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The Business of North American Soccer Decoded
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| Welcome |
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Hi Reader,
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Quick note: I'm resending this week's newsletter due to an error in the survey set-up — the links weren't working correctly. Apologies for the duplicate email, and thanks for your patience.
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Welcome to this week's newsletter and as always a special welcome to new subscribers.
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One thing I really love about producing this newsletter is the chance to meet readers in person and discuss the growth of soccer with them over a coffee. That's happened a few times this week and on each occasion, I left with some new ideas and fresh perspectives from the stimulating conversation.
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It got me thinking about finding ways to have more of those conversations, perhaps getting groups of people together in a given city, as obviously not everyone finds themselves in Miami for coffee. Our recent Happy Hour event in Charlotte showed that it is possible and I'd love to explore ways to create similar networking events in your area. Reply to this email or drop me a line at simon@thesoccerbusiness.com if you have any thoughts or are interested in partnering to create an evening in your market.
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Next week I'm in Europe – I'll be in the Milan area for a few days and then in Madrid for the World Football Summit (check the discount offer below). I'll be doing some moderating but also some content creation in both locations – but if you are in the area it would be great to chat.
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Right, let's get to the newsletter…
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Cheers,
Simon
PS: If you could do me a small favor and click on the reader survey in today's edition that would be really helpful for me. Thanks.
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I will be at the World Football Summit in Madrid. Subscribers to The Soccer Business Newsletter will receive a 15% discount on tickets. Click below to activate your discount.
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This is something I don't usually do — ask you for anything. But as the list grows, it's worth actually knowing who's reading, rather than guessing.
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Quick one — help us know who's reading
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Two questions, ten seconds — just your email and two quick picks.
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Take the survey →
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Soccer IRL — The Evidence
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After the World Cup, I made the point that the biggest opportunity was that North American leagues and clubs can offer the live event experience in a way that foreign leagues still can't.
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To be honest, my view was half on instinct: the more our lives move onto screens, the more valuable it becomes to be somewhere in person, in a crowd, watching something that can't be paused or rewound. But I did some research this week and it turns out the data backs up this gut feeling.
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To be clear, young audiences aren't fleeing digital — they're using it constantly. But that's exactly why the things digital can't replicate — atmosphere, ritual, identity, proximity to the moment — are becoming more valuable, not less. Sport, and soccer especially, is perfectly built to sell that.
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The evidence
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Deloitte's “Immersive Sports Fandom” — a quarter of Gen Z fans say the main reason they enjoy live sport is experiencing it with friends and family. Note the nuance: 61% of Gen Z also watch live sport at home with other people. This isn't simply a “digital vs. live” fight. It's about who delivers the social experience — and stadiums start with the advantage. (source)
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PwC: “Using data to better engage younger sports fans” — younger fans attend live sport 1.4x more often than older fans, and “unique experiences” is the single feature they cite most. Translation: if your matchday feels generic, you're leaving money and loyalty on the table. (source)
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Deloitte: in-stadium tech expectations — nearly 70% of Gen Z/millennial fans want the stats and replays they'd get at home, while they're in the building. Digital isn't live sport's enemy. It's the enhancement fans are demanding. (source)
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Kantar: sports travel — 61% of Gen Z say they intend to travel for a sports event this year, rising to 70% among those who've already done it once. Once you've bought in, you buy in harder. (source)
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YouGov, 2026 — the necessary caution flag: 86% of fans now say live sport is becoming a luxury experience, 67% call it unaffordable. Scarcity is driving value, but it can also price out the next generation of fans if leagues aren't careful. (source)
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Oliver Wyman's counterpoint — only 18% of Gen Z said they'd attended a live sporting event in the past year. The opportunity is real, but it isn't automatic — sport has to earn the ticket sale, every time. (source)
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| Chelsee Washington: The American Advantage in Women’s Club Soccer |
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This week’s episode features Chelsee Washington, a former NWSL player who has moved from the pitch to the boardroom as an investor with Whitecap Sports Group. She joins the pod to break down how capital is reshaping women’s club soccer — from the NWSL’s ongoing investment boom to the rise of Canada’s Northern Super League and the broader trajectory of the women’s game.
Having played the sport at the professional level before moving into ownership and investment, Washington offers a rare dual perspective on where the smart money is flowing in one of soccer business’s fastest-growing corners. |
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USL AND USLPA RATIFY LANDMARK FIVE-YEAR CBA THROUGH 2030 — The USL and USL Players Association have ratified a new collective bargaining agreement covering the USL Championship and incoming USL Premier, running through 2030.
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Championship contracts move from 10-month to 12-month terms with a new entry-level tier; minimum compensation rises to $42,000 in 2026, with USL Premier (launching 2028) starting at $67,500. Clubs must offer ACA Silver-level health insurance, and a shared group-licensing structure spanning all four USL leagues brings expanded NIL rights and revenue shares through 2031.
