Arsenal is flying high in the Premier League this season with Mikel Arteta turning last season’s fifth-place finishers into genuine title contenders. It’s an exciting time to be a Gunners fan, but many supporters will have that niggling doubt in their mind that this could be a flash in the pan.
If Arsenal wants to return to its former glory and continue at the top of the tree in English soccer, they need a sustainable model. Manchester City has the City Football Group franchise as a way to breed young talent, and Arsenal should look to replicate this. Stan Kroenke owns the North London club and the Colorado Rapids; he should be doing more with this connection.
Colorado Rapids Need a Boost to Grow Popularity
Colorado has a rich history of sports with well-known teams in all the major sports leagues. There’s the Denver Nuggets in the NBA, the Colorado Rockies in MLB, the Denver Broncos in the NFL, and Colorado Avalanche in the NHL.
The Colorado Rapids are the state’s MLS franchise, but they don’t boast the rich sporting history of some of the other sides. The soccer team was only formed 27 years ago and has never won any major honours other than the MLS Cup in 2010. It feels as though the side needs more of a boost to work its way into the hearts of the people of Colorado.
There have been some steps forward in the promotion of soccer in the state over recent years, with the betting industry playing a big part. It was recently found that the state had brought in more than $8 billion from sports betting since 2020, with many people keen on wagering on the games.
This interest is highlighted by the offers and bonuses available at the best sports betting sites in Colorado. Bettors can choose between various sites based on the free bets and odds boosts that they offer. For some, this provides a good reason to watch MLS games.
Arsenal Should Follow in Footsteps of City Group
Kroenke has been a major shareholder at Arsenal since 2011 when he increased his holding to 62.89 percent. In 2018, he upped this beyond 90 percent when he bought Alisher Usmanov’s shares. Now that Kroenke has full control of the club, he needs to use his sporting network to improve Arsenal’s chances of sustainability.
One way to do this is to send promising Arsenal youngsters from the academy to play for Colorado Rapids in the MLS, where the standard of soccer is much lower than in the Premier League. They would be able to gain vital experience and some of them may be good enough to return to the Emirates.
This model would follow in the footsteps of the City Football Group, which owns Manchester City. The English team is the flagship of the brand, but many of their talented up-and-coming players go off to develop at other teams in the network such as New York City and Melbourne City.
Manchester City has been a dominant force in world football for some time already, so it’s clear that this model is solid.
Surprisingly, Arsenal hasn’t yet exploited the Colorado Rapids link. Not only can the American club act as a great place to blood young players but it can also be used as a cross-promotional tool. Arsenal would gain more fans in the American state, while Colorado could pick up a few English supporters as well.