Columbia, a small university city in South Carolina, has successfully hosted games of world-class soccer clubs. On August 3, a pre-season game between Liverpool and Manchester United hereinafter referred to as Manchester United was held at Williams-Bryce Stadium.
This game was conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to The Athletic, Chance Miller, then the deputy athletic director of the University of South Carolina, wanted to increase the utilization of college football stadiums, which only use seven days a year. He sought to attract diverse events to diversify profits and revitalize the city, resulting in the first major friendly match between European soccer teams in a 77,599-seat stadium.
Hugh Nicholson of a live event promotion company called TEG said in an interview with the media, "College cities have huge stadiums and a loyal fan base, making them suitable for such large games." The university emphasized world-class facilities and manpower, and in particular, the presence of Clark Cox, a grass management expert with experience in Major League All-Star Game and Super Bowl, was effective in persuading the teams.
The university used the data to demonstrate the possibility of ticket sales. By analyzing data from partners such as FanMatics and Ticketmaster, it identified the number of Manchester United and Liverpool fans among the University of South Carolina fans and also showed the possibility of attracting audiences from nearby large cities.
As a result, tickets were sold out at the start of the sale, with 77,559 spectators entering, setting a record for the largest attendance in a Carolina-area football game. "Fans from 50 U.S. states and overseas," said Nicholson of TEG.
Meanwhile, Liverpool finished with a 3-0 victory. Fabio Carvalho, Curtis Jones, and Constantinos Tsimikas each scored. Liverpool's new coach, Arne Slot, won his first match against Manchester United comfortably, and Mohamed Salah also excelled.
On the other hand, Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is deeply troubled. Amid the absence of his main striker Rasmus Hueirun's injury, Jadon Sancho played as the front-line striker, but failed to show much presence. As Harry Maguire is feared to be injured, a difficult task has been built up ahead of the match against Manchester City next week. 메이저놀이터
The hosting of the event is an example of how a small university city can successfully host a global sports event. It is a result of the cooperation of local communities, universities, and promotion companies, and is expected to have a positive impact on attracting sports events in other small and medium-sized cities in the U.S. in the future.
The match can also be seen as part of Premier League teams' strategy to advance to the U.S. Manchester United is taking this opportunity to expand its fan base by establishing new official supporters clubs in North and South Carolina. Beyond simple preseason matches, it is said to be a successful example of urban marketing through sports and the global soccer club's entry into overseas markets.