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Source: USL
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NEW JERSEY MLS NEXT PRO CLUB SET FOR NEXUS STADIUM LAUNCH IN 2027 — Hometown Soccer Holdings (HSH), New York City FC and Middlesex County, NJ officials have unveiled a standalone MLS NEXT Pro club — provisionally New Jersey MLS NEXT Pro — relaunching NYCFC II with kickoff in July 2027.
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The club gets an entirely new identity shaped with fan input and will play at NEXUS, a $350m sports district anchored by a 6,500-seat stadium. It's the first club to launch under HSH, the MLS/KKR platform formed in April 2026 to fund new stadiums and distinct local identities for MLS NEXT Pro sides.
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Source: MLS NEXT Pro
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TAMPA INVESTOR CATALYST SPORTS VENTURES ADDS SECOND EUROPEAN CLUB — Tampa's Catalyst Sports Ventures has agreed a minority stake in newly-promoted Scottish side Kilwinning Rangers FC, founder Will Freeman's second European investment after Wales's Haverfordwest County AFC.
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Freeman, who'll join Kilwinning's board pending formal approval, targets clubs with underdeveloped commercial operations — at Haverfordwest, Catalyst has since become the livestream and pitchside sponsor. He's also brought in Catalyst's first outside investor, a U.S. executive, this year.
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Source: Tampa Bay Business & Wealth
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NWSL VENUE ARMS RACE: PURPOSE-BUILT FACILITIES NOW "TABLE STAKES" — NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman says dedicated training facilities are now a contractual requirement for expansion owners, citing Portland Thorns/RAJ Sports as a model that invested before it was mandated.
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By 2028 the league will have 18 clubs, two-thirds either newly sold or added via expansion in the past five years. Berman flagged North Carolina Courage's below-average-capacity stadium as a clear lag point despite record attendance.
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Source: Sports Business Journal
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KANSAS CITY POISED TO COMMIT $185M TO CURRENT'S STADIUM EXPANSION — Kansas City is moving toward $185m in public funding for the NWSL Current's CPKC Stadium expansion — roughly 6,500 more seats, to 18,000 total — part of a $1.4bn Riverfront redevelopment.
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Unlike the Royals' separate stadium deal, the Current and its developers have agreed to backstop the bond debt if tax revenue falls short, a term Mayor Quinton Lucas called central to winning support; some council members remain skeptical of tying up more city revenue on stadiums.
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Source: Kansas City Star
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D.C. COUNCIL TO HOLD HEARING ON $620M AUDI FIELD EXPANSION DESPITE BOWSER OPPOSITION — The D.C. Council will hold an October 23 hearing on a $620m public-private plan with D.C. United to expand Audi Field by 8,000+ seats and add a climate-controlled roof — but Mayor Muriel Bowser opposes it, citing prior commitments to Capital One Arena and a new Commanders stadium.
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D.C. United would cover $320m, the district $300m over five years. The roof could matter commercially too: MLS's 2027 schedule shift moves the season into winter months.
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Source: Sports Business Journal
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OKC UNITED OWNERS OFFER $9M TOWARD STADIUM CONSTRUCTION — Echo Sports, the group behind Oklahoma City's USL expansion side, has offered up to $9m toward its 10,000-seat MAPS 4 stadium, with the city matching once that's spent — lifting the total potential budget to $137m.
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The stadium is due to open in 2028; the club also plans a women's team.
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Source: The Oklahoman
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CHICAGO FIRE TAPS BOLDYN NETWORKS FOR MCDONALD'S PARK CONNECTIVITY — Chicago Fire FC has selected Boldyn Networks, MLS's league-wide connectivity supplier, to build a converged network for McDonald's Park, the club's $750m stadium anchoring “The 78” development, on track to open in 2028.
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Source: PR Newswire via Tirto
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SPECTRUM BECOMES ANGEL CITY FC'S FIRST WOMEN'S SOCCER SPONSORSHIP — Spectrum has signed a multi-year deal as a Founding Level Sponsor of Angel City FC, serving as the NWSL club's official internet, WiFi and mobile partner — its first women's soccer deal, adding to LA ties with the Galaxy, Dodgers and Crypto.com Arena.
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The deal includes presenting two annual youth clinics and in-stadium/media presence at BMO Stadium.
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Source: Angel City FC
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JACKSONVILLE ARMADA STADIUM STILL VACANT AS DEADLINE LOOMS — With ownership having passed from Robert Palmer to Chris Campione in 2025 amid repeated delays, the Armada's downtown stadium site remains largely undeveloped ahead of a September 10, 2026 construction deadline.
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Campione has pledged an 8,000-seat venue (up from 2,500) and a 2027 MLS NEXT Pro entry, but missing the deadline means surrendering the city-owned land or paying fair market value plus 33%.
