Give Your Business the Kick It Deserves
Let me start by saying I’m no Ted Lasso. I am a mashed potatoes and roast beef kind of American who loves football (U.S. style), baseball and basketball. For me, a “pitch” is the way you throw a ball.
At the same time, I’d be an idiot not to recognize the importance of the world’s most popular (and most beautiful) sport – soccer. And I have begun to appreciate why so many people are captivated by it.
This summer, Dallas will host nine high-profile international soccer matches — a concentrated run of major sporting events that will bring thousands of visitors, media attention and a festival-like energy to the city.
For small businesses, this represents a rare, limited-time opportunity to drive revenue, build brand awareness and deepen community ties.
Here’s why small-business owners should lean in and make the most of the moment.
Why this matters
But before I explain, here is a word from our sponsor …
We normally don’t advertise ourselves in these pieces; however, this one is different. Our firm, Clients First Marketing & Communications (which I co-founded with John Clendening), through its “Team DFW” initiative, will help small businesses capitalize on soccer’s most important matches. We are offering three programs we can implement for small businesses that complement their strengths with ours – media relations, influencer marketing and digital marketing.
And all of this is a big deal. The numbers for the Dallas-Fort Worth area are eye popping.
· 3.8 Million Visitors to the Dallas Area
· 9 Matches in DFW (more than any other market)
· 11+ National Teams
These matches will drive:
- Foot traffic and spending: Large events bring spectators who need food, drinks, retail, transportation and services before and after matches. Even businesses outside the immediate stadium zone can see measurable lift as visitors explore the city.
- Extended exposure: Guests often arrive early or stay late, attending multiple matches across the event window. That creates repeated exposure opportunities over several weeks rather than a single day of spikes.
- Diverse audiences: International matches attract local fans, regional visitors and tourists from other states and countries. That’s a chance to reach new customer segments and grow your repeat base.
- Media and influencer attention: Local and national press, bloggers and influencers converge around big events. Smart activations can capture earned media and social shares that outlast the matches themselves.
- Community goodwill: Supporting the influx — through hospitality, safe transportation and neighborhood events — positions your business as a civic partner and can strengthen local customer loyalty.
- FUN!
Team DFW is offering small businesses an affordable menu of options to grow their customer bases as a result of these championship matches. This will include pre-tournament options to drive interest leading into the matches, pre-tournament and concurrent activities to celebrate the local cultures of nations represented and fan-friendly events -- including watch parties -- coinciding with the matches.
Yes. A lot of the traffic you drive will be one-time visitors from outside the U.S., but you will also drive awareness from the large ethnic communities in and around your city. Give them a good enough time, and they will come back.
The bottom line
Nine major international matches in Dallas create a concentrated, high-impact window to increase sales, broaden your customer base, and showcase what makes your business uniquely Dallas.
With a few practical preparations — event-focused offers, cross-promotions, mobile-friendly service and a community-first approach — small businesses can convert short-term event traffic into long-term relationships. Now is the time to plan promotions and prepare your business to capture its share of the summer surge.
This is clearly one of those “once in a lifetime” summers that you can’t afford to miss. You can replicate these same types of programs wherever you are at in the country or in the world.
There is no cure for the soccer fever that will be sweeping across the country, especially here in the Dallas area. You’ve got to be on the “pitch” to win. We’ll help you score!
Want to get started? Contact us at inquiries@clientsfirstmc.com.
# # #
