The American Soccer Club Zone
Join ASCNY General manager Jim Kilmeade as he dives into the world of American soccer, featuring insightful conversations with guests from across the soccer community. From grassroots stories to professional perspectives, each episode brings fresh takes on the sport’s growth in the U.S.—plus the latest updates from the American Soccer Club New York.
Catch the show every Sunday morning at 7AM on KJOY 98.3FM.
The American Soccer Club Zone
Building American Soccer Communities: A Conversation with Michael Hitchcock
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What does it take to build a thriving soccer culture in America? Michael Hitchcock, the self-described "ninja of American lower division soccer," has spent 30 years answering that question from every angle of the game.
From his early days selling tickets at DC United to executive roles with LA Galaxy and FC Dallas, Hitchcock witnessed the birth and growth of MLS firsthand. Now as an investor and operator of over 20 soccer clubs worldwide, he's pioneering a new model for community-based soccer that's changing the American landscape.
The results speak for themselves. His clubs regularly draw thousands of passionate fans in markets of all sizes—nearly 9,000 in Annapolis, 5,600 in Lubbock, Texas, and even 3,500 in McKinney where games are played in high school stadiums without beer sales during scorching Texas summers. These success stories challenge conventional wisdom about where soccer can thrive in America.
Hitchcock's philosophy is refreshingly straightforward: good people, good plan, good execution. While the fundamentals remain consistent, he emphasizes that each market requires a tailored approach. In major metropolitan areas where traditional advertising is cost-prohibitive, success comes through grassroots marketing, community events, and building support one fan at a time.
Drawing from mentors like Tim Laiweke and Lamar Hunt, Hitchcock believes America will truly become a soccer nation when every community has a locally-relevant team that authentically connects with residents. As MLS clubs have become less community-focused, lower-division teams are filling that vacuum of opportunity by creating the authentic connections fans crave.
Ready to experience the soccer revolution happening in communities across America? Follow Michael Hitchcock's journey and discover how the beautiful game is finding its American identity from the ground up.
Thank you for listening! Visit us at ASCNewYork.com
Welcome to American Soccer Club Zone
Speaker 1Good morning Long Island , good morning United States and welcome to the American Soccer Club Zone on KJoy Radio 98.3 . Here in beautiful Farmingdale , new York , right next to Republic Airport , watching those planes take off as we speak this morning , beautiful area . On behalf of the American Soccer Club New York , we have our show , the American Soccer Club Zone , our podcast . It goes nationwide and we would not be able to do this show without our great sponsors , beginning with LifeVac on our jersey fronts . Lifevac have saved over 4,000 lives To date .
Speaker 1Ceo and founder and Massapequa Long Island native , artie Lee and his LifeVacers around the country are on a mission to save lives lives in the American Soccer Club . New Yorker partners in that noble endeavor . An incredible company Couldn't be more proud to have any organization on the front of our jersey . Orlin Cohen Orthopedic Group is also a fantastic partner of ours , the Division of Northwell Health , our jersey-backed partners . The incredible Orlin Cohen Orthopedic Group Division has the state-of-the-art facilities and the state-of-the-art people . They help athletes get back on the field and they've been an integral part of our ongoing program here in New York .
Speaker 1Our uniform and panel partners , asc New York . We're only Bologna , italy-based Macron . We love that . Their North American headquarters are right across the Long Island Sound in Bridgeport . We can get to see them . I'm going to see them tomorrow and we love Macron . They have a great , great motto be your own hero , and I kind of love that . So Bologna , italy , and now here in Long Island . And so we're happy to be sporting their brand nationwide the Bongiorno Law Firm and Guard the City , also Long Island's best personal injury law firm as well .
