Fan-Owned Football League & Clubs in the USA to Rival Europe

Importantly, no raffle, contest, prize, or promotion is offered in exchange for donations made to this GoFundMe.

“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire, it has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope, where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than governments in breaking down racial barriers. It laughs in the face of all types of discrimination.” –– Nelson Mandela

A KAHU. Pronounced "ka-hoo." In Hawaii, if you are taking care of someone dear, or if you have a cherished pet, you don't call yourself a "caretaker," you call yourself, a "KAHU!" A KAHU has many meanings but it means something like a protector or a companion. Such a person is entrusted with the task of guarding a special treasure, or something sacred. What a KAHU protects is not its property. What a KAHU protects is part of his or her soul.

What football, what the Beautiful Game in the USA needs, is a KAHU! And that is what this fundraising effort is about.

DEFINITIONS: THE SPORT WE PLAY, NAMELY THE BEAUTIFUL GAME, IS FOOTBALL. THE SPORT THE NFL PLAYS IS AMERICAN RUGBY.

THIS IS A FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO RELEASE THE FULL POTENTIAL OF YOUTH AND PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL IN THE USA!!!

WE BELIEVE THAT YOUTH FOOTBALL AND WOMEN'S FOOTBALL (FROM YOUTH TO THE PROS) IS THE KEY TO UNLOCKING THE GLOBAL IMPACT POTENTIAL OF MEN'S FOOTBALL IN THE USA.

IN OTHER WORDS, WE CANNOT FIX JUST ONE PART OF THE FOOTBALL PYRAMID. THE "FIX" HAS TO BE COMPREHENSIVE.

WE ALSO NEED TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE CONCEPT OF A FOOTBALL PYRAMID.

THE PYRAMID IDEA CARRIES WITH IT, THE IMPLIED NOTION OF A HIERARCHY OF WEALTH CREATION, WHERE THE TOP OF THE PYRAMID CONCENTRATES WEALTH AND POWER TO THE DETRIMENT OF THE REST OF THE FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS BELOW (I.E., YOUTH, WOMEN, AMATEUR, ETC.).

THE PROPOSAL HERE, THEREFORE, IS A TRANSFORMATION OF THE SO-CALLED FOOTBALL PYRAMID, INTO A RHIZOME.

A RHIZOME IS A CONCEPT FROM BIOLOGY, WHERE A FOREST FOR INSTANCE, SUSTAINS BOTH THE LARGE AND THE SMALL, THE STRONG AND THE WEAK, BY CREATING A MUTUALLY REINFORCING ECOSYSTEM OF SUPPORT AND GROWTH. A SITUATION WHERE EVERYONE IN THE ECOSYSTEM IS THRIVING. THIS IS THE VISION OF THE FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS TRUST LEAGUE (STL).

STL is the Beautiful Game's KAHU!

THE QUICKEST WAY UP THE LEARNING CURVE TO UNDERSTAND THE STL VISION IS TO LISTEN TO:

MY RECENT INTERVIEW ON DAVE ZIRIN'S EDGE OF SPORTS PODCAST: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/edge-of-sports/id280938935?i=1000698783372

TAKE MY ADVICE, STOP NOW, AND LISTEN TO THE PODCAST AND THEN COME BACK AND READ THROUGH THE GO FUND ME CAMPAIGN WHICH IS OUTLINED HERE.

WE ARE RAISING MONEY (USD 5MM) TO CREATE:

(1) a new fan-owned world-class professional football league and clubs for the USA and Canada, modeled after Germany's Bundesliga, with a 50% + 1 Share Rule, where the fans own voting control of the league and clubs and hire professionals for their respective administrative and operating decision-making, where professional athletes, both men and women, will play under the same football club brand a lá Europe and Latin America, and

(2) a restructuring, a realignment and full integration of youth football (soccer) nationwide into and with this new fan-owned football league and clubs (i.e., PROMOTION AND RELEGATION (Pro/Rel)).

