The "Wimbledon Effect"

It won’t have escaped anyone’s notice – unless you have been totally fixated on the weeks shocking and terrible events – that the Football League season started last week.

And tomorrow (or Sunday if you are like my team) the Premier League joins in.

You might think this has very little bearing on your local community 5 and 6 a side league, the players, after all are a long way away from the standards of your Rooney’s, your Drogba’s (or in my case Jon Walters or Robert Huth) but it is nonetheless a potentially vital time for you as a franchisee.

At Soccer Business, we like to call it the “Wimbledon Effect.” This isn’t because we like tennis (in fact I would distrust anyone that did….) but think of what happens at Wimbledon fortnight time.

Simply put:  British people (sorry Lawn Tennis Association but this is true) don’t like tennis generally, but come Wimbledon fortnight and its straight on with the shorts and out with a racquet.

I go and watch cricket in the summer and next to one of the grounds we go to regularly is a tennis court. I am sure the people who run the facility make a good living, but during the last week in June and first week in July and the place is packed.

And, this remember, is tennis. A sport, which, with the best will in the world is a minority interest. You are running football leagues. People like football, people are passionate about football, and you are helping give it to them.

So if you aren’t out doing all plenty of promotion right now then you need to ask yourself why not.

So get out there this weekend, best of luck to your team in their first (or second if you are in the championship) but more importantly be ready to ride the wave of increased interest in football.

New balls please.

Soccer Business – Helping Make Soccer Your Business