I joined a fantasy league for the new women’s pro soccer league starting up in a week. I am now reminded why I don’t join fantasy leagues. I take it too far. *______*
Don’t be alarmed, folks. The only reason why Hope Solo ain’t on it is because she’s out with injury. I need my points.
Total Points 68.5 <<<Them yellow cards did me in. Everyone go do push-ups!
I guess I could play until I’m 50 here in Seattle, pull a Kasey Keller. (Laughs) Sorry, Kasey. You won’t see me wearing pants, though, as a goalkeeper.” x
Order her book/ebook from Amazon
There is also a children’s version of her biography called Hope: My Story which cuts out all the naughty bits and has a message for kids. Do not mix these two up.
HyperIce – What does the best goalkeeper in the world use to ice up? Maybe I should see to that old volleyball injury. It looks comfy.
Seiko – Hope is the first female brand sponsor for Seiko in a number of years. It sounds like later on she might get her own line of watches. We’ll see. They are some of the best watches you can get if you are into that sort of thing. Can’t help but think the bigger bling would look better on her. None of this princess sized stuff please.
Simple Skincare – Look good. Feel good. Play good. This is what Hope uses to get rid of all the sweat, dirt, and blood. And I guess makeup too.
Nike – Nike does some of their best shoots with Hope (see evidence here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Can’t go wrong with buying Nike. I am usually suspicious of brands, but a lot of their stuff is quality even if it didn’t have a swoosh. Doesn’t hurt that Hope looks terrific in all of their stuff.
Popchips - Hope was involved with a contest through Popchips where fans suggest a local Seattle charity she should get involved with. She ended up going to the Seattle Children’s Hospital as well as another youth center I believe. The hospital posted pictures as well.
Popchips, at least the BBQ and Sweet Potato kind, are really good (do not buy the cheese kind, ew) and gluten free if you find them dated August and later. As someone who can’t eat normal food these are pretty good. You norms will just have to try them and see.
One of the exciting things about the Internet is that anyone with a PC and a modem can publish whatever content they can create. … It allows material to be duplicated at low cost, no matter the size of the audience. The Internet also allows information to be distributed worldwide at basically zero marginal cost to the publisher. Opportunities are remarkable, and many companies are laying plans to create content for the Internet. Content is King, Bill Gates, 1/3/1996
If the sports fan is the target audience for the new women’s professional soccer league and the language they speak is the sports narrative then providing that content becomes paramount to any marketing plan. Bill Gates was correct when he declared “Content is King” and increasingly viewed the internet as a cost effective vehicle for publishing content to a limitless audience.
The DIY Approach
Establishing the narrative of women’s professional soccer will require a do-it-yourself approach in comparison to other pro sports, but the cost of generating quality content and deploying that content to a large audience is lower than ever.
Three immediate needs to achieving this are: 1) Identifying the team’s story 2) Planning how that story unfolds through the course of a season, and 3) Generating the content that supports that story in an organized fashion.
Cost will always be a factor, but if you spend money during the planning stages and for initial premium content the remaining work can be delegated.
Evaluate and Involve the Workforce: Players
College graduates have skills and the majority of pro soccer players have benefited from excellent educational opportunities. Players have responsibilities on the field and off when it comes to the physical side of their job and I would suggest part of the responsibilities off field should include being more involved with the promotion of their team, relationships with their city, and use of their education.
Evaluate everyone’s skills. Most players can handle basic social media like twitter, but with all of those degrees in play there has to be more talent available for use. Find players comfortable with writing, radio, podcasts, video, photography, language skills for outreach to large Spanish speaking and soccer loving audience, and even some of the office side of things. Make sure players are comfortable with what they are doing, but make sure they are all doing something. From the stars on down to the rookies.
Generate Content
When it comes to social media there are many inexpensive ways leaving a footprint, building relationships with fans, and adding to the narrative. It is important to not neglect even the smallest opportunities.
For example, the Charlotte Bobcats include twitter handles with their roster list. It’s a simple idea, but not every team does the obvious.
Social media has been included in past league incarnations to varying degrees of success. Being intentional with the narrative for the season, establishing a plan to tell that story, and executing it is something that can finally bring all of the pieces together. What also has improved is the scope of social media’s outreach. The sports conversation on twitter is huge. YouTube provides a free place to upload videos. iTunes and it’s competitors provides a place for audio. Tumblr and Instagram have their own fandom cultures primed and ready for content.
Identify types of content that can support the plan for the year. Content that promotes the personality of the team, documents the journey, provides educational material for youth teams, fun and spontaneous moments, or simply setting up a camera at a short-side scrimmage and let the game speak for itself. Invest in a small HD video camera, a tripod, and basic video editing tools to use when appropriate.
Make more of a professional investment with an initial “trailer” to launch the season and important videos like post-game interviews and the occasional specials.
These are a few examples that I thought worked well:
These are types of content. How different types fit or not into the season plan depends on what the marketing team decides during the early stages.
Seattle Sounders Women: Video Blog
Nothing like hours on a bus, airport, hotel, or at a post game victory meal to get players feeling creative. The team may be out of town for a week, but fans can be brought along for the ride.