Speaker 1A-turf America's top synthetic turf manufacturer . A-turf fields last an industry leading 14.5 years , from the Buffalo Bills Stadium , where they have the worst weather on the planet , to the Seuss FC Orland and Cohen Complex where we held our tryouts . Five field state-of-the-art complex . A-turf provides a playing surface most like natural grass in pristine condition . Bqe Soccer Partners the architects of the American Soccer Club New York for many years . We have to thank everybody involved with BQE , todd Shapiro and Associates , the top PR agency , definitely in New York metropolitan area maybe the country unbelievable , and one of the reasons we're sitting here is because of Todd Shapiro and Associates and their fantastic support . And finally , one of our core , our first partners , the Long Island Junior Soccer League , a league that I grew up in and coached in , became the youngest coach at 17 years old . The Long Island Junior Soccer League is our partners and our opening day will always be Long Island Junior Soccer League Day , as it was May 4 , 2023 . Always
Meet Michael Hitchcock: The Soccer Ninja
Speaker 1be Long Island Junior Soccer League Day , as it was May 4th 2023 .
Speaker 1Today we have nothing but great guests in the studio and out of studio , but today we've stepped up our game a little bit , and this is a guy who has done a lot for American soccer at all levels . I mean at the highest level in Major League Soccer and at the lower division levels , which we're all involved with today . So today we're joined by Michael Hitchcock . The world calls him Hitch , I still do too , but I also call him really the ninja of American lower division soccer . So , mike , if anybody's never called you a ninja , I want the title for that , I want credit for it if it sticks , but I consider you the ninja of American professional soccer , especially on the lower division level . So how are you today , michael , and thank you for joining us .
Speaker 2Yeah , thank you for having me on .
Speaker 2Yeah , I'm doing great and love talking shop , and I think I'm going to add Ninja to my business card now , so thank you for that addition to the superlatives and , by the way , congratulations on a great inaugural season with the club and really cool to see you know what you all were able to accomplish in that first season and having done it many times in many places . The first year is always the hardest on and off the field , and so you want to establish that foundation , which sounds like you guys certainly did , with a great list of club partners who have really bought into what you're building for the community and the opportunities you're providing , and really excited to see the future and see the club sort of grow and evolve over time . So congratulations .
Speaker 1Well , thank you , michael , and I'm really happy . One of the best things we did was engage you and we're going to talk to people about your resume and I could spend the entire 30-minute show on your resume , but we're not going to do that because we got too many things to talk about . But your virtual VP organization and yourself and your great people around the country you'll talk a little bit about that , please . But you also helped us launch this American Stock Club New York for Kevin Reardon and I , which we greatly appreciate , and help us put literally a virtual front office of really top executives , mostly very young , really sharp people with fantastic attitude , never had a bad day type people , and we wouldn't be here without you . So we're very grateful for our engagement with Virtual VP and and you're a great team , so thank you for that .
Speaker 2Absolutely . It was a pleasure working with you . It was a lot of fun .
Speaker 1Yeah . And so , listen , michael has got a resume that he can tell you a little bit about . I'm going to just give you some top-line highlights Soccer player by nature as a player , college player , but also Michael's career , I believe , began with Dallas FC , dallas , in ticket sales . So he's been in Major League Soccer , he's been in the NASL , he's been in the US , he is in the USL , he's been in the NPSL and I'm sure that I've left that probably the MISL too , which is where I started with the New York Arrows and I think you might have been with the Sidekicks . Is that correct ?
Speaker 2Yeah , we're investors in the Dallas Sidekicks , so yeah big , big fans of the indoor game , and that's actually when I was growing up . There was no professional outdoor soccer , to speak . It was sort of in between the original NASL and the launch of MLS , and so we used to go to MISL games . And I'm an Army brat , so I moved all over the country and have been to , you know , Kansas City Comets games and Atlanta games and you name it . We loved it right . So my very first soccer experience was in the NASL game when I was really young and Seattle Sounders against Atlanta Chiefs when I was living in Georgia and my dad , who was in the military , career in the military , took me to the match at Fulton County Stadium and I just fell in love with the sport at that moment . But yeah , so I've been around , been in the soccer management game for 30 years .
