The Cityzens have made up for lost time and become one of the most popular clubs across the pond. They’ve broken records and attracted huge fan followings. Manchester City are back in the US and facing their biggest welcome yet. Over the four games of their preseason tour, they’ll play in front of a potential crowd of 257,000 fans. They’ll face Celtic at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill on July 23 and 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 Camping World Stadium in Orlando, before City close out the tour in style against Chelsea at the 100,000-seat Ohio Stadium.

City has a lot to celebrate on their return to the U.S. They will boast an unprecedented fourth consecutive Premier League title, as well as being the most popular team in the country by a variety of measures. They were the most-watched Premier League club in the U.S. across all competitions in the 2022-23 season, according to sports data firm Nielsen, and the most recognized Premier League brand and club, according to YouGov. City also made U.S. television history in March when 2.6 million people tuned in to watch their match against Arsenal, the highest domestic audience for a Premier League game.

Spectacular 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.”

More than football

City’s continued success on the football pitch – 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 younger fans and generating interest outside of football has played a major role in the club’s growth. Tarré explains: “Success helps a lot, but it’s not enough. If we based our strategy solely on football success, in 20 years we’d be in the same position as other clubs that were successful 10 years ago. So our strategy has always been: ‘How can we accelerate our presence?’ How do we truly engage the next generation of fans and maximise the impact of our on-pitch performances? “Globally, and particularly in the US, we’ve tried to position ourselves not just as a football brand, but as part of what we call football culture, so we’re proud to be at the intersection of fashion, innovation, gaming and sports.” The development of City’s esports teams, particularly EA SPORTS FC (formerly FIFA) and Fortnite, was part of this strategy to appeal to younger fans, as were numerous behind-the-scenes documentaries.

Brave and innovative

City was the first football team to film an “All or Nothing” series for Amazon Prime, which was linked to following an NFL franchise. Arsenal, Tottenham, Juventus and the Brazilian national team have all since followed suit. “All or Nothing was a bold decision on our part and one we’re very proud of,” says Tare. “Some of our decisions, like being in the game and going behind the scenes at the club, feel completely normal today. But that wasn’t the case just six or seven years ago. We weren’t afraid to take risks to look at the business from a different perspective. ” Following the success of the documentary, the club began using its own production company, City Studios, to tell the story of each season. This year, the club partnered with Netflix to release the behind-the-scenes story of the Treble season, “Together,” on the streaming platform. “We also try to bring the club as close as possible to the fans, and I think that’s also part of our success. We show the background, we show the players as personalities, but also the humility of the club, the ups and downs. And we believe that this way of showcasing the club will resonate with this younger audience, whether they’ve been a City fan for 20 years or have only recently become interested in City.” The success of “Together,” which outperformed “All or Nothing” in audience numbers, shows how much the club has grown. The film has been translated into 30 languages ​​and ranked in the top 10 documentaries on platforms in 35 countries within the first few weeks of its release.

Over 30 million potential new fans

Tarre also emphasized that American Premier League fans are more flexible than in Europe, especially in England. Many young people who are interested in the game in the United States are not yet affiliated with a team. Many fans, especially those who get into the sport through video games, are attracted to certain players and are not tied to a specific club. This creates an opportunity for City and other Premier League teams touring the United States this summer, especially those looking to diversify their revenue streams to meet the league’s Profitability and Sustainability (PSR) regulations. According to calculations by fan data experts at CLV Group, there are 83 million soccer fans in the United States, 44 percent of whom have not yet decided which team to support. According to the report, “Hearts, Minds, Wallets – Connecting and Winning in the U.S.” According to “Fandom: A Guidebook for European Clubs” by CLV Group, City could potentially attract 36 million fans, despite facing stiff competition from Premier League rivals, top European clubs and even MLS teams. “Manchester City’s growth in the U.S. soccer fan market in recent years has been impressive, but make no mistake: there is still a huge opportunity for growth here,” CLV Group CEO Neil Joyce told GOAL. “With the ability to access nearly three million locked fan connections, the Cityzens have cemented their position as one of the Premier League’s leading clubs in American support, but now they have the chance to go even further. “There’s a lot at stake, and our fan identity and connection data shows that a successful connection with this group could bring huge potential profits for City, worth more than $30 million per season – the third-highest for a single club in England. Rivals only Manchester United and Liverpool, and trailing only Barcelona at the same time.”

Embracing U.S. culture

Joyce stressed the importance of the club not simply using the tour as an opportunity to play in front of new fans. He recommended City focus time and money on areas such as animation, sports gaming, electronics and fintech, and invest in celebrity partnerships to “successfully capture the imagination of a diverse and young audience in the U.S. and generate huge revenue for the club.” He added that “it’s important to look beyond the tour and increase engagement while investing in the supporters, spectators and fans whose relationship with Manchester City is still in its infancy.” The club that will win will be the one that doesn’t just focus on today but thinks about developing new areas and fanbases for the future. “City has made a great start in this area, and that, combined with its recent success on the pitch, is in a great position to win the hearts, minds and ultimately the wallets of these fans. The combination of sports, entertainment and digital innovation will generate significant growth. “The potential and increase in sales in the U.S. is expected. ” City is already trying to increase its profile in the entertainment world by appearing in the popular series Ted Lasso. City were the first club to feature in the series, followed later by West Ham, Tottenham and Crystal Palace. City have appeared in all three seasons, and Guardiola even made a cameo in season three when he came face to face with Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, on the sidelines of the Etihad Stadium. “We were the first. When Apple approached us, the series didn’t exist yet and we didn’t expect it to be as successful as it was,” Tarre explains. “We loved the fact that it was a scripted series about football and we wanted to portray Manchester City in a positive light from the beginning. We were the only ones who were on the first season, and actually we were on all three seasons. And I think there’s a fourth season coming up soon. “We had Jason at Etihad and he’s met Pep a few times before. Pep enjoyed being a guest star. He’s said a few times that he prefers football (over acting) but he was really happy to be on the show. And it was also very well received in the US. So we knew this was a potentially interesting project, and it was the right decision to invest in it over time while working with Apple. ” Citi has also partnered with WWE for its current tour. Wrestling legend John Cena announced the US tour in a video call with Erling Haaland, and the club and WWE have produced a clothing line specifically for the expedition, including T-shirts featuring Becky Lynch, Roman Reigns and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Citi and WWE also worked together to design new name and number styles that the team will wear on their shirts during the tour’s four matches. The launch, held at the Citi store in New York last month, was attended by WWE Women’s Champion Bayley and WWE Superstar Baron Corbin.