From a league standpoint, NASL has basically got to empower their individual teams to do the best marketing they can. That means giving better training and materials, as well as a singular marketing message, to the FOs. I'd like to see an increase in social media presence. No league has really made use of the blogosphere yet, and I'm scratching my head as to why. If NASL wants to get the word out, they should make sure that every soccer blogger in the country is getting constant streams of info from the league and from their local teams. They should invite them to conference calls, give them press packages, and leak as much "insider info" as possible. I'd also like to see some enormous billboards. I'm talking giant, building facade billboards. They've also got to start some sort of street team at each club, which could act as a liaison between supporters groups and the FO. Fans want to help, but they've been taken advantage of by owners like Rawlins in Austin. There's got to be a sense that fans can get to know the club while they help support it with their time and money--and that doesn't mean getting to shake hands with the owner after they and their children get done picking up trash.
IMHO the question is where the club will feed into the endgame for these 12 year-olds/their parents when they turn 18. Is it to put the kids on a fastrack to a pro contract (in Europe or the US), or improve their chances of a college scholarship, or to keep the options open and decide at 18? Each preferenced leads to a different emphasis, if not a different direction entirely. If the goal is to turn pro with a tradeable registration, then pay-to-play makes no sense for a club; just make it free like in the rest of the world & take your chances on the kid being good enough. If it's to get a scholarship, then pay-to-play is essential for the club recoup its investment. My feeling is that the american system will/should evolve into a hybrid of pay-to-play and other models from around the world. My 10 cents worth is that clubs, esp NASL/USL pro clubs need to cultivate relationships with junior colleges and state colleges (esp the ones without an NCAA soccer program) so that kids can study and play-for-pay while pursuing a degree or vocational training. The lower tuition fees for in-state residents could be a useful attraction for the parents. If paying a kid's tuition in exchange for his registration rights is tax-deductible, then it's a sweetener for the club, and the kid keeps his options open (i.e. the clubs don't actually pay him so he keeps NCAA eligability if he wants to transfer to another college) FWIW, my alma mater (UCD which plays in the League of Ireland), relies on a mix of students on scholarship who also get a stipend and dorm rooms and older (semi)pros. It's accepted that the better players who are looking to make it in England will take a year or two longer to graduate. A couple have gone on to play in the UK, mostly Championship and DI.
They also need to get some other stuff right, like the internet feeds for the games. Our watch parties here in Tampa were a big hit to start off with, but then they died out for the most part almost entirely due to shitty internet feeds. And that sucks. Those watch parties were getting the word out in a not so insignificant way. New fans who bought FC Tampa gear and game tickets, awareness of the club within the sports bar scene, etc etc.
Speedcakes has got a good point--they need to have their own, reliable, quality internet feed. Sure, every market will vary in quality a bit, but there has to be more polish than there was with USL-1 and last year as well. First and foremost, they've got to make sure that every team's broadcast has a running clock and the score. It's a long way from TV, but it helps. Teams should also have their promo departments setting up watch parties at bars.
Some developmental leagues here in the US have similar arrangements with smaller college programs. UNC-Greensboro has an arrangement. You are absolutely right. We need a hybrid model that thrives upon developing players at a fee or without. Every kid is different. I think most suburban parents in the US will spend that money on A SPORT anyway so that little Johnny or Janie can develop athletic skills. I'd much rather have it with coaches that know the game and can help these kids that Johnny Sr. reading up a book called soccer for dummies and trying to coach. We still see a lot of that around here.
Teams need to get real promotional departments first before they can having them setting up watch parties.
IMPLIED! *my friends and i shout that at each other whenever anyone makes a statement with an implied consequence.
yup for the first 2 or 3 watch parties in Tampa the team sent reps with loot to sell and other stuff. Then everything just fell apart as the internet feeds proved unreliable.
I really like the Guerilla style Billboard marketing going on in Portland for their inaugural MLS campaign. Billboards with real fans popping up all over town. Kinda cryptic making the population ask "what's that about?" Also encouraging fans to take pics and post them on facebook and twitter to spread the word. I would love to see that kind of thing happen in other cities around the league. Link below. http://pitchblackunderground.blogspot.com/2010/12/portland-timbers-billboards.html (of course, I'd love for AC STL to get their house in order so we can have a voice in these discussions)