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# Recommended Stadia

As befits a nation with a phenomenal interest in sports at all levels, the U.S.A. possesses ultra-modern stadia situated all over the country. This allows a wide range of choice for possible World Cup playing sites.

In selecting the six regions recommended for the staging of games during the 1986 World Cup, the main criteria considered were:

* Total population within comfortable driving distance of the stadium.

* Amount of participation in soccer at all levels in the region.

* The national background of the people in the region.

* The proximity of the cities to neighboring countries.

* The appeal of cities to overseas visitors.

The regions, together with the cities and stadia where we suggest games be played in the first round of the World Cup are listed on the following pages. The selection of sites for later rounds of competition will be determined by U.S.S.F., in co-operation with F.I.F.A., from those facilities used in the first round. In all regions, there are ample facilities available as training sites for competing teams.

## F.I.F.A. Requirements for Stadia

The stadia recommended for use in the 1986 World Cup already meet the majority of standards required by F.I.F.A.

No stadium needs to be built or expanded in order to meet F.I.F.A. requirements. There is no stadium that will require major reconstruction. An analysis of the stadia recommended for use shows that:

* With only minimal structural changes to just some of these stadia, all will meet the F.I.F.A. requirements for a playing area of 105 meters by 68 meters.

* In only four of the 14 stadia will it be necessary to replace the existing artificial surface with natural grass.

* In all instances, the stadia are equipped with facilities to accommodate a capacity attendance with everyone seated.

* All stadia have ample toilet and refreshment facilities.

* The accommodations at all stadia for the officials, teams and media either already meet the high standards required by F.I.F.A., or will be refurbished accordingly.

* Should the starting times for the games require lighting, then those stadia not adequately equipped to meet television requirements will have the appropriate lighting facilities installed.

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## Ticket Sales

The United States public is accustomed to the "Big Event" approach to major sporting occasions. In the U.S. we can command a far higher ticket price that is still affordable to the vast majority of the population.

It is customary in the U.S.A. for political, civic and business leaders to provide individual and corporate support for the sale and distribution of tickets. They also help to produce a festive atmosphere for the event by participating in a broad range of functions such as trade fairs or cultural events which could have, as a theme, the countries whose teams are playing locally.

Opportunities for major corporations to purchase and distribute tickets for all games through a regional or national World Cup '86 promotion or sweepstakes will be fully explored. It is on the basis of these and other capabilities that we project gate revenues of over $40 million.

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# Proposed Game Schedule

In anticipation that World Cup '86 will be held on approximately the same dates as World Cup '82 in Spain, and that the same competition format will be used, a proposed schedule of game dates has been drawn up, with the following considerations:

1. To make maximum use of Saturday and Sunday dates by eliminating those days as rest days.

2. To provide each stadium in the first round with one weekend date (Saturday or Sunday) and two weekday dates.

3. To provide each stadium in the second round with two weekend dates and one weekday date.

The effect of this schedule will be to play 20 of the 48 games in the first and second rounds on either Saturday or Sunday, rather than the 9 games played on weekend dates in the same rounds in World Cup '82 in Spain. The schedule as proposed thus increases the possibility of reaching the "Optimistic" projection for gate receipts of more than $50 million.

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## Television

It is recognized that F.I.F.A. is concerned over the capability and cost of a television signal being generated in the United States for all 52 games played in 1986 and being made available through the world.

Soccer games have been televised live within the U.S.A. for many years on cable television, local stations, and the major networks with the signal transmitted internationally via satellite.

A body of skilled, experienced professionals now exists to provide first-class coverage of all the games in the 1986 World Cup.

The per-game cost of production, using six (6) cameras and satellite transmission facilities, can be as low as $20,000 for a telecast of the type used by the New York Cosmos to produce and transmit Pele's Farewell Game, or the Trans-Atlantic Challenge Cup games worldwide.

The staging of the 1986 World Cup in the United States, with the unprecedented national television coverage that would attend it, would unquestionably create a vast marketing opportunity for F.I.F.A.—not only in 1986, but even more so in 1990 and later tournaments.

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# Growth of the Sport

The rapid growth of soccer in the United States has been phenomenal. Never in the history of American sports has a sport grown so quickly.

Today, there are over 4 million participants in organized soccer programs. Ten years ago there were fewer than 500,000. By 1986, the number of participants will exceed 5 million.

The spread of youth soccer has been particularly dramatic, and the huge number of young people of both sexes now playing provides the solid foundation and impetus for soccer's penetration of the U.S. sports scene. These millions of boys and girls who have taken up soccer have helped to create interest in the sport among their family members. It is estimated that throughout the country there are now 20 million or more family members involved in soccer, many of them as coaches, referees, team managers, etc.

* A 1982 national survey shows more under-13 year old players in soccer than in the "national pastime" of baseball.

* There are now soccer programs in over 5,000 high schools throughout the nation.

* In the colleges, soccer is the fastest-growing team sport. There are now 520 colleges with soccer teams (up 48% since 1971) and—for the first time—soccer teams now outnumber gridiron-football teams.

As the sport grows in popularity U.S. soccer fans have supported the game in increasing numbers. This is particularly true of **world-class international games**, from the Bicentennial Tournament of 1976, involving the U.S.A. and the national teams of Brazil, Italy and England, to last summer's F.I.F.A. World All-Star Game between Europe and the Rest of the World, which attracted a capacity crowd of 76,891 at Giants Stadium in New Jersey.

## Quality of Play

The United States soccer explosion is not just a question of numbers. The caliber of play is constantly improving.

The United States National Youth Team qualified for the F.I.F.A. /Coca-Cola Cup, World Youth Championship in Australia in 1981. It will again be in the finals this June, in Mexico— this time as Youth Champions of North and Central America and the Caribbean Region (CONCACAF).

From these successful National Youth teams and nationwide youth programs, young players are coming through to strengthen the senior amateur and professional ranks. The United States Olympic team, composed of such players, qualified for the finals of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. These players will also be a crucial element in the United States 1984 Olympic and 1986 World Cup squads. As a result of playing alongside and against internationally renowned players in our professional leagues and against top foreign club opposition, our young professional players have progressed enormously in recent years.

To prepare the United States National Team for the 1986 World Cup, the United States Soccer Federation, supported by the professional leagues in the United States, has formed Team America, comprised of the best U.S. players, which will play year-round in league competition and international games commencing in 1983. **This is an indication of the commitment of our nation to compete effectively at the international level.**

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