Speaker 2First chapter is in Major League Soccer . Started in entry-level commission-only ticket sales at DC United . Worked my way up in management . Worked for the Colorado Rapids as their director of sales and marketing . Was vice president of sales for the LA Galaxy . Helped open one of the first soccer stadiums in the country , which is the Home Depot Center out in Carson .
Speaker 2Was a part of the management team who put together the plan to bring David Beckham to the US , and then I currently live in the Dallas area , and what brought me here is I was president and general manager for FC Dallas and opened Pizza Hut Park , which was a 110-acre multipurpose facility that had 17 soccer fields . Soccer stadium , launched an entertainment business as part of it , launched one of the first youth academies in the country for a professional club , Signed the first two young players through those academies to pro contracts , and then left FC Dallas and started a sports management company , which we still own today , and now we invest in lower division teams all over the world , and so we've got investments in 20 teams . In some cases we're the majority owner managing , managing , partner , run the day-to-day . In other cases , we're just a minority owner and sometimes sit on a board sometimes not even active and provide some of our company's resources to help the teams and in some cases do not . It's just an investment and part of our portfolio of what we call Grow the Game .
Speaker 1Yeah , michael , it's fascinating . Before we get into things that are very topical , one of the questions I thought about prior to our interview today is that I had a mentor , a couple of mentors , and you have mentors at all ages in this business and other businesses but one of the mentors I had and you mentioned the Kemper Arena , the Laiweke brothers . What they did with the Kansas City Comets when the NBA was failing in Kansas City , they were selling out Kemper Arena and you went to a game was failing in Kansas City . They were selling out Kemper Arena and you went to a game when Todd Lewicki came to New York Arrows even though they had the best team in the history of indoor soccer with Steve Jungle and the like , but weren't really selling more than 3,000 , 4,000 tickets .
Speaker 1Todd came in and when I was a senior at Hofstra , got a chance to work for him . He was a mentor for me . Who was a mentor for you ? I know there's probably more than one , but getting your start , who was someone that helped mold you and really help you develop to what you became ?
Hitchcock's Journey Through Soccer Management
Speaker 2Yeah , I would say there's probably three that I could point to . I mean , there are many , many more that certainly played a role and I've always prided myself on being a sponge and trying to learn something new every day . And still to this day I've been doing this 30 years and still try to get smarter each day and learn . And so you know always asking questions to people that are better at some area of the business than I am , and you know taking that with me and you know we've sort of carried that through as our philosophy in hiring people . We hire people who are better than me at the different areas . Now I know it , I've done it all at all the different levels . But you know you hire the experts and you empower them and support them and provide the resources and the culture to be successful .
Speaker 2And a lot of that I learned from my mentors , and so my first one was certainly my father and he was a colonel in the Army Special Forces , ran the Ranger Battalion and just I would say a lot of my leadership and a lot of what I think I bring to organizations is that you know organizational sort of knowledge , structure , accountability . You know work hard , play hard . I grew up around on military bases and saw firsthand through my father In the sports industry . I would say my first true mentor and there are once again many , many people who played a significant role and I worked for so many talented , incredible people was Tim Laiweke , who was president and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group , and so when I moved to LA , they were headquartered in LA . I was able to spend a lot of time with Tim .
Speaker 2I was on the fast-track management program for AEG , so you know I had Sean Hunter as an assigned mentor , who was the CMO and worked hand-to-hand with Tim , so I learned a ton from them that I carried with me . And then , you know , when I was recruited by Lamar Hunt to come to FC Dallas , I mean Lamar has got to be one of the greatest sports pioneers of all time . Right , I mean in three sports hall of fames tennis , soccer , football credited with , you know , obviously playing a key role in launching the NFL . He named the Super Bowl the Super Bowl , which seems to have worked out pretty well , launched pro soccer and launched pro tennis . And so he was the owner of FC Dallas and an incredible visionary and before he passed , which was during my time at FC Dallas , literally would have calls almost every night , just talking shop , talking business .
