The Premier League is aiming to capitalize on a post-World Cup afterglow in the U.S.
The world’s richest and most popular soccer league will roll out fan activations in 15 cities for all 20 EPL teams during the opening weekend of its season, starting Aug. 21.
It is the first time the Premier League has done a nationwide activation with all 20 clubs in any country. The “Coast to Coast” fan initiative will incorporate Grammy-winning artist Ed Sheeran and former Premier League stars at watch parties linked to the 10 matches on opening weekend.
“It’s really exciting to be able to showcase the best of our clubs, our competition, our players to fans across the country,” Akash Jain, Premier League U.S. managing director, said in a video interview. “So much excitement around the sport, and what we’re doing is really providing an opportunity to welcome new fans and engage our existing fans in an exciting way to kick off next season.”
Last week, the EPL and its longtime U.S. broadcast partner NBC launched “Find Your Match,” an interactive quiz that pairs fans with a Premier League club based on personality traits and cultural interests for fans that discovered soccer during the World Cup and want to stay involved. Jain says it will give people the chance to be part of the fan community.