Again, the name of this new fan and community owned football (soccer) league for the USA and Canada is:

THE FOOTBALL SUPPORTER'S TRUST LEAGUE (STL).

STL is supported by three (3) strategically structured sister organizations:

• THE FOOTBALL SUPPORTER’S TRUST OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (TUSA), a first of its kind organization, modeled after the football supporter’s trust movement in the U.K. and Europe, where the voice of the fans with respect to club ownership, voting, decision-making, ticket pricing, fan support groups, etc. is taken into account. In short, a mechanism to bring participatory democracy (in the true sense) to the sport of football (soccer) – registration reserved for individual football fans only,

• THE FEDERATION OF CLUBS OF THE UNITED STATES (FOCUS), an A-to-Z support organization for new and existing football clubs at all levels -- to assist in all aspects of establishing a new club, and to help existing clubs rebrand, restructure, survive and thrive, and to license football clubs entering or who want to enter STL's professional ranks,

and

• URBAN REFUGEE, the digital, e-commerce, apparel, real estate, culture and streaming arm of STL, TUSA and FOCUS, which will also be responsible for marketing the STL image and that of the STL fan-owned football clubs nationwide, along with any other leagues or clubs that agree to become members of the STL FAMILY. Real estate includes master planning, land acquisition, valuation, stadia finance and construction, club HQ, training facilities, etc.

• AN OVERVIEW OF THE STL FAMILY AND STL'S FIRST SIXTEEN “16” FAN-OWNED FOOTBALL CLUBS CAN BE FOUND AT: https://urbanrefugee.myshopify.com/

A FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION (FAQ)

FAQ: USD 5MM SEEMS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY FOR A GO FUND ME CAMPAIGN. WHY SO MUCH MONEY, WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO DO WITH IT?

ANSWER TO FAQ:

STL'S VISION INVOLVES:

(i) A BOTTOM-UP STRATEGY (BUS) AND

(ii) A TOP-DOWN STRATEGY (TDS).

THE BUS IS FOCUSED ON YOUTH FOOTBALL (SOCCER), LOOKING UPWARD TO THE PROFESSIONAL RANKS.

THE TDS IS FOCUSED ON THE PROFESSIONAL RANKS LOOKING DOWNWARD TO YOUTH FOOTBALL.

THE IDEA IS TO ARRANGE THE USA (AND CANADA) INTO FOUR (4) REGIONS:

REGION I (NORTHEAST),

REGION II (MIDWEST),

REGION III (SOUTH), AND

REGION IV (WEST).

Those regions would then be populated fully with STL AND ITS NEW FAN OWNED FOOTBALL CLUBS, following Germany's Bundesliga, and more particularly, the Bundesliga's 50% + 1 Share Rule.

STL envisions 32 1st Division professional clubs, with 8 world-class football clubs per region. And 32 2nd Division professional football clubs, with 8 clubs per region. These two divisions would include Pro/Rel with lower divisions below in each region.

STL will replace the “pay-to-play” model with an “everyone-can-play” model and open the game to the entire foundation of talent that this country has to offer.

The professional football clubs in each of the four regions will be the “inspirational targets” for all youth football clubs at all levels in that given region.

AGAIN, ALL FOUR (4) REGIONS WILL BE BASED ON STL’s 50% + 1 SHARE RULE, AND ALL FOUR (4) REGIONS WILL FULLY INTEGRATE WITH THE PRO/REL SYSTEM FROM YOUTH TO THE PROS.

THE USA HAS A POPULATION OF 340MM. THINK OF THE USA AS FOUR (4) GERMANYS (POPULATION: 83.5MM).

IN SHORT, THE USA WILL HAVE FOUR (4) REGIONAL BUNDESLIGAS.

As to the USD 5MM -- think of it this way:

USD 5MM = 5000 individuals x USD 1000.00 each, or

USD 5MM = 50,000 individuals x USD 100.00 each.

