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Star-Spangled Soccer charts America’s 25-year journey to becoming a soccer nation, the key business, decisions, personalities, and events that shaped its growth, and the developing perfect soccer storm that will propel its unstoppable march forward. The book takes its lead from a single premise that the granting of the 1994 World Cup to the United States set in motion a chain of events that has redefined soccer in America forever, good and bad, up and down, but ultimately positioned to become a major force in the rapidly changing American sports landscape. Drawn from a 20-year career as a senior executive in the American soccer market and supported by first person interviews and insights with all the key personalities and decision makers, Star Spangled Soccer is a must read for anyone wanting to understand the American soccer market, where it has come from, and why it is positioned for tremendous growth over the next 10 years.
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The Selling, Marketing and Management of Soccer in the USA Gary Hopkins 10.1057/9780230278042 - Star-Spangled Soccer, Gary Hopkins Copyright material from www.palgraveconnect.com - licensed to University of California, Los Angeles - Biol Chem - PalgraveConnect - 2011-04-14 Star-Spangled Soccer © Gary Hopkins 2010 No portion of this publication may be reproduced, copied or transmitted save with written permission or in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, or under the terms of any licence permitting limited copying issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The author has asserted his right to be identified as the author of this work in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published 2010 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN Palgrave Macmillan in the UK is an imprint of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan in the US is a division of St Martin’s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries ISBN 978–0–230–23973–9 This book is printed on paper suitable for recycling and made from fully managed and sustained forest sources. Logging, pulping and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to the environmental regulations of the country of origin. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 Printed and bound in Great Britain by CPI Antony Rowe, Chippenham and Eastbourne 10.1057/9780230278042 - Star-Spangled Soccer, Gary Hopkins Copyright material from www.palgraveconnect.com - licensed to University of California, Los Angeles - Biol Chem - PalgraveConnect - 2011-04-14 All rights reserved. No reproduction, copy or transmission of this publication may be made without written permission. Finally to Doug Hamilton, Keith Heyes and Michael Forte, friends I met through soccer in America who sadly never made it to full-time. I had some great times with all of them 10.1057/9780230278042 - Star-Spangled Soccer, Gary Hopkins Copyright material from www.palgraveconnect.com - licensed to University of California, Los Angeles - Biol Chem - PalgraveConnect - 2011-04-14 To my wife Paula, who encouraged me to put pen to paper and whose endless patienc