NYCFC: What the Club Means To MLS and the Big Apple
Any prominent business figure will tell you that a successful expansion has prerequisites. For instance, is there a viable and hungry market for the product? Is it a short-term market, or a long-term market? If it’s long-term, is it sustainable? How long is long-term? Once we install our product in said market, how do we expand on our expansion and see it prosper?
Whether you’re planning to expand your hot dog stand business or in this case, Major League Soccer, expansion is both necessary and vital to the long-term success of your product. The “concrete jungle” just might be the only market where the MLS can fruitfully survive with two professional teams.
The New York Red Bulls have been ruling the New York market since the league’s inception back in 1996. Although multiple name changes have left some heads spinning, the Red Bulls have become a staple franchise in the MLS. However, over the last five years, the singular New York franchise has struggled to fill what many would consider one of the nicest stadiums in the league, despite having an all-access mass transit system directly infiltrated into the stadium. Not to mention, RBNY, as many locals are accustomed to referring to the current New York club as, haven’t been a consistent competitor in the country’s premiere soccer league.
In comes NYCFC, owned and funded by Manchester City and the New York Yankees; talk about packing a punch, eh? NYCFC has already managed to sign one of the world’s most recognizable faces in European soccer in former Barcelona Star David Villa. Villa, who won the 2010 World Cup with his home country Spain, is expected to lead NYCFC in their inaugural season in 2015, and will immediately be the league’s best player before even stepping on the pitch.
NYCFC brings star power in terms of dollars with the backing of England’s richest and one of their most prominent Premiere league clubs as well as the public support and funding from one of not only baseball’s but the world’s most recognizable franchises in the New York Yankees.
The MLS struck gold once with bringing RBNY to the Big Apple, now they have a world class player to trot out on the pitch, the backing of one of the most successful teams in the English Premiere League, and the Yankees supporting their cause to be an instant title contender in 2015, when they begin play in the MLS.
The MLS is adamant about seeing the growth of the American-based product become a premiere-level league that can moderately compete with leagues such as the EPL (England), La Liga (Spain), Ligue 1 (France), and Bündesliga (Germany). With an expected 24-team league by 2020, with the league expanding into markets such as Orlando (who just signed their first player in Brazilian star KaKa), Miami (owned by former LA Galaxy player and international star David Beckham), Atlanta (expected to play in the new Atlanta Falcons stadium) and Minnesota (pending approval and expected funding from the Minnesota Vikings) the league is infiltrating major NFL markets and attaching their product to large, dedicated fan bases who are passionate about the game whether the ball is spherical or oblong.
NYCFC is expected to bring championships back to the Big Apple, the original goal when RBNY became their first major franchise back in 1996. With high profile stars seeing the opportunity on American soil, the game has reached an exponential growth rate backed by a profitable and well thought out plan for the MLS to reach formerly unthinkable heights.
Chris is FanSided’s first-ever NYCFC columnist and is a season ticket holder of the upcoming MLS franchise. For all MLS news related to NYCFC, follow @ForClubForCity on Twitter to stay up to date on all news, transactions, and club happenings. You can follow Chris’ personal account on Twitter @boldcitychris.