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Book details

  • Genre:sports & recreation
  • Sub-genre:Soccer
  • Language:English
  • Pages:388
  • Hardcover ISBN:9798317844820

94-26 Building A Soccer Nation

By Gary Hopkins

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Overview

94-26 Building a Soccer Nation takes its lead from the simple premise that the decision by FIFA to grant the USA the rights to host the 1994 World Cup set in motion an explosion in interest that over the next 30 years has turned the USA into a true "Soccer Nation," and its return in 2026 will change the face of American soccer forever.

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Description

On July 4th, 1988, FIFA made the fateful announcement that the 1994 World Cup would be hosted in the United States, leaving the football world questioning why its most revered tournament was heading to the land of Mickey Mouse, Hollywood, and the Statue of Liberty. To make matters worse, they didn't even call it football.

This is the story of the key business decisions, personalities, failures, successes, and finances that have now made soccer the 3rd most popular sport in America. 

If the last 30 years have been about building the sport, the next ten will be about exploding it.

At its heart, it is a soccer story, written by a soccer fan who has been fortunate to work in the USA soccer business for over 30 years.  

There are 15 Chapters, 388 Pages , 80+ Charts and Tables, and plenty of soccer stories!.

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About The Author

Gary Hopkins holds an MBA from Warwick Business School, a BA in Sports Science and History, and a postgraduate Teaching Degree from Loughborough University, England. This is Gary's second book on soccer's growth in the USA, following the publication of Star-Spangled Soccer in 2010. He has been integrally involved in the sport's commercial explosion since 1990. As President of API Soccer and a Managing Director at global sports marketing agency Octagon, he represented the United States Soccer Federation's and US Youth Soccer's commercial rights. API was also a founding member of Major League Soccer, owning DC United. As a consultant to many soccer properties, Gary was responsible for Manchester City's international development in the USA, staging two successful tours and building eight soccer fields in underserved communities in partnership with the Embassy of the UAE in Washington, DC. Gary also launched America's first-ever full-color soccer magazine, Soccer International, and once "amazingly" held the US TV rights to the English Premier League. He is married to Paula, has three wonderful kids, David, Lindsay, and Veronica, and lives in Newtown, PA. You can reach Gary at: gary@gary-hopkins.com

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