USD 5MM is a legitimate and solid first step toward the change we need. But it is only a first step.

Supporters of youth football (soccer) must lead the way!

In the USA today, we have literally tens of millions of young people and their families supporting the "pay-to-play model," and paying USD 2-3,000 or more per child annually. This "pay-to-play" model has done more harm than good.

First, let's acknowledge the fact that the USWNT is the only global standard of excellence that we have in the USA. There are strong arguments, however, to support the idea that Title IX has more to do with the USWNT's success than "pay-to-play."

Second, and just as importantly, the "pay-to-play" model has contributed very little if anything to the men's game. By any global measure of excellence, the USMNT is underperforming. When that is coupled with the damage done by "pay-to-play," over the decades, which has excluded literally tens of millions of youth because they simply couldn't afford it, we have a serious situation on our hands.

The good thing about raising USD 5MM is that we will be able to leverage and maximize cutting edge mobile technology (including where we can AI) and that means that what would have taken 10 times the amount of money and time a decade ago, can be done relatively cheaply and in a much shorter time-frame.

We believe that the process of change in the USA for the Beautiful Game, has to begin NOW, not after WC26.

THAT USD 5MM WILL BE ALLOCATED TO COVER:

(a) COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH ALL (BUS AND TDS) LEGAL, FINANCE, TAX, ACCOUNTING AND MARKETING (SOCIAL MEDIA) for TUSA, FOCUS, STL and URBAN REFUGEE,

(b) COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH “DESIGN” of STL's “FOOTBALL KITS” (and related merchandise) of the planned 32 STL FAN OWNED FOOTBALL CLUBS,

(c) COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH the TECHNOLOGY BUILD-OUT of the URBAN REFUGEE DIGITAL PLATFORM (INCLUDING E-COMMERCE), the TUSA AND FOCUS PLATFORMS FOR FAN AND CLUB REGISTRATIONS AND VOTING (possibly via blockchain) and for THE BUILD-OUT OF THE MOBILE APP THAT WILL LAUNCH STL, ITS SISTER ORGANIZATIONS AND THE FIRST SIXTEEN (16) FAN OWNED FOOTBALL CLUBS, and

(d) COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE HIRING OF THE FIRST “LEAN STAFF” for the implementation of the STL VISION.

USD 5MM IS THE FIRST STEP to restructure the Beautiful Game from youth to the pros.

THAT MEANS BRINGING THE STL “VISION” SIMULTANEOUSLY TO:

(1) YOUTH FOOTBALL AND TO THE GRASSROOTS SUPPORTERS OF THE BEAUTIFUL GAME THAT HAVE BEEN LARGELY “LOCKED-OUT” FROM PARTICIPATION BECAUSE OF FINANCIAL REASONS OR “EXCLUSIONARY” POLICIES, AND

(2) TO STL'S PROFESSIONAL WORLD-CLASS FAN OWNED FOOTBALL CLUBS, AS ONE FULLY INTEGRATED PRODUCT.

Again, what has been described here so far is the BOTTOM-UP STRATEGY (BUS).

In order to restructure the sport from youth to the pros, we also need a TOP-DOWN STRATEGY (TDS).

THAT TDS ENTAILS THE CREATION OF A DEDICATED INVESTMENT FUND FOR A ROLL-UP AND CONSOLIDATION OF THE SPORT IN THE USA.

SUCH A FUND WILL BE OBLIGATORILY IN THE MULTIPLES OF BILLIONS OF U.S. DOLLARS TO FULLY CARRY OUT ITS MISSION OF ROLLING-UP, RESTRUCTURING AND CONSOLIDATING FOOTBALL (SOCCER) IN THE USA.

