TEG Sport, a sports and entertainment promotion company, announced on February 23 that it had hosted a series of pre-season soccer matches between 3 teams in the English Premier League: Manchester United, Liverpool, and Arsenal.
A game is expected to be played in Philadelphia, the fourth-largest market in the country, according to Nielsen’s ranking of designated market areas. Another will be played in Los Angeles, the second-largest market in the country, at SoFi Stadium, a newly built venue. which will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, a 2027 Super Bowl and the 2028 Summer Olympics.
However, the Rivals in Red Tour’s newest destination is unlike any other. The final game will take place in Columbia, South Carolina, the 75th market position in the country, occupying major metropolitan spaces such as New York and Chicago.
In the end, Columbia won the game despite other cities’ festival thanks to the pastime and “personal touch” shown by South Carolina fans, sports branch staff and local organizations, said Chance Miller, South Carolina’s senior assistant director of athletics.
The concept of hosting soccer games was born out of the COVID-19 pandemic, Miller said. At the time, the university didn’t know if football would be played in the fall and was looking for other revenue streams.
Upcoming renovations to Williams-Brice Stadium, in addition to the matchup between English Premier League club Chelsea and Major League Soccer’s Charlotte FC in North Carolina on July 20, 2022, provided Miller and the athletic branch with the opportunity to host a primary. Football adjustment is possible, he says.
“We have some of the most productive facilities in the country,” Miller said. “How can we take advantage of them when our football team or our basketball team plays?
In November, Miller said he began talks with Hugh Nicholson, senior vice president of venues and commerce at TEG Sport US, a U. S. subsidiary of TEG Sport, about the possibility of hosting a primary soccer match in Colombia.
Miller said his only request is for Liverpool and Manchester United to be the two groups to play in South Carolina if the city gets the right to host.
“I just said to Hugh, ‘If we’re going to do this, and if it’s at the college level, and you’re looking to blow this up to show that you can do it in markets like this and in universities. ‘. . . send me the two most outstanding systems and clubs,'” Miller said. “And they did. “
Nicholson said Columbia intrigued him in the first place because it presented him with an opportunity to think “outside the box” for an event of this nature.
“I felt like it was an opportunity to go and do anything else and move on to a place, a city, a place, a network that embodies the true sports fan,” Nicholson said. “Going into a build like Williams-Brice and a network like Columbia felt fit. “
He said Columbia is also in an optimal geographic location, as it’s just a short drive from Charlotte, Atlanta and Jacksonville.
Miller said he knew his optimal location wouldn’t be enough and worked with the athletic branch so Columbia could host an event of this magnitude. They created a database formula that not only showed how much interaction Gamecock Club members and fans could have, but also in other parts of the country, such as Atlanta, Raleigh, Charlotte and Jacksonville, he said.
The University of South Carolina’s track and field and boxing team also made several site visits, allowing representatives from both groups to review the university’s athletic facilities. They attended the South Carolina football team’s game against Kentucky in November, where they witnessed the atmosphere of Williams-Brice Stadium and Sandstorm for the first time. Kentucky’s game is ultimately what secured Columbia’s bid for the game, Miller said.
Miller and the sporting branch went the extra mile to please some Liverpool representatives through classic match-day songs such as “You’ll Never Walk Alone” while working out, Nicholson said.
Nicholson said the move left a “strong impression” on representatives.
“It’s kind of low-hanging fruit and things that are easy to see beyond but definitely resonated and, ‘Wow, those other people sense what we’re doing and need to make a good impression,'” Nicholson said. “This guy from The Thing Goes Too Far. “
But there were other steps the University of South Carolina Track and Field and TEG Sport had to take to prepare for the game’s announcement in February. Miller said the two organizations spent time planning the main points related to merchandise, sponsorships, revenue-sharing contracts and pricing models.
And then came the announcement, which garnered a high level of participation, Miller said. A series of posts on Gamecock Athletics’ social media accounts generated more than a million impressions and 350,000 views, he said.
Gov. Henry McMaster, Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann, South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner and president Michael Amiridis also posted about the game on social media, which both clubs say sets Columbia apart from other city rivals at Red Tour games, Miller said.
“Both clubs signaled to me on Friday (Feb. 23) that they were so inspired that a state governor would send something like this,” Miller said. “They said, ‘SoFi and Philadelphia, they didn’t do that for us. ‘”
Lexi Boone, senior deputy general manager of the Colonial Life Arena, said she expects the interest generated among enthusiasts and social media users to translate into ticket sales with prices when they go public the following week.
“I think if we sold 40,000 or 45,000 tickets on the first day, then it would be a wonderful day. Let’s leave shopping aside. We’re going through being past,” Boone said. “The fact that we sold 60,000, or whatever, on the first day was incredible. “
On Tuesday, the game was officially designated a full house. Nicholson said he expected it to happen, but he didn’t think it was entirely unexpected either.
“The USC fan base and alumni network — we felt like this was the kind of school that embodies the sports fan and the other people who would latch on to it and need to be a component of it and be proud that this type of game and the content would come to their stadium,” Nicholson said.
Since then, more arrangements have been made, adding tactics to integrate the traditions of South Carolina events with the historic events of Liverpool and Manchester United matches. Miller said the team also made minor innovations in the visiting locker room at Williams-Brice Stadium to make it “prettier. “
These arrangements were made with the aim of making Colombia an attractive option for foreign teams, Miller said, as he expects Williams-Brice Stadium to host foreign friendlies ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Carolina head football coaches Tony Annan and Shelley Smith reached out to their contacts to try to make those games possible.
Miller said a successful execution of the Liverpool-Manchester United match, which will take place on Aug. 3 at 7:30 p. m. , could make Columbia a destination for more major sporting and entertainment events in the future.
“This shows that while we are making a prospective progression in and around the stadium, we can do so throughout the year. It’s not just seven home football matches, it’s seven home football matches, friendlies, concerts, events in and around the stadium. ” Miller said. ” And I think it’s going to be smart for everybody. “