Speaker 2Lamar didn't have a cell phone so he would always , always call me from his landline . I had to have a fax machine in my house and he would fax memos and ideas and I still have handwritten notes from lamar that he had sent to me just with different business ideas and sharing . Just you know the , the challenges and the struggles of the nfl early days and um . You know the nba and just you know these , these leagues and sports properties that are just incredibly successful now . They all went through those humble beginnings and often we don't know that because we weren't around to experience it and a part of it . So , yeah , just learned a ton and I'd say working for Lamar outside of launching the Lubbock Matadors with my daughter who was going to Texas Tech at the time , and in the School of Sports Management outside of launching that team with my daughter , working for Lamar was the highlight of my sports career .
Speaker 1That's incredible . It's amazing that this Midwestern brothers that didn't go to college , both of them , how they came across some guy from Long Island , some guy , some Army brat from all over the country and we got two of them as two of our mentors . So it's pretty amazing . Whatever that like wiki is , whatever they have in their blood , they you know what is . I don't I won't go through an analysis of what they have , but I can tell you one thing I know they have . They have incredible energy . They're incredibly honest and very straightforward , uh , and they're people you want to be around and they , they , they have an infectious energy and , uh , and no arrogance about them whatsoever , which is what I loved about Ludwig . I mean , todd was 25 years old , running an MISL team in a time when it actually was a pretty big deal with the Nassau Coliseum here . So anyway , yeah , that's really fascinating .
Speaker 1Lamar Hunt man , I'm jealous of you , that guy . I'm an old Jet fan , which is not an easy thing to be these days , but I remember the old AFL days from when I was a little kid and it was the Chiefs and the Raiders and the Jets and those heady days made me a Jet fan to this day . But Lamar Hunt is a guy that , in every range of life , is respected . I know my brother , brian , has interviewed him and his family multiple times and you just walk away feeling like these people they're just something special . Forget about what they've done in business , they're just great people . Michael , you've also done a lot . One of my challenges for this interview is that we only have a half hour , so I have to really be very specific because we can go on about a lot of things . Right now you're on PMI , virtual VP , pine Street Press , fort Worth , vicaros Net and Diablos . If I'm leaving something out , I know Alfredtown . I believe you just sold . Is that correct in England ? Yeah , leaving something out .
Speaker 2I know Alfredtown , I believe you just sold . Is that correct in England ?
Speaker 2Yeah , so one of our first investments was a lower division club in the National League in England which is you know , fifth tier below the Premier League and they've always been National League , north National League sort of in that area , since we've invested and been a part of it . And so anyone who's familiar with , welcome to Wrexham . They , you know , they used to play against Wrexham before Wrexham got the influx of cash from those sexy Hollywood guys and started getting promoted every year and so , yeah , we made an investment early on before . It was cool to invest in English soccer and football and for me it was about learning . I had my spotty senses , said it's easy to say I knew , because it's happening now , but 15 years ago I felt , as MLS is going to continue to grow and evolve , the sport's going to grow and evolve , lower division soccer and communities all across America will be a real business opportunity , an opportunity to build something that isn't just something you love for the community although that's why we do it but actually can have a business around it with thousands of fans and great sponsors and facilities in the future and building stadiums and training sites and all that other fun stuff and facilities in the future and building stadiums and training sites and all that other fun stuff . And we're seeing that all happen now , which is really exciting and I know we're going to talk about that .
Speaker 2So I wanted to learn firsthand , because England's where it all started right . And so for me that was an important investment . We made Great local partner in a town called Alpharton Not a big community but a great
Mentors in Sports: Laiweke to Lamar Hunt
Speaker 2local partner who was the chairman of the club Cool history of the club , cool history of the club and the right business model and the right philosophy , most importantly . And so we made that investment and just recently exited . So I wanted to keep it forever because I loved it , but my partner was interested in transitioning on and so we agreed and sold it to a group out of New York , actually , ironically enough , and they just recently took over and we're wishing them all the best as they start their inaugural season as owners , even though it'll obviously be the next season for a club that's got so much cool history . They start this weekend , so we're cheering on for them from Dallas , texas .