A MAJOR COMPONENT OF THIS INVESTMENT FUND WILL BE FOCUSED ON REAL ESTATE, NAMELY, THE BUILD-OUT OF A NEW CROP OF LARGER STATE-OF-THE-ART WORLD-CLASS STADIA, THAT WILL ALLOW STL TO COMPETE ON A PAR WITH EUROPE AND LATIN AMERICA, IN TERMS OF REVENUE, MARKET VALUE, FAN SUPPORT AND PROFITS.

ONLY WITH BOTH A BUS AND A TDS CAN FOOTBALL (SOCCER) BE PROPERLY RESTRUCTURED, REBRANDED AND RELAUNCHED FOR “THE PEOPLE” IN THE USA WHO DESERVE A PRODUCT WORTHY OF THEIR TIME, ENERGY, MONEY AND PASSION.

WE CONSERVATIVELY ESTIMATE THAT “THE PEOPLE” MEANS THAT THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 100MM PEOPLE LIVING IN THE USA TODAY, WHO ARE FOOTBALL (SOCCER) FANS BUT WHO DO NOT SPEND THEIR HARD EARNED CASH ON THE NFL, THE NBA, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, THE NHL OR MLS.

THEY WATCH THE EUROPEAN FOOTBALL LEAGUES ON TV OR THEY WATCH MEXICO’S LIGA MX.

1. As already mentioned, the Dave Zirin podcast above, is based on the book, THE FOOTBALL MANIFESTO AND CLUB HANDBOOK: BRINGING THE BEAUTIFUL GAME TO THE PEOPLE AND MAKING THE USA #1 IN THE WORLD (TFM).

TFM is the most in-depth comprehensive critique of football (soccer) in the USA. For anyone who is serious about understanding and restructuring football (soccer) in the USA it is essential reading.

TFM is sold on Amazon (in paperback, on Kindle or in Audible formats), or you can buy TFM from independent book sellers.

If you buy TFM on Amazon, please give it a 5-Star Rating!

TO BUY TFM GO TO: https://urbanrefugee.myshopify.com/, AND CLICK ON THE "MANIFESTOS" TAB!

2. THE FOOTBALL MANIFESTO II: BLUEPRINT FOR A FOOTBALL REVOLUTION IN THE USA AND AN A-TO-Z TOOLKIT FOR CREATING FOOTBALL CLUBS (TFM II), WILL BE RELEASED IN ANTICIPATION OF WORLD CUP 2026.

3. IN THE DAVE ZIRIN PODCAST, A STORY IS TOLD ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF THE JAPANESE PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, THE J-LEAGUE.

WITH THIS GO FUND ME CAMPAIGN WE ARE STRUCTURING THE SAME PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE LAUNCH APPROACH THAT WAS TAKEN IN JAPAN OVER 30 YEARS AGO BUT WITH ONE KEY DIFFERENCE – THE STRATEGY HERE IS ENABLED WITH MOBILE APP TECHNOLOGY.

4. STL HIGHLIGHTS:

• Professional men, women and youth under the same club brand

• Professional men and women will be paid the same base salaries

• A full integration of non-professional independent and affiliated youth football leagues and clubs with the professional ranks nationwide

• A league-wide Financial Fair Play algorithm

• A Bozeman Rule for the Americas (North and South)

• New football club brands that rival the best brands from Europe and Latin America

• A new crop of top-tier larger state-of-the-art stadiums that rival Europe’s and Latin America’s top-tier infrastructure in terms of fan capacity, amenities and true "football" culture.

