In this week's Royal Blue column, Everton correspondent Joe Thomas takes a look at the Blues' commitment to pursuing growth in the US and why they have a stronger foothold than might be expected
Everton players visit the Empire State Building in New York City. Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust
Everton players visit the Empire State Building in New York City. Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images for Empire State Realty Trust
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Seven weeks after jet-setting across the Atlantic for their pre-season tour, Everton were back on US soil. This time, it was a much smaller party - FA Cup winner Graham Stuart leading a Blues delegation to a Premier League convention in Kansas.
But it was a trip filled with intent. Club chiefs have their sights firmly set on the US market and are determined to make the most of their foothold.
They do have one, too. As a country the size of a continent awakens to football, it is easiest for those fighting for silverware to win over new supporters. Everton have pulled on heartstrings in their own way, however, and hope improvement on the pitch combined with new US owners will help to exploit the opportunities they do have.
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The challenge for European teams looking to grow in the US is forging an emotional bond, Roger Bennett of the media giant Men In Blazers tells the ECHO. “Everton over-deliver in all kinds of ways and the opportunities are vast,” he believes. “As a first step, a lot of fans want to connect, or do connect, to teams that are authentic, that have history, that stand for something. There is also an impulse not to jump on a bandwagon. It was impossible to watch Goodison Park on a matchday and not want to jump through the TV screen and be part of that.”
That sentiment is echoed by Ryan Williams, co-host of the popular Blue Frontier Podcast. Detailing his own love affair with the Blues, he explained: “I think the authenticity of it is huge. I won’t get into all the details, but I felt like I just WAS an Everton fan. I didn’t really choose it. It’s hard to explain. But I also could never be a fan of Manchester United or whoever was great at the time. I’m just not a front runner – I’m from Pittsburgh, a smaller market fan here in the US – and think there are some common values for the US fanbase as well.”
There are differences too - and the Blue Frontier is a home for those discussions, which often lean towards analytics in a way less common among UK supporters - a passionate look at how the club is faring but done so through the data. Set up by Ryan, James Boyman and Shan Khan, the show, which has its roots in the forerunner the American Toffee Podcast, is an outlet for Evertonians to discuss and dissect matches among the US fanbase - one that draws in supporters from the UK too.
James said: “American Toffees are every bit as passionate as our counterparts in the UK, it just looks a little bit different. Waking up at the crack of dawn for kick-off, organizing pub meet-ups, and flying across the Atlantic to experience games in their glory. Most of us don’t have generations of Evertonians in the family, but love of the club still comes from a place of authenticity.
“I’ve always felt that is recognised and welcomed by local supporters. We understand we’re slightly on the outside looking in, especially surrounded by fans of the ‘big six’. The outsider energy gives us even more appreciation for the club’s roots: the working-class values and the role Everton plays in the fabric of Liverpool. We all share the dream of seeing Everton competing for trophies, but embrace the Toffees being a bit of an underdog.”
Everton will always be overshadowed by other clubs while they are not fighting for silverware, but the recent years of relegation fights have resonated with audiences on the other side of the world. Roger pointed to the fervour and passion of Goodison through the fan-led efforts to save their team as a selling point amid the wider misery. With the Premier League’s presence growing on TV and matchday clips finding their way into the social feeds of new supporters looking for a team, those scenes did resonate.
The most effective were the celebrations in the away end at Leicester City after a win under Frank Lampard revived the club’s survival hopes with just weeks left of the season. The US network NBC broadcast the sight of fans dancing, hugging and waving crutches in the sky for 180 seconds in a clip that took hold of imaginations around the world. Moments of such intense fandom do matter in the fight for attention, as explained by Shan, who said: “The majority of Everton fans in the States chose Everton, they don’t have family ties, and although there has been significant hardship, in the past few years what we’ve seen in the States is the togetherness and collective belief in those tough times that have made the roller coaster a worthwhile ride especially in where the club is today.”
Everton have other entry points too. For the past decade, Blues past and present have been the gateway to US audiences as they accessed football - whether that be the Premier League or international tournaments.
Roger is one such example. His podcast has grown into a wider media behemoth that covers all aspects of the beautiful game. It has turned him, a Blue who hails from Merseyside, into a celebrity and he has hosted sold-out nights with Everton players and managers on the club’s two most recent trips to the US.
