'm Vanessa Prodemo.
Speaker 2 (18:17):
This is Bloomberg.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
You're listening to a special edition of the Bloomberg Business
of Sports podcast The Business of Soccer. I'm Vanessa Prodemo.
My next guest is CEPO and Secretary General of the
US Soccer Federation JT. Batson. So, alongside the Club World
Cup happening right now is the Kunka CAAF Gold Club,
which is this huge tournament between national teams in North America,
Central America and the Caribbean. This is one of the
(18:48):
last big tournaments before the World Cup next year, and
the US men's national team needs to do well. The US, Canada,
and Mexico do have automatic bids into the World Cup
next year as the host nations, but the US has
been struggling, so they need to make their mark on
the international stage. Let's listen to my conversation with CEO
and Secretary General of US Soccer JT.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Batson.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
So we are one year out from the start of
the twenty twenty six fee Foot World Cup.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
I am so excited. You know, how quickly has this
come for you? Is it?
Speaker 1 (19:18):
Is it right around the corner for you? Do you
feel or is it still a long way's a way.
Speaker 5 (19:23):
The way the soccer calendar works, there's always something right
on your doorstep, and of course the Men's World Cup
being here in twenty twenty six is a huge moment.
We're all incredibly excited about it. You know, we joke
a lot that the soccer calendar never sleeps, and so
you know, team's up for it, our organization's up for it,
(19:45):
our fans are up for it, and we're certainly excited.
Speaker 1 (19:47):
It definitely is constantly populating the soccer calendar for sure.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
So JT.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
You came in to the Federation just a few months
ahead of the twenty twenty two World Cup and guitar
and that must have been quite a busy first few months.
But now you're you're in it. You know, you're in
tune with the job and everything. So how is this
year going to be for you different for you in
going into twenty twenty six than it was in twenty
twenty two.
Speaker 5 (20:11):
Well, the going into the twenty twenty two World Cup
you I joined in September. Obviously the World Cup was
a few months after that. Those plans are long baked
before before two months out, and so you know, as
you think about the prep for next summer, you know,
Matt Crocker a sporting director working with Mauricio Pochettino and
(20:32):
staff planning out everything going into next summer. You know,
so that that work is very actively going on, and
everything from where's the team based during the World Cup,
to what are the games you're you're playing to prepare
to all of the sort of logistics and everything we're doing,
you know, off the field as well to take full
(20:53):
advantage of this unique moment.
Speaker 4 (20:55):
So you know, I was, you know.
Speaker 5 (20:58):
In guitar, I was able to be from all of
that work, whereas in this instance, obviously we're all knee
deep in it, and with the World Cup being here
presents all sorts of new opportunities for us to really
seize the moment and help transform what soccer looks like
in this country.
Speaker 1 (21:14):
Right exactly, I mean there are so much This is
gonna be the biggest moment for soccer really in the
US ever, right because the last time we hosted a
World Cup, nineteen ninety four, we hosted a World Cup,
the MLS was on the cusp of being created because
of that World Cup, right, So how is this going
to be different because of everything that's on the line,
(21:35):
MLS ANDWSL, everything that can benefit from this time.
Speaker 5 (21:39):
You know, in ninety four, we had aspirations of being
a soccer country. You know, you mentioned Major League Soccer
was sort of born out of the ninety four World Cup.
Nineteen ninety four World Cup is still the most attended
World Cup in history, even those only twenty four teams,
so you know, imagine forty eight teams in summer is
(22:00):
going to shatter that record. But I think as you
think about where we are now, we are a soccer country.
They're over one hundred million fans of the men's and
women's national team. There are more soccer games available to
wash on television in the US than any other country
in the world. You've got tens of millions of people playing,
You've got an incredible amount of commercial investment success of
(22:21):
Major League Soccer NWSL, USL and sort of all forms
of soccer in this country. So, you know, conceivably maybe
twenty twenty six is when the rest of the world
learns that we're a soccer country. And so, you know,
for us, you know, the journey from ninety four to
twenty twenty six has been one of incredible growth and
(22:42):
real maturity of the soccer market, and you know, it's
around how do we take that to the next.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Level, in your opinion, how do we show the rest
of the world that we are a soccer country since
we are one of the hosts of the twenty twenty
six World Cup.
Speaker 5 (22:54):
Well, first and foremost, you know, we have to have
a team that everyone believes in, and to have a
team that after every game you're proud of their fight,
you're proud of their performance, and you're excited about the
next opportunity for them to go win.
Speaker 4 (23:12):
You know.
Speaker 5 (23:12):
The one of the things that was very true in
Qatar was colleagues from around the world kept coming up
to me and some of my colleagues at US Soccer
is saying, wow, this US team, look at you know,
look at you know, look at you guys, And they
weren't expecting that. I think, what, of course, we got
to perform on the field, But I think where our
(23:33):
big opportunity is is for the millions of people that
come to America to experience the tens of millions of
fans UH here in America and their passion, their love,
their knowledge for the game UH and helping them really
appreciate how deep and broad the sort of love of
soccer is in this country, and of course benefiting from
(23:55):
the amazing facilities and infrastructure and restaurants and hotels and
and everything we have in the US that makes it
such an amazing place to witness a global sporting spectacle.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Are there any metrics in terms of growing the game
percentage wise by fans or viewership, or in terms of
youth participation that you're looking at that it stands now
to where you want it to grow over the next year.
