On NISA+ - NISA’s quest for local relevancy should take precedence over cultivating a"global audience"
NISA+ looks useful and slick...but the rhetoric from the league causes concern
NISA + which we first reported on launching last month was finally formally announced by the league yesterday. The concept seems an interesting one and does give the league’s fans a one-stop shop for match streams and other video content. It also has a nice clean look to it.
The press release from NISA contained one whopper of a paragraph, which has created a big stir on social media.
NISA+’s primary focus will be delivering full access to independent professional soccer to a global audience. NISA viewership numbers on former partner platforms has historically rivaled Spain’s La Liga and France’s Ligue 1.
First off, NISA does not get the level of viewership that La Liga and Ligue Un do. It is absurd for NISA to make comparisons with these leagues - however the claim is technically partially correct in a cheery-picked manner, as I understand multiple Detroit City FC matches in 2020 and 2021 had viewership numbers that rivaled La Liga and Ligue Un AVERAGES (not individual matches). Detroit City FC left NISA for the USL Championship in 2021! So those are also dated numbers.
But really that’s not the bone I have to pick with this statement. It’s saying “NISA+’s primary focus will be delivering full access to independent professional soccer to a global audience,” which is totally tone deaf and makes me think maybe the league after all its trials and tribulations STILL doesn’t get why they are in the trouble they are in.
As someone who worked for 3 1/2 years with NASL and then spent several more seasons working for NASL clubs I tend to scoff at NASL v NISA comparisons. NASL had built a brand and relevance in most (but unfortunately not all) places we played. Unfortunately, NISA has not but one place the two leagues are similar is this nonsense about global brands and global audiences. NASL’s desire to compete with MLS while needed and something I will always defend, was ill-timed. We needed the fundamentals of our business to be complete and the infrastructure to be built before making crazy boasts about global brands and competition with MLS (USL today on the other hand is about as built-out as a league system can be without the artificial D1 designation the USSF holds in reserve for just MLS - a subject for another time)
For a league like NISA that has almost no relevance in its local markets I’d be focused on that. NISA’s clubs matter less in most of their own markets than local USL League 2 or NPSL clubs. In fact in some cases NISA clubs get outdrawn locally by UPSL and clubs in localized amateur leagues!
For all of NISA’s other problems that everyone makes issues of and even mock regularly on social media, my big issue with the league is its almost perennial inability to have not turned any legacy high-level NPSL clubs (all of whom have now left the league) into successful LOCAL soccer clubs.
I simply do not understand why NISA still doesn’t get the fundamentals right before making incredible boasts. Build the infrastructure, attract local talent, get local sponsors and then the rest will come organically.
NISA is running out of chances to make this thing work. I hold out hope it will be successful in the long run, because we need independent clubs and leagues in this country. But to understand the problem, you must recognize it.
At this point I am not sure if they quite comprehend the scale of the task. However, I do have to applaud the league for having an open door to me and other independent journalists who do express these concerns regularly. I look forward to further engagement with the league on these questions going forward.
Maybe NISA is taking the "trolling" path to try to go viral, thereby driving engagement and views?? NISA is probably someone --a fan of Ligue 1 or La Liga?-- to be outraged, and go nuts on social media and invite a million posts and reposts??
What did teams like Oakland and Detroit City do, that current teams aren't doing? Some NISA teams basically have an open market to themselves. Not that there aren't really good amateur clubs in their markets, but not a larger pro presence. You would think Bobcats and clovers would have the best chance to get traction, for example. So msny others are in great soccer markets that are crowded with clubs, including pro clubs.
To me, the biggest danger for NISA is NextPro. I could easily see a scenario where Savannah, Maryland, Michigan, and even Irvine Zeta moved to NP. I know you're wondering why Zeta instead of Force? As much as NP tried to squeeze into Championship stadium, how ugly would it be to bring in Zeta, who is in that stadium now? And then see if they can use Zeta to erode the OC fan base.