The Cityzens have made up for lost time and become one of the most popular clubs across the pond, breaking records while attracting legions of fans
Manchester City are back in the United States and are set for their biggest reception to date, playing in front of a potential audience of 257,000 fans in the four games that make up their pre-season tour. They will kick off their jaunt against Celtic at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill on July 23, and then take on AC Milan at Yankee Stadium in New York on July 27.
Next up is a mouth-watering clash with Guardiola’s boyhood club Barcelona at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando, and City then round off the tour in style against Chelsea at the Ohio Stadium, which seats 100,000 people.
City have a lot to celebrate on their return to the States. They will be flaunting the Premier League title which they won for an unprecedented fourth consecutive season, while they can also boast of being the most popular team in the country by a number of metrics. They were the most watched Premier League club in the U.S. in the 2022-23 season in all competitions, according to sports data firm Nielsen, as well as being the most recognised Premier League brand and and the most liked club, according to YouGov.
City also made U.S. television history in March when their match with Arsenal was watched by a record 2.6 million people, the highest ever audience in the country for a Premier League game.
GettySpectacular success
City are one of 10 Premier League clubs touring the U.S. this summer, including rivals Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United. Those clubs put down roots in America long ago, enjoying a big head start on City, who only won their first Premier League title in 2012. However, thanks to a concerted strategy and homing in on what makes U.S. fans tick, City have played catch-up and raced to the front of the queue, attracting legions of new supporters.
Their timing could hardly be better as soccer is enjoying its latest boom in the States. Lionel Messi’s signing for Inter Miami in 2023 turbo-charged the sport’s popularity and this summer the Copa America came to the States, with Messi and Argentina triumphing.
Next year, the U.S. will host the inaugural expanded Club World Cup, where City will be taking part as 2023 Champions League winners. And in 2026, in partnership with Mexico and Canada, the States will host the largest ever World Cup.
“We've become more sophisticated in our approach because we've made a very conscious effort towards the next generation of soccer fans in the U.S.,” Nuria Tarre, City’s chief marketing officer, explains to GOAL. “We identified very soon in our journey that the U.S. market was a very important market for us as we saw the potential of soccer growing. Our success in the last few years has been spectacular.”
AdvertisementGettyMore than football
City’s sustained success on the pitch, including winning 17 trophies in eight seasons under Guardiola, has undoubtedly been a key factor in the club’s growth, as has the presence of global stars such as Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland. But City’s strategy of appealing to young fans and tapping into their interests outside of football has played a huge part in the club’s growth.
Tarre explains: “Success helps a lot but it is not enough. If we just based our strategy on football success, in 20 years’ time, we’d be in the same place as the other clubs that were winning 10 years ago are right now. So our strategy has always been: how can we accelerate our presence? How can we actually authentically engage with the next generation of fans and maximise the impact of the on-pitch performance?
"Globally, and especially in the U.S., we’ve tried to position ourselves not only as a football brand, but more part of what we call the soccer culture. So we pride ourselves in being at the intersection of fashion, innovation, gaming and sports.”
City’s development of E-Sports teams, particularly in 'EA SPORTS FC' (formerly 'FIFA') and Fortnite has been part of that strategy in appealing to young fans, as has their slate of behind-the-scenes documentaries.
Getty Brave and innovative
City were the first soccer team to film a series of ‘All or Nothing’ on , which was more associated with following NFL franchises. Arsenal, Tottenham, Juventus and the Brazil team have all since followed suit.
“'All or Nothing' was a brave choice from our side, one that we pride ourselves on," Tarre says. "Some of the choices we made, such as being present in gaming, showing behind the scenes of the club, feel very normal now. But just six, seven years ago, they were not. We haven't been afraid to take some risks to look at the business in a different way."
On the back of the documetary's success, the club began using its in-house production company to tell the story of each season. This year, the club partnered with to release ‘Together’, the inside story of the treble winning season, on the streaming platform.
“We are also trying to make sure that we bring the club as close to the fans as we can. We think this is part of the success as well. We are showing the behind the scenes, showing the players as they are as personalities, but showing the club as well in its humility, its highs and its lows. And we think that whether you're a City fan for the last 20 years or whether you started being interested in City more recently, that way of showing the club resonates with that young audience.”
The success of 'Together', which has eclipsed the number of viewers of 'All or Nothing', shows how much the club has grown. It was translated into 30 languages and within the first few weeks of its release, it appeared in the top 10 documentaries on the platform in 35 countries.
GettyOver 30 million potential new fans
Tarre also highlights the fact that Premier League fandom in the United States is more flexible than in Europe, and specifically England. Many young people who are interested in the game in the States are not yet wedded to one team. A lot of fans, particularly those who got into the sport through video games, are drawn to specific players rather than tied to a specific club.
That presents an opportunity for City and the other Premier League teams touring the U.S. this summer, especially those looking to diversify their revenue streams to meet the league’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Fan data specialists CLV Group calculate there are 83 million soccer fans in the U.S., 44 percent of whom are undecided on which team to support. According to CLV Group’s report 'Hearts, Minds and Wallets – Connecting and Winning U.S. Fandoms : A Guidebook for European Clubs', there are a potential 36 million fans that City can look to win over, although they face fierce competition from their Premier League rivals, as well as the top European clubs and even MLS teams.
"Manchester City's growth in the U.S. football fan market has been impressive over the past few years, but make no mistake, there’s still a huge opportunity here for growth,” Neil Joyce, CEO of CLV Group, tells GOAL. "With the ability to connect to around three million locked fan connections, the Cityzens have firmly established themselves as one of the leading Premier League clubs in terms of American support. But now they have the chance to go even further.
"The stakes are high, and our fan identification and connection data shows that successfully connecting with this group could mean huge potential benefits for City, worth more than $30m per season – the third-highest figure for an English club behind only their rivals Manchester United and Liverpool, whilst being hot on the heels of Barcelona."