Speaker 1Yeah , that's fascinating and I love that and you were ahead of the game . It's now becoming popular and the Wrexham guys may have heard about this and other things and have done what they've done . We actually have begun a relationship with the Wrexham organization , which has been a phenomenon , and for people like you and I it was natural . But I mean , my wife loves this and she's not in this business , she's a teacher People that never saw a soccer ball in their life love that show . I mean it's a human show , but it is also that great , rocky dream of you know , the underdog , an ultimate underdog , and I know money has played a lot in that . But it is great to go to restore a heritage over there and fascinating stuff . We're actually hosting with the Long Island Jiu-Sauk League a Wrexham camp in my hometown of Massapequa , at John J Burns Park in a couple weeks out here on the island . So we're beginning a relationship over there . We're going to see where it goes . We're talking about player development . We're talking about cooperative marketing and I clearly wouldn't mind if their ownership wanted to get involved with us a little bit . We'd probably welcome that , but we'll see how that goes . League analysis I want to get back to a couple of your clubs , because you just launched the McKinney Chupacabras , which is a fascinating thing , and what you've done with that . As I said , that's worth a show on its own . I love that . One of your highlights is launching the Matadors with your daughter , who's fantastic and she's way beyond her years and she's a young , very young person right out of college , but she is way beyond her years as far as professional , high , great intellect and just a wonderful person to be around . I think you have that in the gene pool of the , the Hitchcock's just people you want to meet and talk to and are never in a bad mood , never have a bad day . That's unusual and but I think it attracts people like people and I've noticed that your virtual VP staff are very much similar people . There's a common thread amongst them that anytime you're on the phone with them , that's the only call they want to be on and I'm sure that's how your partner is in your community Fan base feels . When they go into these smaller markets and I've got some questions about markets and so on and so forth I'm going to get to and before we do that specifically , if possible , let's see if we can do a short analysis , without playing any kind of a word game . We have MLS . You've been in MLS , we're all big fans of MLS .
Speaker 1I sat with Don Garber in 19 , in 2001 , when he was relatively new in the job and I was the head of Umbro North America I think it was 2000 , actually and we sponsored I inherited the sponsorship of the Miami Fusion which , for anybody that remembers , was not a great sponsorship partner . They were not a good organization and ultimately failed . And I sat down with Don . I said listen , I'm also working with the USL in marketing . Why don't we try and see if we can get my sponsorship from Miami to maybe New England or some other place ? Because I don't think this organization is salvageable ? But the other thing I said to Don as the VP of marketing with USL , I'm walking in and out of doors in New York City or Madison Avenue for corporate partnerships and I'm walking into MLS guys . Why don't we do it together ? And I respected Don from day one and I still do it today . He said these words I'd never forgotten . He goes , Jim . If one-on-one makes three or five , I'm all for it . But right now my focus is on selling spots , building stadiums and selling franchises . Right now I'm in the process of losing two and I've got no stadiums .
Speaker 1Well , flash forward , look what he's done and look what the ownership group has done and the people that kept it together . So I see that as a long premise for , without being critical . We now have MLS , usl and PSL , which brought us together , and we have MLS and USL almost in a death match . Pros and cons . We'll start with MLS , go to USL and PSL . Just , we'll start with MLS . What do you see ? Pros and the cons ? I know you share a vision of . I think you say something that I say If you're for soccer , I'm for you , unless you're a good person , and I believe you feel similar to that . So what's your analysis of MLS right
Analyzing American Soccer Leagues
Speaker 1now , if you can step out of it ? Strength and weaknesses .
