Playing Domestic Matches Abroad

[Pittsburgh Footy]

The American models just do not sit right with the extreme majority of European football fans.

You just have to look at the franchise backlash that MK (not the real) dons still get to this day to say that any Americanised model is not and never will be welcome by football fans.

I mean the American model doesn't sit well with a lot of American fans. Most football fans in the US want Pro/Rel, but it's never going to happen. And we'd love to see it in other sports, but it would just never happen. Most American fans do not like when franchises move. Growing up close to it, I can still remember when the owner of the Browns moved to Baltimore - Art Modell practically wasn't allowed back in the state of Ohio.

But just playing devil's advocate here, playing a few games a year abroad won't on its face make it an American model. It'll just make more money for the league and sport overall. And sure we could debate the merits of that, but it is what it is. Money drives everything. We can bemoan this point, but it's just what it is.

I think a major sticking point to this getting done in European domestic league is the balanced schedule, threat of relegation, and how do you give up a home game to play abroad? For this reason, I'm not sure it could ever work.

But the league simply won't care about the fans in general, b/c 1) growing the sport means more money, even if that more money doesn't benefit the fans directly and 2) enough fans of Euro teams will fly to the US, give them a holiday, etc, etc

But again, I can't see how they get around the scheduling aspect.

 

[SLAVEN BILIC]

I’m not a fan of it. I had the chance to see the Bills over last year and the Mets have a 2 game series over here this year. 2 teams I’ve followed for 20+ years but never seen live. These should be perfect opportunities but I can’t bring myself to attend because local fans are missing out on watching their team plus when I do get a chance I want it to be in Buffalo or New York

I’m pretty sure there are people on here that have been to every Everton game for the past however many years (covid years excluded). I guess they wouldn’t want to break that because a game was moved a few thousand miles.

 

[Vintage]

While I agree with most of this sentiment, I find it a bit naive to think that all top leagues in the western world, of any sport, are not money driven.

It's the world we live in now

Never said football isn't driven by money, my point being that American sports teams have generally alot less loyalty to their local fanbase compared to European football clubs especially when it comes to money. Comparative to English football teams, American teams have had no problem moving cities for more revenue so for them to play domestic games outside of continental America was never going to be much of an issue for them.

 

[wandyr79]

I mean the American model doesn't sit well with a lot of American fans. Most football fans in the US want Pro/Rel, but it's never going to happen. And we'd love to see it in other sports, but it would just never happen. Most American fans do not like when franchises move. Growing up close to it, I can still remember when the owner of the Browns moved to Baltimore - Art Modell practically wasn't allowed back in the state of Ohio.

But just playing devil's advocate here, playing a few games a year abroad won't on its face make it an American model. It'll just make more money for the league and sport overall. And sure we could debate the merits of that, but it is what it is. Money drives everything. We can bemoan this point, but it's just what it is.

I think a major sticking point to this getting done in European domestic league is the balanced schedule, threat of relegation, and how do you give up a home game to play abroad? For this reason, I'm not sure it could ever work.

But the league simply won't care about the fans in general, b/c 1) growing the sport means more money, even if that more money doesn't benefit the fans directly and 2) enough fans of Euro teams will fly to the US, give them a holiday, etc, etc

But again, I can't see how they get around the scheduling aspect.

Maybe I am being to general as my knowledge of the ins and outs of American sport is limited.

I just feel the feeling from the fans would be a factor, maybe like it is over there, but how many times have fans actively been able to stop teams from moving? If there are a few then maybe I am wrong but if not then that is the difference. How many fans actively speak out against the foreign games?

The clubs over here, although money driven still do understand that it is a game for the fans and they are the ones that will affect the finances more by walking away rather than the money they will get from playing one game in America or Asia once a season.

They need to read the room, we know exactly why they would do this. There has already been record numbers attending non-league play offs this year, the discontent is already there in the game at the higher levels, this could easily be the snap that more fans will take and go away from these clubs to support fully support lower league clubs. Which, ironically, will be good for the sport, that is where the sport will grow, not a few rich owners getting a bit of cash from a foreign game.

 

[Vintage]

The American models just do not sit right with the extreme majority of European football fans.

You just have to look at the franchise backlash that MK (not the real) dons still get to this day to say that any Americanised model is not and never will be welcome by football fans.

Was that when Wimbledon were thinking of relocating to Dublin?

 

[wandyr79]

Was that when Wimbledon were thinking of relocating to Dublin?

Yep, I am very good friends with a Wimbledon fan and the hatred towards the franchise is still as high as when it happened. Across the league they are despised for what they stand for and how they came about.

We don't want franchise in our game and we don't want games being played abroad.

 

[LEONARD]