The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
One of the most common questions we get asked at FC Tucson is, ‘What does the FC stand for?’
The simple answer is Football Club. The longer answer is more complex and speaks directly to the mission of what FC Tucson truly stands for. FOOTBALL is the internationally used word to describe our game and speaks to our desire to stretch beyond our own city borders and be part of a broader global ecosystem. And CLUB is the nod to the foundation of the sport’s teams across the world, where they started as groups of individuals who gathered not only to play a game but build a community.
Why is this important?
Because it speaks directly to FC Tucson’s goals and ambitions.
We are committed to being a driver of economic growth in our region, and a platform the community seeks to use for innumerable positive outcomes.
Nelson Mandela was quoted as saying, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand.”
In four years, the FIFA Men’s World Cup will return to the United States as part of the world’s largest party. It will stretch over 16 cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada, and with it comes the unbridled passions of soccer fans from around the world cheering side by side for their nation’s colors.
The World Cup was last held in the United States in 1994, and it still has the record for highest total attendance, at 3.57 million. Since then, the World Cup has been held in notable soccer meccas such as France, Germany and Brazil, as well as in Asia and Africa, and none eclipsed what our country put on nearly 30 years ago.
The 1994 World Cup didn’t just draw a crowd. It launched a top-tier professional soccer league that has grown to 30 clubs across the United States and Canada, helped nurture a multi-level ecosystem of professional soccer that now numbers nearly 100 clubs, and spurred exponential growth in youth soccer that is responsible for producing the stars of this year’s team.
Just how big is the World Cup? The 2006 World Cup had an estimated 3.57 billion viewers with 1.12 billion people watching the final match. By comparison, this year’s Super Bowl attracted a record 112.3 million viewers worldwide.
When everyone’s eyes are on the United States and soccer, this will be our opportunity to grow local soccer exponentially, generate increased participation and capitalize on the wave of interest.
FC Tucson is uniquely positioned as Tucson’s only independent and true professional sports team. Our games are affordable and very family friendly; we continually strive to bring a championship to our city; and our organization is interwoven with myriad industries, entities, non-profits, and institutions dedicated to creating better opportunities for our young people.
We are committed to building a grassroots movement from the ground up. That starts with establishing relationships with youth soccer organizations, big and small. It’s free skills camps, and clinics, and pushing big visions and ideas for kids so they can think bigger and push themselves towards greatness. It’s a pro academy, which provides a free pathway for young soccer players to train and play in a professional setting while still maintaining their club affiliation.
FC Tucson is working with youth clubs in the region and partners in Hermosillo, Nogales and Sonora to identify and nurture the next stars of our sport, with the goal that they will be wearing their nation’s colors on the international stage much like U.S. national team defender and former FC Tucson star Aaron Long is.
We kicked off the year hosting watch parties downtown in February and March, as the U.S. and Mexico qualified for the 2022 World Cup. And we will continue to build with more events in this city in November and December as this year’s World Cup gets underway.
That’s the groundwork to an even bigger and brighter future.
The World Cup in the U.S. in four years will be a culmination of work and a jumping off point for the next great growth opportunity. To be ready will require contributions from every level of soccer. It will bear fruits on the soccer fields, but the talks start in boardrooms, chamber meetings and family kitchens across Southern Arizona.
We are ready to lead those conversations. Will you join us?
Fuerza Tucson.