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Source: Jacksonville Today
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BMO RENEWS AS OFFICIAL BANK OF NORTHERN SUPER LEAGUE — BMO has renewed its multi-year partnership as Official Bank and presenting broadcast sponsor of Canada's Northern Super League, deepening a relationship that began as a founding NSL partner in 2025.
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The renewal expands efforts around athlete pathways and retaining Canadian talent domestically.
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Source: BMO
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US SOCCER TAKES OVER US CLUB SOCCER'S BACK-OFFICE OPERATIONS FROM WASSERMAN — U.S. Soccer has entered a managed services agreement absorbing US Club Soccer’s HR, IT and finance operations from agency Wasserman — a step toward consolidating the fragmented American youth landscape under its "Pathways Strategy."
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US Club Soccer (800,000+ annual participants) keeps its own CEO and programming, including the ECNL; U.S. Soccer says similar agreements with other national associations are in the works.
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Sources: Beyond the 90 · U.S. Soccer
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OUTKAST TEAMS WITH MUNDIAL FOR ATLANTA YOUTH SOCCER JERSEY — Marking ATLiens' 30th anniversary, Outkast's Big Boi and André 3000 have partnered with apparel brand MUNDIAL and nonprofit Soccer in the Streets on a limited-edition jersey for youth teams in East Point, Atlanta, the neighborhood where the duo met.
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A portion of worldwide retail sales benefits the nonprofit's free youth soccer programming.
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Source: WSB-TV
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SEATTLE'S ARKERO EXPANDS AI-OPERATIONS PLATFORM INTO ENGLISH FOOTBALL — Arkero, the Seattle AI-operations startup founded by Remitly co-founder Shivaas Gulati (also part-owner of English National League side Southend United), has extended into English football, adding EFL club Bolton Wanderers alongside Seattle Sounders, Seattle Reign and San Diego FC.
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The platform, backed by a $6m pre-seed round including Alexis Ohanian and Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer, centralizes matchday planning and season-ticket renewals — operations Gulati says are typically "held together by spreadsheets and email."
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Source: GeekWire
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AFFINITI NAMED OFFICIAL KIT PARTNER OF FORT LAUDERDALE UNITED FC — Small-business fintech platform Affiniti has become official kit partner of USL Super League side Fort Lauderdale United FC, placing its brand on the kit, signage, broadcasts and matchday activations.
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The deal grew from founder Tommy Smith's own businesses already using Affiniti's platform; both sides are framing it around serving South Florida's small-business community with banking, expense-management and AP tools.
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Source: PR Newswire via Webull
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CARLYLE, BAIN, OAKTREE READY BIDS FOR SERIE A'S INTERNATIONAL MEDIA UNIT — Carlyle and Bain are among private equity firms preparing bids for a minority stake in the entity holding Serie A's international media, betting and sponsorship rights, per Reuters, alongside Oaktree (owner of Inter Milan) and Italy's Nextalia.
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Source: Reuters
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KUSHNER BREAKS SILENCE ON FIFA'S COLLAPSED $20BN WORLD CUP INVESTMENT PLAN — Thrive Capital founder Joshua Kushner has issued his first comments since FIFA’s FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) proposal collapsed under backlash, saying his firm "would not have gotten involved" had it foreseen the fallout.
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Sources: Al Jazeera · Reuters via GDN
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EVERTON'S U.S OWNER THE FRIEDKIN GROUP QUIETLY SHOPPING STAKE, SOURCES SAY — Everton's American owner, The Friedkin Group (TFG), has signaled to U.S. sports-banking circles it's open to offers, per The Athletic, with bank Moelis & Company (which ran the Chelsea and Liverpool sales) engaged to field them.
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Sources are split on intent: one camp says TFG wants a junior partner to share the cost of rebuilding the club, echoing Liverpool's minority sale to the Bezos consortium; others believe TFG wants a full exit. TFG is said to set Everton's enterprise value at £1bn against roughly £300m+ invested since taking over in December 2024.
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Source: The Athletic
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LONDON CITY'S NIKE SHIRT DEAL BIGGEST IN WOMEN'S GAME, SAYS AMERICAN OWNER KANG — Michele Kang — the American owner who also holds NWSL side Washington Spirit and Lyon — says London City Lionesses' new Nike front-of-shirt deal is the largest in women's football history, bigger than the reported $4m deal for NWSL expansion side Atlanta and some men's Premier League shirt deals.
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London City is the WSL’s only fully independent club, and Kang has spent heavily since her 2023 takeover, headlined this summer by Alexia Putellas, Mapi Leon, Mary Earps and Kadidiatou Diani. "They did not write a charity cheque," Kang said. "They believe in the future and they believe together we will invest and build this future together."
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Source: BBC Sport
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