MARKETING PLAN: FINAL 1
Marketing Plan: Final Assignment
Kyla Magowan
School of Business, Liberty University
MARKETING PLAN: FINAL 2
Introduction
This marketing plan has been developed for an expansion team for Major League Soccer
(MLS). In comparison to other professional sports leagues in North America, Major League
Soccer is a very young league. Beginning play in 1996, the league contained a total of 10 teams
and has since nearly tripled in size across the U.S. and Canada (see Appendix B) as it rapidly
grew in popularity and increased its media rights (Semmelroth, et. al., 2022). Attendance for
Major League Soccer games has been on a steady rise since 2004, indicating increased spectator
interest as the league has expanded across North America over the years (see Appendix A). Due
to its rapid growth and value increase, the expansion fee for the MLS grew from its initial $10
million to $325 million for its addition of Charlotte FC (the 29 club) that began play in 2022
th
(Bradbury, 2021). Plans for 30 teams were in place in 2020, but the commissioner of the MLS
had also announced that expansion of the league would not be finished once that point was
reached, and growth of new teams would continue (Semmelroth, 2022). Taking this into
consideration, it is important to consider the demographics of the next potential host city and
create a marketing plan that will garner the interest of the community and contribute to the
success of the MLS. This paper will explain the product, the target market, the marketing mix,
and the social media strategies for the new MLS team.
Product & Target Market Segmentation
Choosing a host city for the new MLS expansion team involves several different factors.
In 2016, the commissioner of the MLS, Don Garber, outlined specific expectations and
