Front3 Soccer

What do airports and Major League Soccer expansion have in common? More than most would believe. Airport travel is one of the most essential logistical components of professional sports teams in North America. MLS features some of the longest travel distances for a domestic soccer league in the world, with Vancouver Whitecaps FC and Inter Miami CF the furthest apart teams at 2,801 miles. However, a market's airport ranking is one of the most overlooked components in an MLS expansion bid. Richard Florida also stressed the economic importance of a world-class airport. “I found that airports with connectivity to a national and a global environment were one of the three or four most important drivers of economic development in cities.” So, what cities without MLS teams have the top-ranked airports, according to J.D. Power? 1. Tampa International Airport (832 out of 1,000) 2. Raleigh-Durham International Airport (813/1,000) 3. Sacramento International Airport (806/1,000) 4. Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (804/1,000) 5. San Antonio International Airport (802/1,000) #mls #mlssoccer #soccer #mlsexpansion #majorleaguesoccer #soccerbiz #sportsbiz #sportsbusiness

Ray Delahanty deeply delved into undersupplied cities as it relates to pro sports teams. And the results are fascinating. 2 potential United Soccer League (USL) expansion markets finished in the top 10 most undersupplied markets: 1. Inland Empire (1st) 2. Virginia Beach/Norfolk/Hampton Roads (5th) We believe both markets can and will support successful USL Championship sides. #usl #uslsoccer #uslexpansion #soccer #soccerbiz #sports #sportzbusiness #sportsbiz

Resonance dropped their 'Top 10 Growth Cities'. 4 markets without Major League Soccer teams made the list: 1. Phoenix 2. Tampa 3. San Antonio 4. Jacksonville Here's the complete list: 1. Dallas (+462,639) 2. Houston (+360,649) 3. Phoenix (+219,008) 4. Atlanta (+200,414) 5. Austin (+189,896) 6. Tampa (+167,672) 7. San Antonio (+145,884) 8. Charlotte (+144,767) 9. Orlando (+144,542) 10. Jacksonville (+107,396) #soccer #soccerbiz #placemaking #dmos #destinationmarketing #sportsmarketing #sportsbiz #sportsbusiness

One Key Indicator that is consistently mentioned by Major League Soccer when it comes to potential expansion cities is Fortune 500 companies. And more specifically, how many that potential market is home to. Today, Keaton Robbins looks at the remaining (and realistic) MLS expansion markets, the number of Fortune 500 companies they house, and how that compares to other recent expansion cities. Midwest: 1. Detroit (10) 2. Cleveland (9) 3. Milwaukee (6) 4. Indianapolis (3) St. Louis (7) joined MLS in 2023. Cincinnati (7) joined in 2019. West: 1. San Francisco (18) 2. Phoenix (8) 3. Las Vegas (4) 4. San Antonio (2) Seattle (10) joined in 2009. Southeast: 1. Tampa (7) 2. Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill (2) Atlanta (17) joined in 2017. Charlotte (8) joined in 2022. Northeast: 1. Pittsburgh (10) 2. Baltimore (3) Philadelphia (13) launched in 2010. Takeaways: It's clear San Francisco, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Phoenix all have the number of Fortune 500 companies that MLS would prefer. However, San Francisco's proximity to San Jose will make it a challenge. And Cleveland would make it 3 MLS teams in Ohio, which may be too many at this stage. Detroit and Phoenix would represent geographic wins for MLS and plant their flag in two new states. Pittsburgh would add rivalries to nearby Columbus, Cincinnati and state rivals Philadelphia. Bottom Line: Detroit and Phoenix make the most sense from a numbers and geographic point of view. It's no surprise that MLS Commissioner Don Garber has consistently mentioned them over the past few years. #mls #majorleaguesoccer #soccer #mlsexpansion #soccerbiz #soccerbusiness #fortune500 #sportsbiz #sportsbusiness

If you want to launch a United Soccer League (USL) expansion team, working with a world-class Economic Development Organization can make or break your project. Recently, Site Selection Magazine released the '2024 Mac Conway Awards for Excellence in Economic Development', and multiple cities without professional USL teams are on the list: Savannah, Reno, Dayton, South Bend, Columbia and Wichita. So what does that mean? This means these are ideal regions to partner with to build a professional soccer team, stadium, and training facility. These are the best of the best EDCs that get it done. Congratulations to Savannah Economic Development Authority Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada (EDAWN) Dayton Economic Development Corporation South Bend Regional Chamber Wichita Regional Chamber of Commerce #usl #uslsoccer #uslexpansion #soccer #soccerbiz #sports #sportsbusiness #ecdev #economicdevelopment #sportsbiz