Speaker 2My belief is for us to truly become the soccer nation that all of us want , that everyone's been working so hard towards for such a long period of time and it's coming right . It's happening and I think most of us believe we're entering the biggest offseason in the history of US soccer , leading up to the 2026 World Cup , and so there's a major opportunity there . But we don't want to lose much daylight in maximizing the opportunity in front of us is for us to become a soccer nation . We need to look like England and other European countries where every community has a high-run , locally relevant , connected to their community means the world , to everyone in that community does good work to make that community a better place to live , work and play through the beautiful game . Every community in the US needs to have that level team right , needs to have a team . Now we're not all in one pyramid like you are in Europe , where you've got promotion and relegation and it's all managed by one organization , whether that's the FAA or the football or soccer association , that respective country . So we're a little bit of a unique model , right , and we're also a unique country for sure , where you know you could have two first division leagues , which we're going to have . You could have two second division , which we've had . You could have , you know , multiple third division , which we've had . And right now you've got multiple fourth division . You know , fourth tier leagues , even though it's not officially the fourth division , right , but that's where it sits and so it is respected . So for me , you've got to look at right now , what is the top of that , you know , professional pyramid of development and that's Major League Soccer and we need Major League Soccer to continue to be successful . To , you know , to push the game Early on .
Speaker 2I was in those meetings where it was are we going to continue with MLS or not ? And thank God there were the Phil Anshutes , the Lamar Hunts , those owners that said we believe in this right , that we're going to become a soccer nation and continue to invest , invest , invest , where many other OG investors bailed right . And that's why you had one owner that had seven teams at one time and didn't want seven teams but wanted to keep the league alive . The league has gotten to a place where now you've got , you know , the billionaire boys club sitting around the table . A lot of them are NFL owners , owners of , you know , major major companies and organizations and sports franchises . That brings a lot of power clout , sphere of influence . That's good at the highest level . Power clout , sphere of influence that's good at the highest level . So they will continue to invest and you've seen it in the last week , three high-profile players were signed by MLS . That elevates the game on and off the field and so we all need that to continue to happen . Whether we're part of the MLS ecosystem or not . Their strengths are they've got the ability to do it , they have the motivation to do it and they're going to make it happen .
Speaker 2I believe isn't considering the absolute total growth of the game right ? Not playing in the US Open Cup to me is a travesty , right ? I think that's just absolutely terrible . It's , for me , the most important competition in this country and everyone should buy into it , invest in it and let's make this the FA Cup , right , and it has that potential . If everyone did that , but they chose not to right and the way they went down on that was , for me , not being in that room is people making just a straight P&L top line business decision that they feel is going to affect their bottom line without truly understanding how much it affects the whole thing , and for me it's let's grow the game as much as possible , let's get the pie as big as possible , and everyone's slice will be good right , no matter where you are in the equation .
Speaker 2So the other thing that I think they've sort of lost over the years is early days , mls and I was a part of it , so I can speak to it we were on every sideline of every field . We were at every networking event . We were at every community event , every festival . We had to be right just to connect with people and to sell the game that we love . That's not happening anymore . It just isn't Now .
Speaker 2The flip side of that is the lower division teams , that vacuum of missed opportunity , of not being out in the community like they once were . That's the opportunity that we can take advantage of , right ? We're seeing that happen all over the country , and I believe that's what people want . They want community , they want connectivity , they want to feel something that's authentic and real . And so you know MLS got to keep driving the game . We're all drafting off of them to a certain effect , but then we have to do our job below that , whether you're second division , third division , fourth division , and all the leagues are going to play an important role until this thing all comes together , if it ever all comes together . So and you never know I'm sure if you talk to someone in the AFL when they were making things happen , they probably thought there's no way we're going to merge with the NFL . Well , it ended up happening , right . So you can't say never , but we just have to do the best job we can do and we tell our staff do it better tomorrow than today , repeat right , and just do it for all the right reasons , for benefits to the community , if it's growing the game , if it's good for our partners , if it's good for our .
Speaker 2So you know , when you start to go down , I mean you have to respect what USL has done . You know what they have built over time and you've got a lot of very talented people . They've invested , I think , in the right places . They've made some exciting announcements . It's going to be fun to see how this sort of evolves and how . You know how the execution of ProRel comes together . And you know , certainly at the first division level there's going to be some unique challenges there , as there is throughout the whole . You know ecosystem you know , every day .
