There are many things that pundits like to point out as the ultimate solution to make soccer as popular as the fans think it should be but the one most often cited is "creating" a new fan-base around the many kids who take part in youth soccer. All around the country (or countries if we include the growing numbers in Canada) there are huge numbers of children who are playing the game and whose parents are coming to their games. The children currently playing in the many youth leagues are the ones that many in the halls of power are hoping will grow up as fans of the game. This hope is sometimes dimmed by the fact that most kids, in the past, have dropped out of soccer after the youth leagues and either played other sports or have lost interest in the sport. So what are the teams doing now to get the kids involved so that they will stick around as fans in the future?
In cities such as Richmond, Hershey, and Minneapolis young soccer players are given the opportunity to get close to their teams. Other cities that include Pittsburgh and Charlotte have their own programs to get the local youth soccer community involved. From the Super Y clubs run by several A-League teams in Charleston and Rochester to the camp programs run by nearly every club around the A-League these young players are given a chance to get "up close and personal" with their teams.
In Richmond, for instance, a youth club is run by the Kickers organization that wears the same uniforms as the A-League squad and is coached by the Kickers' senior players. The Richmond Kickers Youth Soccer Club gives the organization "direct contact with over 750 youth players" according to Richmond GM Billy Hallock.
The Kickers also play in a stadium that does not sell alcohol, which might deter some but does attract a more family-oriented crowd Hallock believes. Another attractive item for the family element is the "Target Fun Zone" that has interactive games for the kids. Having direct contact with the kids, though, is the biggest thing for a team like Richmond.
The Kickers aren't the only ones who have taken an aggressive approach in this market, though, as can be seen with a visit to any A-League ground. For instance, Charleston have their own playground at the stadium to keep the waning attention span of children occupied. The involvement of many of the players, such as Paul Conway, in the local soccer community and the formation of a Battery Y-League team are also indications of the further involvement in the youth community.
In Hershey family entertainment and attracting the youth soccer audience are the main crux of their mission. It certainly helps to play near Hershey Park, and in a top-notch facility at that, they also have many special promotions from your typical "family night" to an N'Sync ticket giveaway night. They also have an innovative program that gives local youth groups a free CD-Rom that has video clips showing Wildcat players running skills. This disc also has links that will take users to the sites of the Wildcats and their sponsors.
Another useful attraction is a youth tournament hosted by an A-League club. In Minnesota the USA Cup is hosted by the Thunder. This particular tournament leads to an average of 6,000 fans for each Thunder game scheduled around it. Hershey hosts a youth tournament that brings in around 250 youth teams which translates to about 10,000 people. During that tournament the Wildcats averaged over 9,000 in attendance.
Camps also make up a majority of the youth outreach around the league with nearly every club hosting some sort of youth camp during some part of the year. Pittsburgh players host many camps that pull in almost 2,000 players in over 20 different locations throughout Western Pennsylvania into Ohio. Charlotte oversees between 1,500 to 2,000 kids in their camp programs, which have run since 1996. Hershey host over 1,000 kids in their program as well. Richmond, Charleston, and Minnesota also have camps and clinics with their players.
The most universal thing throughout these numerous camps and programs is the way in which the teams get these kids to that initial match. In every instance I was told that all campers and youth soccer players were given steep discounts on tickets or outright free tickets. As most people know there are few things in this world that people, especially parents, like more than those things that are free. Of course practically giving it away also leaves fewer excuses not to go and anything that can reach out to possible fans is a very good thing.
These are just some of the ways that teams are reaching out to the potential gold mine of youth soccer. Some are simple like camps and player appearances while others are more creative like giving away tickets to a pop concert or a computer disc or maybe even a pass to an amusement park. Either way these clubs are building an image as an institution that will be there for the good of the kids they hope to nurture into being older soccer fans who will bring their kids one day. Maybe by looking at what some clubs are doing to draw this audience some of the clubs who haven't quite been all that successful will try a new angle or different approach. After all change isn't a bad thing so long as it ends in getting the right things done.
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