20 Nov Investing in Soccer is Lucrative Beyond World Cup

In case you still haven’t thought about investing in soccer, here’s yet another example of why soccer is a lucrative market your brand should capitalize on now.

Charlotteans, like us here at AC&M, will remember that time over the summer where people flocked to the Carolina Panthers’ stadium to watch “futbol” not “football”.

The international friendly played between Liverpool and AC Milan in August drew a crowd of nearly 70,000 people to the 74,000 seat Bank of American stadium in downtown Charlotte.

According to a recent article published in Charlotte Business Journal: “More than half [the crowd]—37,000—came from out of town, according to the visitors authority. Vistor spending supported 119 jobs.”

It’s no secret that soccer fever has swept the nation, the Charlotte community, and beyond. The economic impact is staggering, and is a huge boon to businesses and brands.

“The match led to $8.3 million in direct spending on hotel rooms, food, drink, and other expenses,” says Charlotte Business Journal.

What’s more? The total economic impact from direct spending and other spinoff effects was a total of $16.5 million.

With the success of this match and the earlier Manchester United vs. Real Madrid match in Michigan with a record breaking 109,318 people in attendance, soccer is taking off in the USA, and not just during the World Cup.

Man U already plans to return to the U.S. for 2015, and with various other international matches coming to cities around the U.S., it’s time for brands to start incorporating soccer into their marketing strategies.

With millions of consumer dollars up for grabs at each match, an investment in soccer is sure to have winning returns.

 Stats from Charlotte Business Journal (http://brinx.it/AFk) and SB Nation (http://brinx.it/AF3)