CASE 019: Decision DAY
CASE 019: DECISION DAY
CASE 019: DECISION DAY
It’s Saturday, October 18th, and we are having what could only be described as a “When Harry Met Sally” type of beautiful autumn day here in NYC. The clouds are wispy, tinted by a delicate kiss of sun. The city is feeling particularly homey, decorated with pumpkins and ghosts as Halloween approaches. It’s also the final day of the MLS regular season - a day where teams solidify their postseason fate (or lack thereof).
Ultimately, it was the perfect day for a Studio 14 team field trip. John Baney, our newest writing talent, and I journeyed out to Citi Field to take in NYCFC vs Seattle Sounders. After hustling through Grand Central to catch the Port Washington-bound LIRR, John and I sat down to catch up and enjoy the anticipation of the matchday ahead. We went on our little field trip with no agenda and no angle. The only aim was to enjoy and take note of what stood out to us.
For John, and I can’t wait to read his article, this assignment would likely yield a very different outcome. That’s because, unlike John, I’m not a regular NYCFC match-going fan. I’ve candidly lost touch with the club and its culture over the past 5 years. Why? The usual for a soccer fan in New York City - I struggled with having a baseball field as a home stadium. I struggled to resonate with the corporate branding of City Football Group (NYCFC’s ownership group). And ultimately, the matchday experience had lost enough of that special “glimmer” to keep me from the hour-long train journey to get to the matches.
After tonight, my perspective has shifted quite dramatically - and it comes down to one reason. I had the pleasure of taking in an NYCFC matchday with a genuine, committed, and thoughtful fan. Regularly covering NYCFC for Hudson River Blue and several other publications, John’s seen it all at the club. The late Wednesday nights in the press room, the rainy Sundays on the pitch. The good and the bad, John’s been there for it.
Immediately after entering Citi Field, John took me around to a side of the stadium that overlooked a construction site. Metal rods protruding from dusty rock began to show the frame of what will become the first soccer-specific MLS stadium in New York City. There were about 12 other fans next to us, pressing their faces to the fence as they looked on with hope and excitement. We chatted with a kind older couple from Queens who “go to every home match, no matter where it is. New Jersey, the Bronx, or here in Queens.” The dimples exposed by the man’s smile said it all - this build was going to be special. This stadium meant something more than I had anticipated.
Walking away from the couple, John shared some details about the project with me. Along with the steep stand structure to optimize for atmosphere in the 20,000+ seater stadium, the project came with the largest build of affordable housing units in NYC for decades. Those 10,000 units of housing would also be accompanied by a public park, shopping center, and more. Now, the promise of economic revitalization from a stadium build has long been disputed (and many economists have supported its ineffectiveness over several major use cases, including SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and Hard Rock in South Florida), but there is something about this Union-built project, advocated for heavily by local assemblymen and officials, that really seems to be delivering something for a fanbase and community that truly deserve it.
As John and I made our way into our seats for kickoff, we proceeded to chat about the game. The players on the field, who had played for which college or what club in Argentina, how much TAM and GAM were impacting the current squad, and what was on the line in this final matchday of the season. As a diehard soccer fan, it was heaven. After a decade in existence, the NYCFC community had begun to look different to me. If I’m being honest, it began to look like a footballing community as loving and passionate as any you’d see in Europe or across the globe (if not more). If I’m being really honest, it’s because John’s robust knowledge of the club and evident passion for the team opened my eyes to something that had likely been there for some time, but I simply could not see.
My two takeaways from this field trip?
One: if I am working for NYCFC’s marketing team, I’m doing a thorough case study on John, what makes him tick, and how to produce more of him - because this man could yield more match-going fans than any meta campaign.
Two: NYCFC, In a day of decisions, I’ve made mine, and I think you’ve got a fan in me. You can thank your incredibly loyal supporter, John Baney.
With love,
Max Neve
