Commentary
Watch Out for the Chelsea Invasion
By Christopher Barton
April 4, 2006
Chelsea wants to conquer America
About to conquer the English Premier League for the second consecutive campaign, Chelsea FC is now turning its attention to continuing the development of its brand in the United States. The London-based club took another huge step toward establishing itself on these shores with a newly announced alliance with the Anschutz Entertainment Group and the Los Angeles Galaxy, one of four MLS teams owned by the company. The agreement is effective beginning with the summer of 2007.
Under terms of the agreement, Chelsea will participate in a biannual pre-season tournament that includes at least on MLS team and two other clubs. Such an arrangement will guarantee that the club will continue to make training trips to the United States similar to the ones undertaken the past two summers. In addition, the clubs agreed to provide access to one another's players in loan agreements and will exchange coaching and medical personnel. Also in the plans is a reality television show that could provide the winner with a professional contract from Chelsea.
The move is the latest attempt by Chelsea CEO Peter Kenyon to capitalize on the American market similar to the success he had while serving in the same position at Manchester United. Previously, the club agreed to a buyout of its kit agreement with Umbro so that it could switch to adidas and take advantage of that company's strong replica distribution channels in North America.
In addition, while clubs like Arsenal have dismissed the idea of American tours, Chelsea has embraced the opportunity to conduct a major portion of the past two pre-seasons in the United States. Ultimately, the goal is to bring the number of Chelsea supporters in this country up from its estimated number of 200,000 to somewhere closer to the four million supporters Manchester United claims to have on these shores.
The news about Chelsea may not be all good for American fans of the club as a press conference called for earlier in the week to announce the club was to be the opponent for the MLS All-Star Game was abruptly cancelled, and no make-up date has been announced.
While nothing is official, it appears that a major factor in the deal seemingly falling apart is the Professional Footballers Association requirement that any participant in this summer's World Cup must have a full 30 days after their team's last contest before they have to report to their club. Given the number of Chelsea's players who will be major contributors to their various country's World Cup campaigns, this left open the possibility of Joe Mourinho having to bring a team bereft of his Premier League performers, an outcome not desired for either party.
Rumors in London indicate that Chelsea may instead opt for a mid-August tour of the far east that would be outside of the 30-day requirement for most if not all of its players. In the meantime, MLS is left to ponder who might be available to play the last weekend of July or if it needs to revise the schedule and move the All-Star game to a weekend that works for Chelsea.
No matter what happens, for American fans of Chelsea and world class football, the future is bright with the prospect of even more exposure and American interaction for the club.