Arroyo, who will run the NY office, stressed that apart from the sporting matters that the club will launch, they will also focus on the club’s education and charity work through their FCB Escola soccer school network.
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But while the club’s players like Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Luis Suarez play their trade at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, a significant portion of its revenue comes from US -based brand partnerships with companies like Nike, Gatorade, Black & Decker, and Gillette.
“We are thrilled to officially open the doors to our New York City office and expand our global footprint to North America”, commented Josep Maria Bartomeu, President of FC Barcelona.
Barcelona’s official motto is “mes que un Club”, or “more than a club” in the Catalan language.
Barcelona has played in sold-out summer tours in the U.S.in recent years, and operates soccer academies in Florida and Charlotte, North Carolina, with more planned for NY and other cities, Bartomeu said.
Last year, FC Barcelona reported the highest annual revenue in the history of sports, a 12% jump over the previous year. Barcelona opened its first overseas post two years ago in Hong Kong to oversee its efforts in Asia.
“To be in NY is one step to be in the moment where soccer is growing is so fast in a market that is the No. 1 in the world”, Manel Arroyo, fourth vice president area of marketing and communication, told Fox News Latino on Wednesday.
But even if other clubs arrived first in the U.S., Barcelona has something every other team in the world desires: Messi.
The Barca boss said their aim is to “create a team that can take part in the National Women’s Soccer League”, as it’s something “that will help us to promote the club”. The team, led by five-time world player of the year Lionel Messi, has won 24 La Liga titles and five Championship League crowns.
Barcelona want to boost their profile in the United States with a women’s soccer team, the club’s president has said.
Forbes estimates Barcelona’s worth at $3.55 billion, making it the world’s third-most-valuable sports franchise. Fox’s beIN Sports holds La Liga broadcasting rights in the USA and is available in about 18 million American households, while the English Premier League deal with NBC Sports Network gives global football brands like Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, and more exposure to more than 85 million households.
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“The sports industry in this country is number one, without a doubt”, he said, “and clearly one of the focuses in this office is to learn from this country”. For the protection of AP and its licensors, content may not be copied, altered or redistributed in any form. Doing so may result in civil and/or criminal penalties.
