Growing Interest in Sport Paints Rosy Picture for Rocklin Soccer Clubs
Posted On June 18, 2014 by PUSC
Soccer, or football, as it is more commonly known elsewhere in the world, has recently been growing in popularity in the United States. Once reserved only for younger children and female players, the sport is gaining wider acceptance among the general public, and a growing number of youth male players—many of whom played soccer during their younger years before moving on to other sports—are coming out of the woodworks.
The growing interest in the sport is not confined to players, however. As noted by many sports experts, the popularity of soccer is quickly gaining traction and the sport’s fan base continues to grow year after year.
In November 2013, Forbes published an article that highlighted Major League Soccer’s (MLS) surging popularity—a stark contradiction to its failing state just 10 years prior. As shown by statistics posted at that time, the MLS was already nipping at the heels of the NHL in terms of popularity. Still, no one can really point at one particular reason for the massive boost in following that the MLS is enjoying.
The league once changed rules in a bid to make the sport more appealing to Americans, but the increase in hardcore soccer fans has since seen a steady shift back to International Football Association Board rules. The turn of events have been so dramatic, in fact, that Clark Hunt, co-owner of both the Kansas City Chiefs football team and FC Dallas soccer club, has even said, “Soccer has a chance to be the No. 2 sport in the U.S. in my lifetime.”
In New York City, soccer is also gaining a foothold among fans in creative circles, where being soccer-savvy has suddenly become fashionable. For fans in the city, the drug of choice isn’t the MLS, but the English Premier League—rich, unadulterated soccer at its finest.
This trend is being mirrored locally as well. In Placer County, California, soccer club board members are buying into the sport’s growth in the region. Local business insight monthly Comstock’s Magazine revealed that Placer United, a Rocklin soccer club, would be developing a massive sports complex in nearby Lincoln in partnership with developer Richland Communities.
Set to include 12 soccer fields, three outdoor futsal courts, and two training areas, the development is expected to fill the need for large-scale sports centers that will cater to both fans and players of the sport.
The club already plays on several designated fields, including a Rocklin indoor soccer training center on Tinker Road. With the new development and exploding interest in the sport, it’s almost obvious where this is heading—and for everyone involved, it’s a very rosy picture indeed.
(Source: Kickstarter, Comstock’s Magazine, May 2014 Issue)