No Players at the World Cup? LA Galaxy Scored 75,000 Fans Anyway
With no players at the World Cup, the LA Galaxy drew 75,000-plus fans to community watch parties, converted them with free tickets, and signed new sponsors.
Updated
The brief
- The Galaxy hosted watch parties drawing 2,500–5,000 people each, totaling more than 75,000 attendees over six weeks.
- The 'First Game On Us' program gave two free tickets to fans who hadn't attended a game since 2015; about 3,000 people claimed the offer.
- Michelob Ultra joined watch parties at the Santa Monica Pier for roughly two weeks, donating beer proceeds to the LA Galaxy Foundation; Herbalife, jersey sponsor since 2007, also activated.
Almost every soccer club in America looked to cash in on the World Cup, from rec teams to pro organizations home to global superstars like Leo Messi and Son Heung-min, to the governing body itself. The LA Galaxy took part too—despite sending zero players to the tournament.
One of Major League Soccer's original franchises, the Galaxy used the World Cup to honor its legacy, serve soccer fans in the greater Los Angeles area, and give them a destination for their fandom once the tournament ended. That last piece remains a key focus for soccer organizations worldwide.
Without a national team player to anchor a campaign, the club leaned heavily on community initiatives such as watch parties to drive attendance that ideally carries over into the MLS season, Tom Braun, president and COO of the Galaxy, told Marketing Brew.
Skipping a player-first approach had its advantages.
"It worked out really well for us, because you can create a plan around an individual player with the hopes that that player advances really far, but if he doesn't, then you're kind of left with no plan," Braun said. "For us, it was more about local relevance and being in the community."
Just keep watching
About a year before the World Cup, Braun and his team began discussing ways to "have a meaningful impact in the community" over the summer, including celebrating local legends. The Galaxy honored Landon Donovan, the all-time leading goal scorer for both the club and the US Men's National Team, at an April 4 match. On April 26, the team unveiled a nine-foot-tall bronze statue of Cobi Jones, a Galaxy legend and the USMNT's all-time leader in appearances.
When the World Cup kicked off in June, the Galaxy partnered with the city of Long Beach for a free event showing group stage matches. For the round of 32 and the round of 16, the team hosted watch parties at its home stadium, Dignity Health Sports Park. For the semifinals and finals, it partnered with the city of Hermosa Beach.
The events hit capacity almost every day, drawing between 2,500 and 5,000 people depending on the watch party, Braun said. Over six weeks, that added up to more than 75,000 attendees—and generated fan data and new brand partners for the club.
Michelob Ultra joined the Galaxy's watch parties at the Santa Monica Pier for roughly two weeks during the group stage, donating beer sale proceeds to the LA Galaxy Foundation, Braun said. Existing sponsors also wanted in on the community events, including Herbalife, the club's jersey sponsor since 2007.
On us
At each watch party, the team handed out match tickets through a program called "First Game On Us," which awarded two free tickets to anyone who hadn't attended a Galaxy game since 2015. About 3,000 people took the offer. When those fans arrived, they received stadium tours and other gifts.
"We want you to have a good time and a good experience so that you'll come back for a second, third, and fourth game," Braun said.
Team USA's run ended early, but Braun still sees a bright future for soccer in the US and a "newfound belief" among young people in particular.
The Galaxy focuses heavily on youth initiatives through its community programming and foundation, and Braun hopes the club—and the broader US soccer ecosystem—will keep reaping the rewards of a World Cup played on North American soil.
"For us, getting kids in jerseys, playing the game, [has] maybe the biggest impact of anything that we can do," Braun said, adding that "the more people playing, the better it is for the sport."
Based on Marketing Brew; cbsnews.com
Filed under la-galaxy, mls, world-cup, sports-marketing, community-marketing
James Calloway
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Market editor covering media and advertising at Marketing Herald.
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