American Soccer Dreams

As some of you may know, this American’s passion for soccer extends far beyond the football pitch. Naturally, I appreciate the various interpretations of culture, style, and philosophy as expressed by the players, coaches, and fans worldwide. What you may not know is that one of my life-long dreams is to obtain an ownership interest in and executive manage a top-class European Football Club.  Why not? I learned the sport too late in life (one of my best friends in college was a serious Besiktas fan from Istanbul) to play at any serious level; however it’s not too late make a contribution to the sport I love by getting involved in the business of soccer. And that brings us to today’s conversation: with AS Roma (Italian Serie A Club located in Rome) recently being put up for sale by Italian Bank Unicredit, yours truly has outlined a few strategies for running the club in the event this American Soccer Fanatic were to successfully win the bid…

Ensure Fan Support and Trust – Roma fans are just as passionate and hard to please as any top European Club, although they only have only two simple objectives for the club each season: beat cross-town rival Lazio at all costs and win as many trophies as possible. Obviously new ownership must inject ca$h into the transfer market and bring in quality players, but just as importantly, they must build a positive relationship and create significant goodwill with the Roman faithful. While I won’t delve too much into which players to add/remove from the squad (although AC Milan’s Andrea Pirlo would be an absolute steal for this club!), new ownership can take a significant step to earn(or forever lose) the fan’s endearment/trust by how it treats  the living legend and Roma talisman Francessco Totti. Although Totti may not have the legs to play a full 90 minutes or start every single game anymore, the public’s perception of his treatment by foreign owners will be watched very closely. Also, keeping Daniele de Rossi goes without saying, he is Totti’s heir apparent. Losing him is unacceptable.

Build A New Stadium – Rome’s Stadio Olympico is in serious need of repair, I’ve been there. Stadium lighting and concession (amongst other things) could utilize some serious upgrading. The running track should be removed so fans are closer and Roma’s players don’t have so far to run when celebrating goals. Since Rome’s is one of the world’s premiere tourist destinations, why not build a modern stadium that attracts tourists crowds (ala Barcelona’s Camp Nou) on non-match days with a state-of-the-art ‘Roma Football Experience Stadium Tour’  promoting a more ‘family friendly’ atmosphere?  And think of the excitement this would create for fans all across The Eternal City to attend matches at the new stadium and usher in a new era in club history.

Raise Roma’s Global Profile – Whenever causal football follower’s think of Italian Football, only 3 teams spring to mind, we all know them: Inter, Milan, and Juve. Roma can build global recognition several ways:

• ·       Partner with a more globally recognized athletic apparel brand. I really, really like Kappa as they have BY FAR the freshest kit and logo. Unfortunately for Kappa, Adidas and Nike are more easily recognizable brands to fans around the world and either brand would serve as a better means of increasing Roma’s global recognition. My personal recommendation would be Adidas simply because Nike already has Inter and Juve, so it makes sense for Adidas to match Nike with two top clubs in Italy since they presently only have Milan.

• ·       Due to the unfortunate resignation of Claude Ranieri (who is one of my personal favorites and performed quite admirably for Roma during his short stint), new owners MUST pay the extra money and hire a world-class, high profile tactician. Bringing in a top manager will signal to the team, the fans, and the rest of the footballing world that Roma mean business and they intend to win. While Chelsea’s Carlo Ancellotti is the odds on favorite, how about other high profile managers including Manuel Pelligrini, Frank Rijkaard, Rafael Benitiez, Jose Mourinho, Fabio Capello, David Moyes, Luciano Spaletti, Bern Schuster;  perhaps even Diego Maradona (imagine the attention this would bring to the club!) or Brazil’s former head man Dunga. The new manager must bring international notoriety to the club and obviously enhance the club’s on-field performance.

• ·       Roma must conquer the language barrier, specifically targeting fans from English speaking countries and Asian football fans.  This task won’t be easy, however it’s not impossible. Creatively marketing Roma to global fans should include Roma’s participation in various pre-season summer tours playing friendly matches in the United States, South America, and Asia. This will effectively build fan appeal worldwide. Roma should also solicit foreign sponsors and have stadium advertisements displayed in various non-Italian languages. I recently watched a Manchester United match where the club wished global fans a Happy Chinese New Year via Mandarin scripted signs throughout Old Trafford. Creating and supporting international fan clubs and blogs (hint, hint) would also start grassroots social networks and stimulate tremendous global interest in the club.

You see, American style management can actually add value to world football. At the time this article was written, it is being rumored that an American investment group led by Thomas R. Di Benedetto will likely win the bid for Roma. As I watched Roma get trounced twice last week (by Napoli (2-0) and Shaktar Donesk (3-2) respectively), I couldn’t help but smile when the camera zoomed in on the various fans in Rome’s Stadio Olympico waving American flags. Perhaps they were thinking the same thing I was: Roma (and Serie A for that matter) needs America fans and owners. Who knows, Mr. DiBenedetto may even read this blog and take some of this fan’s advice…..

as always,
Lord Sabre