Last week, the USL Board of Governors Meetings took place in San Jose, California. Centered around the MLS All-Star Game at the gorgeous Avaya Stadium, owners and delegations from each of the 29 existing clubs gathered to to discuss league business.
As you might expect, FC Cincinnati were on hand and were heavily involved in the week's proceedings. President and GM Jeff Berding and CFO Sarah Huber traveled to California to contribute to league planning discussions, collaborate with peers, and network with power players in the American soccer community.
But with a week having now passed since their return to Cincinnati, I was curious to see if the additional time to reflect on the proceedings had shed any more light on the events and information discussed in the Bay Area.
So today, I sat down with Jeff Berding to get his thoughts on the league meetings, and how he thinks they've already impacted FC Cincinnati.
Q: Were there any highlight moments from your time in California for the USL Board of Governors Meeting?
There were lots of interesting discussions during the course of the meetings. One thing we learned quite a bit about are the new USL broadcast plans for 2017. We're excited that the raising of the existing standards will make it easier for our fans to see quality broadcasts of every single match. And ultimately, that raises the entire league’s profile.
We were pleased to support the move to a 32-match regular season and the continued plans for growth for the league, as well.
And of course, we also appreciated the positive feedback [about FC Cincinnati] from many of our USL team colleagues.
Q: Of the goals you set for yourself prior to the meetings, what were you able to accomplish?
Going into the week, one area we were interested in hearing more about was youth development. I was pleased to learn more about the various youth development pathways that other USL teams are building in their markets, as we want to continue to work with our select soccer partners to improve the homegrown program here in Cincinnati. That included gathering information on professional training facilities in other markets.
Too, we continued to spread the message -- at USL meetings, the surrounding social events, and the MLS Homegrown & All-Star Games -- that Cincinnati is a top soccer market in the US.
Q: Was there a particular question or theme to the questions you entertained from other clubs?
In general, people wanted to know how we are attracting 17,000 soccer fans per league game in our first year.
My response: it's not 17,0000 soccer fans filling Nippert each match, but rather it's 17,000 Cincinnati fans filling the stadium each match. Some of those fans come to us as big soccer supporters, and others are newbies who are developing a joy for the beautiful game and our team.
Q: What lessons were learned during your time in California that you'd like to apply to FC Cincinnati moving forward?
We need to continue to focus on growth -- growth of game day experience, facility improvements and our youth programs. If you stand still, others are working hard to pass you by.
