The Premier League is aiming to capitalize on a post-World Cup afterglow in the U.S.
The world’s richest and most popular soccer league will roll out fan activations in 15 cities for all 20 EPL teams during the opening weekend of its season, starting Aug. 21.
It is the first time the Premier League has done a nationwide activation with all 20 clubs in any country. The “Coast to Coast” fan initiative will incorporate Grammy-winning artist Ed Sheeran and former Premier League stars at watch parties linked to the 10 matches on opening weekend.
“It’s really exciting to be able to showcase the best of our clubs, our competition, our players to fans across the country,” Akash Jain, Premier League U.S. managing director, said in a video interview. “So much excitement around the sport, and what we’re doing is really providing an opportunity to welcome new fans and engage our existing fans in an exciting way to kick off next season.”
Last week, the EPL and its longtime U.S. broadcast partner NBC launched “Find Your Match,” an interactive quiz that pairs fans with a Premier League club based on personality traits and cultural interests for fans that discovered soccer during the World Cup and want to stay involved. Jain says it will give people the chance to be part of the fan community.
Last season, NBC had its most watched Premier League season ever when Arsenal won its first league title since 2003-04. Games averaged 1.2 million fans, up 7% from the prior season. NBC’s deal runs through the 2027-28 season and costs $450 million per year on average. Peacock will showcase the nationwide fan activations in its opening weekend coverage.
“Our partners want to activate more and more because they see the growth of our fans here in in the U.S.,” Jain said. He ticked off new partnerships that have emanated from the U.S., including Coca-Cola, Adobe and Microsoft, and Jain pointed to global partners Guinness and Puma who are ramping up U.S. activations. Aston Villa’s opening weekend U.S. event will be at Chicago’s Guinness Open Gate Brewery.
Other Coast to Coast events include Arsenal fans taking over McGregor Square in downtown Denver, giving fans a chance to see the Premier League trophy up close. Stan Kroenke owns Arsenal and Denver’s NBA and NHL teams. Chelsea fans will gather at Cosm Dallas for an immersive experience that feels like you are inside Fulham’s Craven Cottage.
Fenway Sports Group owns Liverpool FC, in addition to the Red Sox, and the MLB and EPL clubs will host an immersive watch party at the Cask N’ Flagon outside of Fenway Park. Manchester United’s watch party will be in New York overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge.
Details of Sheeran’s involvement are still to be determined, but you can bet they will include Ipswich Town, which is hosting an event in Toronto. Sheeran is a minority stakeholder and former Ipswich shirt sponsor and was on site in May to celebrate when the club secured its promotion from The Championship to the Premier League.
The EPL had a league-high 182 players participate in the World Cup, including Norway’s Erling Haaland and Spain’s Rodri, who won the Golden Ball as the best player at the tournament. Both players are on Manchester City’s roster, which sent an EPL-high 19 players to the World Cup.
“I think what the World Cup has reinforced is the passion for soccer in the U.S,” Jain said. “It’s reinforced that fans are really interested, engaged in the best of the best elite soccer competition.”