Speaker 2But , man , you look around , they're doing some really impressive things right at all levels of USL . And so you know , we've got teams that are in the USL 2 and the W League , the women's side , which I love to see the investment that the USL is making on the women's side of the game and the youth side . They're sort of building this really impressive sort of ecosystem to grow the game all over the country . And then you've got leagues like NPSL , the League for Clubs , which is a newer league that launched this year out of some teams that left the NPSL and then they found some other groups out there . You've got I'm going to call it fifth tier , which you know , once again , it's not officially fifth tier , but it is certainly a level below when it comes to operations , fans , investment is the UPSL . But all these leagues and it's going to sound like alphabet soup to soccer to most people who aren't familiar with it all they're all doing great work , right . They're all growing the game . They're all doing what they're going to do , and so for me , can each league be the best version of itself , right ? Can each club in that league be the best version of themselves and just grow the game in their communities .
Speaker 2And what we have found is , if you make soccer cool and you make soccer fun and you have that real authentic connection with the community , there's a massive market . Our team in Annapolis averages close to 9,000 fans on the men's side and over 4,000 fans for the women's team that played in the W League for the first time . Our team in McKinney , Texas , averaged close to 3,500 fans in their inaugural season in a high school football stadium where you can't sell beer in the summer of Texas , which is really challenging . And you know , yes , there's 8.5 million people in Dallas-Fort Worth , but there's also 8.5 million things to do , right . So it's like you know , you're seeing these cool success stories in Boone , where there's 19,000 people in Boone and 30,000 in sort of the immediate area with the mountain communities that are nearby . They're getting 2,000 to 3,000 fans a game and , more important than just in Lubbock , texas , which we touched on earlier , had record crowds this year . I think they averaged close to 5,600 fans a game in Lubbock , texas , in a high school football stadium .
Speaker 2So it's happening . And if you saw the USL2 championship in Burlington , vermont , they not only sold out their 2,500-seat stadium in record time , they had to bring in temporary seating and had close to 5,000 fans . And if you watch that game the level on the field , the engagement with the fans , the atmosphere if you were to close your eyes and just you know ,
Building Soccer Communities Across America
Speaker 2listen to it . We experience this when we go to our games . If you just smell it , feel it , just experience it , listen to it , you would think you're at a lower division match in Europe . That's what needs to happen in America , all over USA , for us to become a soccer nation .
Speaker 1Yeah , and , as I said , we could dedicate a show to this . But it's true , you look at the , even the Hickory FC North Carolina didn't host . They hosted the semifinals , had almost 5,000 people , I think , maybe more . That's a club that is not a household name . As I said , this does not surprise you because you know , when people do it right in areas , there's a market for this , and we did notice this too . And also we have an announcement to make you and we did notice this too , and also we have an announcement to make . You mentioned the US Open Cup .
Speaker 1We actually , although we were probably going to wait a year , decided that you know , as a club here in New York , we need to enter the US Open Cup . The NPSL gave us the opportunity and we just actually submitted our application and we will be playing in the US Open Cup here in Long Island , which has not been done for a while , and it will be on the 14th of September , on a Sunday night here in Long Island . The venue will be announced . We felt we had to do that , even though we have to reconstitute a team that is largely built of college players . That if we looked each other in the eye and said , if we're going to be good at this , then we have to be able to do just this constitute a team of talent within 30 days . How would you describe and with only maybe two minutes left the difference and I'm not being fair to you to have an explanation for this If you're going to start your franchise in Long Island as opposed to Boone ?
