Football Tourism - Good, Bad or Indifferent?

[FootballSense]

Football Tourism - Good, Bad or Indifferent?

City are included in this piece on Football Tourism.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/49920019

The article asks, "why is the notion of the "football tourist" such an anathema to some fans? "

This is part of a wider debate about the changed face of football and `new` Blues.

Achieving the balance between increasing local and widening global support is what our club is striving to do.

Views on this topical subject are wide ranging - good, bad and indifferent.

It is clear though that City support from beyond Manchester and Greater Manchester is likely to become a more prominent part of our crowd.

Below are a few extracts from the BBC piece:

" But the most ambitious are after the world.

Manchester City's parent company, the City Football Group, have seven clubs and 12 offices in key markets across the world, as part of a plan to transport the club from Greater Manchester to the globe - a process referred to by sports business consultants as "glocalisation".

Authenticity is a key word. City have nine international websites and social media accounts in 13 languages, including Thai, Indonesian, Mandarin, Spanish and Portuguese, which they are "constantly temperature checking" to make them relevant to their intended market, in part through locally based content producers.

Like many clubs, they also stage fan engagement activities around the world, including match day screenings, pre-season tours, friendlies and community projects. The club are currently midway through a global tour, visiting 12 countries with the six pieces of silverware they won last season, and hosting fan events featuring ex-players Paul Dickov, Micah Richards and Shaun Wright-Phillips."

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Two other Belgians, Edgar and Thomas, made their way over for the Everton v Man City game, but their reason was a lot more specific - their compatriot Kevin de Bruyne.

“We both follow City because of Kevin, and before that Vincent Kompany as well," explains Thomas. "There is a lot of pride back in Belgium about how well they are doing. We are a small country and at the moment we have some very good players in the Premier League.”

“I am a big diehard fan of City since Vincent Kompany came here," adds Edgar. "We don't really have a Belgian team that we support as football at home is not as entertaining as the Premier League. The atmosphere here is great.”

Edgar (left) and Thomas (right) hold aloft a Belgium flag in front of the Man City team bus outside Goodison Park

 

[shemnel]

you reap what you sow

 

[Norbiton]

If part of our precious away allocation goes to large groups of non-City fans then it's a problem. But no harm at all in visitors to the Etihad wanting to see a great team in action. I'm sure there are plenty on here who've taken in a game at the Camp Nou while on holiday in Barcelona and why wouldn't you?

 

[FootballSense]

you reap what you sow

Would you like to explain a bit further?

 

[cyberblue]

It has been happening for donkeys years .It is the way it is managed that can cause problems .I been to Feynoord, Ajax and Barcalona as a "tourist" .Fans from all over the world when in England go to many different grounds. My problem is when we start catering for the "tourist" ahead of local fans .Ie Fans coming from overseas ect dont mind paying a premium for tickets where as many local fans will not pay £55 plus for a run of mill game visitors on holliday will .Should be lower prices all round the ground.There should be no automatic right for people with excess cash to get tickets home or away at the expense of local fans.I dont agree with the terms tourist seems to put them down a bit i just seem them as welcome visitors .But i wouldnt let them in if they got half and half scarves on

 

[UUJblue]

Many on here are old school "where were you when we were sh*t" types. City is essentially now a business with growing revenues. No doubt a % of that Revenue comes from fans (shirts, tickets, social media) and a large % of that is foreign fans.

TBH i have 2x STs but spent little or no money elsewhere in the club bar an odd pint, some clothing every 4 years and £2 on City TV. City get £1600 a year out of me on tickets alone so thats more than enough.

 

[shemnel]

Would you like to explain a bit further?

i like my comments like i like my career choices - throwaway.

One of City's core intentions since the takeover was to globalize the 'brand' of Manchester City to increase revenue streams via multiple channels. With such growth and exposure, we get the football 'Tourists' as talked about in the article and on here regularly.

I am passing no judgement on these tourists, merely saying that this is exactly what the club would have expected, and probably hoped, to see from their expansion. The effects of said tourists on our fanbase and matchdays is subjective.

 

[Gremlin]

i like my comments like i like my career choices - throwaway.

One of City's core intentions since the takeover was to globalize the 'brand' of Manchester City to increase revenue streams via multiple channels. With such growth and exposure, we get the football 'Tourists' as talked about in the article and on here regularly.

I am passing no judgement on these tourists, merely saying that this is exactly what the club would have expected, and probably hoped, to see from their expansion. The effects of said tourists on our fanbase and matchdays is subjective.

Exactly so - we were on holiday in California across the summer and went to a baseball game at the LA Dodgers stadium. Probably part of the reason we went to that particular game (there must have been many baseball games on at various places at various levels whilst we were there) was, if I'm honest, was because Major League Baseball and the LA Dodgers are iconic global brands. The Dodgers got what they wanted - some tourists spending on their tickets and merchandising (kids wanted eyewateringly expensive LA baseball hats) - and we got what we wanted - an 'experience' which can be referenced to the folks back home because most people have heard of the Dodgers.

Putting the shoe on the other foot - I imagine this is how many foreign tourists view going to a Premier League match. City as a club aspire to the level of global brand recognition that the Dodgers, for example (and even, through gritted teeth, United and Liverpool), have. We're getting there and it will increase with each trophy won, but don't think this genie can be put back in the bottle. It's too late for that.

On the flipside - we do get to watch great football!

 

[meeesh]

They will soon all do one when we become shit again,don't worry,only the die hards will remain.

 

[mexico1970]

Football is changing in fact it may very well be dying. Big business big money has killed the local feeling of top football clubs, tribalism is irrelevant it's like going to the cinema for many fans it use to be life or death now it's a shrug of the shoulders to most.
For the very first time in 30 years I didn't buy a season ticket this season because I don't think we are a cohesive group of supporters and I 100% don't believe that our club represents us at the minute, waiting for the bubble to burst and for football to get raw again when it was more enjoyable.