Resonance's 'Best Cities Rankings' are the leading global benchmark of perception and performance for urban economies. Keaton Robbins took the time to see how potential Major League Soccer and United Soccer League (USL) expansion markets rank in 'America's 100 Best Cities': Potential MLS Expansion City rankings: 1. San Francisco (4th) 2. Las Vegas (11th) 3. New Orleans (22nd) 4. Phoenix (23rd) 5. Baltimore (24th) 6. Tampa (27th) 7. Detroit (29th) 8. San Antonio (30th) 9. Sacramento (32nd) 10. Raleigh (33rd) 11. Pittsburgh (35th) 12. Cleveland (39th) 13. Milwaukee (45th) 14. Indianapolis (48th) 15. Buffalo (53rd) 16. Jacksonville (61st) Oklahoma City (66th) Potential USL Expansion City rankings: 1. Honolulu (21st) 2. Oxnard, CA (54th) 3. Albany, NY (56th) 4. Grand Rapids (63rd) 5. Riverside, CA (64th) 6. Virginia Beach (65th) 7. Lancaster, PA (67th) 8. Poughkeepsie, NY (71st) 9. McAllen, TX (73rd) 10. Boise, ID (74th) 11. Stockton, CA (76th) 12. Worcester, MA (78th) 13. Allentown, PA (79th) 14. Syracuse, NY (84th) 15. Springfield, MA (85th) 16. Modesto, CA (87th) 17. Wichita, KS (88th) 18. Baton Rouge, LA (89th) 19. Columbia, SC (90th) 20. Akron, OH (91st) 21. Dayton, OH (93rd) 22. Bakersfield, CA (95th) 23. Pensacola, FL (96th) 24. Little Rock, AR (99th) Takeaways: MLS needs to fill out the map on the West Coast and these rankings validate the decisions to consider Las Vegas, Phoenix and even San Francisco. USL has over 20 legitimate markets in the top 100 to consider. Some USL markets many aren't talking about that score well here are Honolulu, Oxnard, Albany, and Riverside. #mls #usl #mlsexpansion #uslexpansion #soccer #soccerbiz #soccerbusiness #sports #sportsbiz #sportsbusiness #sportsexpansion

Deloitte's 2024 Sports Investment Outlook has some interesting data on the interest and activity coming out of North America regarding soccer: Investment activity was diversified across several sports in 2023, but soccer remained the most liquid market partly due to the sheer number of investable assets. Soccer comprised 52% of all sports rights holder deals globally in 2023. The majority of soccer deal flow stemmed from North American investors (57%) and English clubs were the primary target, making up 29% of all soccer deals. #soccer #soccerbiz #sports #sportsbiz #mls #usl #mlsexpansion #sportsbusiness #soccerbusiness

Oxford Economics has released its 'Global Cities Index' for 2024, and 2 potential Major League Soccer expansion markets are in the top 50: San Francisco: 8th Phoenix: 46th Meanwhile, 4 others are in the top 100: Baltimore: 60th Raleigh: 70th Tampa: 84th Las Vegas: 97th #sportsbiz #soccer #soccerbiz #sportsbusiness #soccerbusiness #mls #majorleaguesoccer #mlsexpansion

U.S. News & World Report released their definitive 'Best Places' Rankings of 2024-2025. We couldn't help but notice there are some significant potential United Soccer League (USL) expansion cities in several categories: Best Places to Live in the U.S.: 2. Boise, ID 8. Virginia Beach, VA Fastest-Growing Places in the U.S.: 2. Killeen, TX 7. Baton Rouge, LA 11. Myrtle Beach, SC 23. Boise, ID #bestplaces #soccer #soccerbiz #sportsbiz #sportsbusiness #soccerexpansion #usl #sportsexpansion #fastestgrowingplaces https://lnkd.in/eUjAHjR

"As Downtown West slowly rebuilds, STL City SC and their architects believe their games bring something distinct to an established sports town. For Snow, that’s best seen in the crowds of chanting fans who converge on CityPark on match days. “The entire city comes from all different points on their way into the stadium,” says the architect. “This project was about connecting neighborhoods, and having entrances on all four corners creates a welcome mat for every side of the city.” #MLS #soccerexpansion #soccer #soccerbiz #sportsbiz #sportsexpansion