Speaker 1Clearly there's some commonality , there's some things you always do , but there's obviously a big challenge . We're breaking here with 14 professional teams in every sport on the planet two MLS teams , a bunch of UPSL teams , a USL team . So I noticed , having done this X amount of years ago and then doing it now , it's a much more crowded field and it's tougher to break through and , honestly , it comes down to breaking through where MLS is not done anymore . They're not in the community at all and that's going to be . It's not going to be a quick overnight thing , but it's going to be built . What's the difference for the world listening out there if you're opening a club in Long Island or in Annapolis which is a middle market , big market here or Boone ? Are there any differences , michael , and what is the main thing you'd want to convey to the audience ?
Speaker 2Yeah , so we've got ownership , and once again , some of which is just investment level . But we obviously are familiar with the operations and the opportunities and the challenges , are familiar with the operations and the opportunities and the challenges , Some where the managing partners are literally working on it every day , and all of those usually benefit from some of our resources as a company , virtually . But the Tier 1 , Tier 2 , Tier 3 markets , they're all unique , Each one's unique . You know we have a playbook , so there's a basic plan that includes best practices , good business systems . You know our philosophy is the same , which is good people , good plan , good execution .
Speaker 2We can build the plan and adapt it to the market . We can build the culture to execute the plan and get the engagement to build the village , which is what it takes , of just all the key stakeholders and leaders in the community who believe this is great for their community and want to get behind it and support it . We can do all that . And then the key is identifying good people right , and that's a big challenge because there's not unlimited budgets , you don't have these massive staff . So you know we utilize , you know , great , talented sports management interns that come in and gain real world experience . We hire the best ones to work for our company and we capital reinvested people you know , year over year and so you know , if we , you know we run them sustainably , if we run them really well , they're profitable .
Speaker 2But we don't take profits off the table . We invest it back in the community , whether it's helping local organizations , investing in local soccer or growing our staff , just so we can continue to grow year over year . And that's our model is , you know , survive in advance , stay in business and then just grow . So the philosophy , the playbook , is all very , very similar . At the end of the day , the big difference is every market is going to be unique . They just are .
Speaker 2And in major markets you can't afford to buy a billboard , you can't afford to spend money on advertising . It's just cost prohibitive . I'll use the example in Lubbock , texas , gatorade's a sponsor and we buy
Comparing Markets: Long Island vs Small Towns
Speaker 2radio advertising with Gatorade . In Dallas , fort Worth , gatorade would be a sponsor of the Dallas Cowboys . They're not working with the McKinney Chupacabras and buying advertising . It's just two totally different worlds , right ? So here the key has got to be local connectivity , grassroots marketing , events in the community and hand-to-hand , you know , just building it fan by fan , and when you do that it takes a little bit longer , but without a doubt it's probably more impactful , more meaningful and you have a greater connection and what we have found is , even in major markets where you've got you know , in Dallas-Fort Worth there's more major and minor league sports teams per capita than anywhere in the world there's a market . You can find your niche and you work your niche and you just grow it from there .
Speaker 1Unbelievable . Michael . That's a great answer and we'll end it on that note . A fantastic , positive note Good people , good plan and good execution and you have what Michael has created . This is essentially a lower league empire , standard bearer , which is inspiration to us all , and , as a managing partner , general manager of the American Soccer Club here in New York , of the American Soccer Club here in New York , we couldn't have started without you and we were very , very smart to do it . Michael Hitchcock , thank you for coming on the show today . It was a pleasure . We don't have enough time , but we're going to do it again , hopefully .
Speaker 2Well , thanks for having me on and good luck this offseason .
Speaker 1It's going to be an important one for all of us . So we'reOY here , 98.3 FM in Farmedale , and our great sponsors , and we'd like to also thank Stephen Coffey , our interim producer from Todd Shapiro and Associates , and Marcus Faria . You guys did a great job , a great job , and I want to also thank , once and for all , our great sponsors of Orlin Cohen , orthopedic , lifevac , bongino Law Firm , a-turf , bqe , soccer Partners and , of course , the Long Island Genius Soccer League . We'll see you next week on the American Soccer Club Zone , and I'm Jim Kilmeade , your host . It was a pleasure .