Speaker 5 (24:22):
So overall, US Soccer believes that we exist in service
to soccer. Our job is to support those who are
bringing soccer to life in communities all across the country,
you know, and those folks have three shared ambitions. They
want soccer everywhere, so they want everyone in the country
to be able to experience the joy of soccer. They
want our teams to win, so they of course want
our national teams, they want our pro clubs to win
(24:43):
on the world stage, and they want to maximize investment
in the sport at all levels. So that's commercial investment,
philanthropic investment, government support, private capital coming in. And so
as we think about the opportunity of Club World Cup
in twenty five, Men's World Cup and twenty six Olympics
in twenty eight, and us being the sole bidders for
(25:03):
the Women's World Cup in twenty thirty one, there's a
really unique opportunity for us to move the needle across
all three of those shared ambitions. And as we think
about what that means, we launch the Soccer Ford Foundation
to drive more access to soccer, to make it to
where everyone in this country can walk, ride their bike,
(25:25):
or take public transit to a safe place to play soccer.
To make it to where soccer is in every school
in this country. We've launched the US Way, which is
our comprehensive strategy to ensure our teams win, to focus
on all levels of the game, to set our teams
up for success in these big moments. And of course,
from an investment standpoint, think about the investment that's going
(25:47):
on and all levels of our game, whether it's infrastructure,
building facilities.
Speaker 4 (25:52):
Our new Arthur M.
Speaker 5 (25:53):
Blank US Soccer National Training Center in Atlanta, almost a
two hundred acre project, first ever national training center and
headquarters for US Soccer, will be the best in the
world when it opens next year. To the investments in
the professional leagues, the investments in all of the infrastructure,
the digital infrastructure that US Soccer is doing around supporting
(26:15):
the rest of the soccer ecosystem. So this is a
very very very important time for us to take advantage
of the growth of our sport, the momentum and the
focus and if anything, we are thinking about using twenty
six twenty eight thirty one sort of forcing functions to
get people to take big, bold steps forward around transforming
what the sport can look like.
Speaker 1 (26:35):
And is that looking to get investors and the stakeholders
in leagues and things like that. Those are those the
people you're looking at to take big, big swings and
big you know things like you just said, Like I mean,
you guys obviously had a lot of investment this year.
The Ken Griffin Donation made a lot of headlines this
year and helping with Merchu Po Chattino get hired as
(27:00):
US men's national team coach and then obviously, like you mentioned,
Arthur Blank in that training facility. Michelle Kang, big donations
talk to us a little bit about those specific people
and investors that you're looking at to help grow and
the role that philanthropy plays for US soccer.
Speaker 5 (27:17):
So when you think about US soccer, one analogy for
folks who are listening in terms of our sort of businesses,
we've got almost like a pro sports part of our business.
Speaker 4 (27:28):
Those are our national teams.
Speaker 5 (27:29):
We have twenty seven national teams, most known for our
men's and women's national teams, but those sort of resemble
a pro sports organization. We have a trade association type
of business, think of coaching, education, referee certification and licensing,
sort of promoting a health and safe and positive ecosystem
type of work. And we have the Impact ARM Soccer
(27:50):
Ford Foundation, which is around accessibility and ensuring our game
can be everywhere for everyone. And so as you think
about investment, those coming different forms depending on which of
those businesses your your business lines you're you're talking about UH,
And as you think about US Soccer at the organization,
you know, we've had incredible success over the last two
(28:13):
years UH launching our commercial rights business. We have been
able to partner with some of the great brands in
the world, from Nike to Bank of America, to Coca Cola,
to Visa to you know, and and and to where
we have you know, grown revenue had a really impressive
(28:33):
clip over the last couple of years from people who
believe in our vision, believe in our mission, and believe
in in the opportunity UH to use soccer as a
force for good in their relationship with US Soccer to
to bring that to life. We also have had incredible
success from a philanthropic standpoint. You know, you mentioned, you know,
the support from Arthur and Blank, from Michelle Kang from
(28:55):
Ken Griffin and others who believe that, you know, US
soccer can go do big things. You know, unlike our
peers US soccer around the world, US soccer receives no
government support directly, and so, you know, philanthropic support is
a unique American thing and it's something that you know,
(29:15):
we want to embrace as we are trying to go
be best in the world, and so why not use
what America's great at. And so we've been very fortunate
to have people who believe in our overall mission and
believe in our ability to go do big things and
being great stewards of their money. And so we're excited
about about what it looks like. Then more broadly, we
(29:36):
care about what's the health of the soccer ecosystem in
this country. Our investors stepping up to invest in professional teams. Absolutely,
you're seeing that every day on the MLS, NWSL and
USL side. Our governments investing in making soccer more accessible
in their communities. Every week, new communities across the country
(29:57):
opening up new soccer facilities, whether they're big you know,
soccer complexes or sort of small fields or spaces to
play in denser areas soccer and schools that are expanding rapidly,
you know, thanks to school districts. Investing in soccer is
an incredibly accessible sport, very high ROI to achieve health
(30:19):
outcomes and positive community outcomes. So as we think about
sort of investment, we take a very broad lens on
that and it's something that you know, across the board
we're seeing growth, growth, and more growth.
Speaker 2 (30:31):
That was JT.
Speaker 1 (30:32):
Batson of US Soccer and that does it for this
edition of the Business of Soccer. It's part of our
new series we're starting on the Bloomberg Business of Sports
as we get ready for the FIFA Club World Cup
in twenty twenty six. I'm Vanessa Perdomo. Subscribe now so
you never miss an episode. You're listening to the Bloomberg
Business of Sports from Bloomberg Radio around the world.
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