Everton head out to the US this summer for their pre-season tour and will be looking to grow their supporter base
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Jordan Pickford walks onto the pitch during team introductions before the start of an international friendly against Minnesota United at Allianz Field on July 20, 2022 in St Paul, Minnesota
(Image: David Berding/Getty Images)
This summer will see Everton head to the United States as part of their pre-season plans. It will be the first time since 2022 that the Toffees have been Stateside.
The club is one of four Premier League sides to take part in the league’s Summer Series, with Manchester United, Bournemouth and West Ham United also travelling across the Atlantic to try and catch the wave of rising football fandom in the US, a year out from the 2026 World Cup in North America.
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Everton face games in New Jersey, Chicago and Atlanta, and they go to the US with American ownership that will understand the opportunity that they have to tap into such a growing market at a crucial time.
Pre-season tours are nothing new and clubs have been heading around the world to connect with fans for many years, with the endeavour a financially fruitful one, with the money generated sitting between £6million and £13million per trip for Premier League clubs.
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But it is what can come of it from a marketing perspective that holds the true value, and Everton have a few aces up their sleeve they can play that might set them apart from others seeking to take a slice of the same market at the same time.
“Clubs are trying to win the hearts, minds and ultimately wallets of US fans,” explained Neil Joyce, CEO of CLV Group, a UK-based company that helps to connect sports teams with global fans.
“It’s quite important for European clubs to win that market because it can't be just doing what you do in your home market. The proposition is very much focused around selling tickets and selling merchandise in your own country. And whilst there's clearly an element of that when you go on these summer tours, you've got to look at the US as its own market and think almost outside in.
“So, whilst Everton's fan base isn’t as big as some of their rivals, they've still got like high six figures levels of fans that they've got the opportunity to connect with, and they're people that they don't know at the moment.
“Think about those American legends who have played for Everton like Brian McBride, Landon Donovan and Tim Howard, they've got huge appeal in the US, and they are part of the club’s history, and story and narrative is an important part of US sports fandom.
“It’s about getting them to reawaken their connection with Everton through those ex-players, that's one tactic that they could go after.
“What we've seen through the data that we've got is that Everton's got an opportunity to capture between £10million and £15million in additional revenue per year by directly monetising relationships with the US fan base.
“I think what's interesting with that is if you compare it to what Everton's front of shirt sponsorship looks like, that's been around the £12million mark in recent years, so you're immediately bringing in significant revenue opportunities by putting direct fan propositions in front of that US audience.
“Everton, if they aren’t already, should look at profiling what states or cities in the US they have the most number of fans. That sounds fairly obvious but very few clubs are actually doing that. There is a tendency to look at the West Coast, East Coast, New York, Chicago and the likes of Texas and Dallas when it comes to targeting opportunities for US soccer fans, but our data show that there’s pockets of fans that exist in other areas.
“Montana, for instance, won't have huge numbers going to a football game at a stadium but there's a really passionate soccer fanbase existing in those areas. Having a state-by-state strategy is important.”
One area that Joyce feels presents Everton with a unique opportunity is the companies that exist with the portfolio of the club’s new owners, The Friedkin Group.
While the bulk of TFG’s $12billion annual revenues are derived from their sprawling Gulf States Toyota business across the US, TFG have a number of other investments, including in the media and entertainment sectors.
Among the businesses in the portfolio is Imperative Entertainment, the film company behind the Leonard Di Caprio film Killers of the Flower Moon; the film studio NEON, whose films have grossed some $200million at the box office and garnered 25 Oscar nominations; and 30WEST, an investment, production and sales platform for ‘high-calibre’ creative projects.
“I think it presents a brilliant opportunity for Everton to take advantage of those capabilities,” said Joyce.
“From our experience looking at lots of football clubs, and maybe it's with the exception of probably Juventus who've got really, really strong content production within their organisation and obviously Barcelona to various degrees, lots of clubs' content is revolved around the club TV channel, or content around things like reserve fixtures, training and player interviews.
“They just have single formats and they distribute them across their own channels in one way, whereas what we've seen is you've got to start to curate content and really personalise it and customize it to different fans and what they want.
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“With the capabilities that The Friedkin Group brings to the table, I'd see Everton increasing the level of engagement of their fans.
“Whether you're in the UK or whether in the US, I think they've got some really strong assets, and time is on their side, given their touring this summer as well. Then I think The Friedkin Group as well have got the opportunity to do some really cool stuff by giving fans access to those content.
“I think it's exciting times to be an Everton fan.”