Others include ex-Blues keeper Tim Howard, a popular pundit on NBC’s Premier League coverage and even Roberto Martinez. The 2014 World Cup was a breakthrough year for US football and as a nation came alive to the sport it was an Everton manager who was providing the analysis to them on ESPN. “He was charming - a complex character but an incredible ambassador for the club in the US,” Roger said. That was the World Cup when Howard, then playing for Everton, produced a stunning display against Belgium that turned him into a hero for his country. His 16 saves earned him the title Secretary of Defence and a phone call from the Pentagon.
Howard was just one of many US players who Everton provided a platform to as the game struggled for wider appeal back home. US supporters are now used to seeing the likes of Christian Pulisic and others play in the Champions League but when American players were finding it tough to get clubs in Europe, the Blues became a recurring destination.
Leighton Baines and Landon Donovan congratulate Tim Howard after the keeper scored from his own area during the match between Everton and Bolton Wanderers at Goodison Park on January 4, 2012
Leighton Baines and Landon Donovan congratulate Tim Howard after the keeper scored from his own area during the match between Everton and Bolton Wanderers at Goodison Park on January 4, 2012
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The likes of Brian McBride, Predrag Radosavljević (Preki) and Joe Max-Moore graced Goodison but the biggest name was Landon Donovan, who had two loan spells on Merseyside when he was best male player produced by the States but could not get a chance anywhere else. When he got that opportunity his exploits alongside the likes of Steven Pienaar and Leighton Baines proved popular back home.
All of the above has given Everton an outsized stake within the US football fanbase - a survey conducted by Men In Blazers once found 8% of respondents considered themselves Blues. Given the lack of success in the Premier League’s formative years in the States, that was significant - Liverpool and Arsenal topped the chart at 18% each.
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The Royal Blue podcast logo
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The challenge for Everton is to consolidate that network and grow it. That the club now has US owners in The Friedkin Group will raise its profile, as will the new Hill Dickinson Stadium. Greater success on the pitch would help, but another key aspect is to ensure the club takes its US supporters seriously.
That is something Blues chiefs are working on. In a meeting with the Everton Fan Advisory Board earlier this year, chief executive Angus Kinnear and chief marketing and digital officer Aaron Duckmanton confirmed the US would remain a key target market within the club’s long-term international growth and commercial strategy.
That was followed up by Everton committing to the Premier League Summer Series event in pre-season, playing matches in New Jersey, Chicago and Atlanta. Effort was put into supporting fan events alongside the games - including the boat trip on Lake Michigan that saw club captain Seamus Coleman and assistant managers Leighton Baines and Alan Irvine meet supporters. Premier League chiefs are understood to have been impressed by the lengths the Blues went to in a bid to create memories for supporters.
And last month, Stuart was back, ensuring there was an Everton presence at the Premier League Mornings Live fan festival. As well as meeting fans, Stuart took Toffee Doughnuts to the event - led by NBC, which had Howard on the presentation team.
On his return, Stuart said: “This trip has allowed us to quickly come back out here to the US and build on what we did during the Summer Series. We’ve had the opportunity to meet with fans - some for the first time and others who are now becoming familiar faces.”
Tony Sampson joins Graham Stuart and Everton staff in volunteering at the Greater Chicago Food Depository
Tony Sampson joins Graham Stuart and Everton staff in volunteering at the Greater Chicago Food Depository
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For Tony Sampson, chair of the North American Toffees, the opportunities to deepen ties are endless. His group’s final trip to Goodison was inundated with interest as he led a near 100-strong contingent of US Blues to Liverpool in March. Their work has intensified back home too - they coordinated a food drive across the three cities Everton played in this summer in a bid to use the network of Blues to support vulnerable people. Stuart volunteered at a community kitchen in Kansas last month too.
Tony said: "The connections between Everton and North America run deep. It's helped that some of the biggest names in US football have worn the royal blue shirt, but also the network of supporters across the continent has grown and become even more connected over the years.
“Whether it's Blues from the city who've moved to the US, or football fans who've fallen in love with the traditions, heritage and everything Everton stands for, there's now 43 supporter groups from Arizona to Washington who meet at the crack of dawn every week to follow the Blues. The hope now is that the owners can bring their vision and work with this loyal fanbase to provide even more opportunities to strengthen Everton's presence across the continent.”