Don McGuire proposes European games be played outside their home countries
Don McGuire, marketing director of Manchester United sponsor Snapdragon, commented in an interview with The Athletic, on Monday (1.Jul.2024), about holding European games outside their home countries. The director stated that the idea is beneficial.
The proposal to take English league games outside the United Kingdom is not new, but it has received new impetus with McGuire’s statements.
He compared the proposal to the model of the NFL, the American football league, and the MLB, the North American baseball league, which already hold regular season games in other countries, emphasizing the potential to increase the visibility of the Snapdragon brand in the US.
McGuire cited the growing interest in soccer in the United States, driven by investments from figures such as David Beckham and the arrival of Lionel Messi in the country, as well as the upcoming World Cup to be held in Mexico, the United States and Canada.
“We just got the newest MLS franchise here in San Diego, and they’re going to be playing at Snapdragon Stadium, so we’re super excited about that. With David Beckham’s investment in Inter Miami and Lionel Messi coming in and the World Cup in Mexico, the US and Canada, we have a lot of momentum. Then you have women’s soccer and the level that the US National Team and the NWSL have reached; the San Diego Wave also play at Snapdragon Stadium, which is incredible. They’re often sold out during regular season games.”
“Taking advantage of that momentum and capturing that and then deciding, let’s put some real regular season games in these other venues, I think it’s a positive for the league, whether it’s just the Premier League or European football in general. I think it’s amazing. It’s just about expanding audiences, right? So I think it’s great.”
The prospect of international games gained momentum after FIFA was dropped from a lawsuit brought by US event promoter Relevent, which tried to stage a La Liga match in Miami.
Following a settlement, FIFA agreed to review its policies, culminating in the creation of a working group to study rule changes.
The Spanish Championship has already expressed interest in holding games abroad, and even Birmingham City, a club in the English third division, has asked about the possibility of playing a match in the USA.
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