Don McGuire proposes that European sports be played outside their home countries
Dan McGuire, director of marketing for Manchester United’s sponsor Snapdragon, commented in an interview. athletics, Monday (1.July.2024), about hosting the European Games outside their countries of origin. The director said the idea was working.
Plans to move English Premier League matches outside the UK are not new, but McGuire’s reports have given it new impetus.
He compared the proposal to the NFL, an American football league, and MLB, an American baseball league that already hosts regular-season games in other countries, emphasizing its potential to increase the visibility of the Snapdragon brand in the United States.
In addition to the upcoming World Cup in Mexico, the United States and Canada, McGuire cited growing interest in soccer in the United States, driven by investments from figures such as David Beckham and Lionel Messi.
“We just welcomed a new MLS franchise here in San Diego and they’ll be playing at Snapdragon Stadium, so we’re very excited about that. With David Beckham’s investment in Inter Miami and the arrival of Lionel Messi and the World Cup in Mexico, the United States and Canada, we have a lot of momentum. Then you have women’s soccer and The US National Team and the NWSL also play at the Snapdragon Stadium, which often sells out during regular season games.
“To take that momentum and seize it and then decide and put some real regular season matches in these other places, I think it’s positive for the league, whether it’s the Premier League in general or European football in general. I think this is incredible. It’s all about audience expansion, right? So I think it’s great.
The possibility of international games gained momentum after FIFA was cleared of a lawsuit filed by American event promoter Relivent, which tried to organize the Spanish championships in Miami.
Following an agreement, FIFA agreed to review its policies, creating a task force to study changes to the rules.
The Spanish Championship has already expressed an interest in hosting games abroad, with English third-tier club Birmingham City even inquiring about the possibility of playing a match in the United States.