• A top-to-bottom restructuring of the football pyramid in the USA

• Promotion & Relegation (Pro/Rel)

• An “open” model for other leagues and clubs to join the STL family of clubs

• An “open” door for billionaires, millionaires, corporations and wealth management firms (i.e., hedge funds, private equity, venture capital, etc.) that adhere to the STL framework regarding “fan ownership” of football clubs (think of Bayern Munich which is owned by 400,000+ fans who have 75% control of the club, with the other 25% being held equally (8.3%) by Adidas, Audi and Alliance Insurance)

• Football clubs that are multi-sport venues (i.e., football, futsal, basketball, swimming, gymnastics, tennis, table tennis, track & field, lacrosse, etc.) as well as community education, community organizing and development platforms from youth to adults

• Digital technology (including AI) as the principal tool for maximizing revenue and grassroots football fan empowerment

STL IS USING FOUR (4) FOOTBALL CLUB BUSINESS MODELS AS FOUNDATIONAL:

THE FOUR STL-ADAPTED FOOTBALL CLUB MODELS ARE:

(A). THE REAL MADRID MODEL (fans have 100% voting operational and managerial control of the club),

(B). THE BAYERN MUNICH MODEL (fans have at least 50% + 1 Share Rule control with the remainder held by third-party investors),

(C). THE SWANSEA CITY MODEL (fans maintain less than 50% control but no less than 20% participation in all board, operational and managerial decision-making), and

(D). THE CHELSEA MODEL (an STL adaptation, where fans will have less than 20% but no less than 10% participation in all aspects of the club’s board, operational and managerial decision-making).

All fans who intend to be voting members of their football club must be registered members of TUSA and all clubs must be approved members of and licensed by FOCUS, adhering to STL's FINANCIAL FAIR PLAY ALGORITHM.

5. REAL MADRID, BARCELONA, AND BAYERN MUNICH are in the TOP 5 football clubs in the world in terms of revenue, market valuation, and global commercial impact (see DELOITTE'S latest FOOTBALL MONEY LEAGUE REPORT).

And yet, REAL MADRID, BARCELONA, and BAYERN MUNICH are owned and controlled by their respective fans. REAL MADRID has 90,000+ monthly dues-paying members. BARCELONA has 180,000+ such members, and BAYERN MUNICH has 400,000+ members (the largest fan owned club in the world!), all of whom vote and have a central role in managing their club, both on the field and off.

THE BUNDESLIGA:

ALL BUNDESLIGA CLUBS FOLLOW THE 50% + 1 SHARE RULE (with a few exceptions).

THE BUNDESLIGA IS STL'S GLOBAL MODEL FOR OFF-FIELD LEAGUE MANAGEMENT.

BRAZIL IS STL'S GLOBAL MODEL FOR ON-FIELD STYLE AND PLAY.

6. In Latin America, FLAMENGO, PALMEIRAS, BOCA JUNIORS, RIVER PLATE and PEÑAROL operate the same fan ownership multi-sport football club model.

AT THE RECENT PARIS OLYMPICS, FLAMENGO WON 6 MEDALS (IN GYMNASTICS, ROWING AND JUDO). Flamengo generated 1.5 billion in Brazilian Reais in its last fiscal year, roughly USD 300MM at today’s exchange rates, the highest revenue in Latin America. FLAMENGO IS AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE FOR A MULTI-SPORT FOOTBALL CLUB MODEL.

THERE IS NO REASON THAT THIS FOOTBALL CLUB MODEL CANNOT BE A SUCCESS IN THE USA.

THE QUESTION REMAINS -- WHY NOT BRING THIS PROVEN SUCCESSFUL FOOTBALL CLUB MULTI-SPORT BUSINESS MODEL FROM EUROPE AND LATIN AMERICA TO THE USA AND CANADA?

THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT STL IS DOING!!!

7. ACROSS THE NFL, THE NBA, MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, THE NHL AND MLS THERE ARE 154 TEAMS. THAT MEANS 154 BILLIONAIRES CONTROL ROUGHLY USD 50+ BILLION ANNUALLY IN REVENUE. ADD IN 13 TEAMS FROM THE WNBA, AND 14 TEAMS FROM NWSL, AND WE HAVE 181 PROFESSIONAL TEAMS THAT ARE OWNED BY THE TOP 1/10 OF 1% OF THE RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE USA.

IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY.

IN FACT, IT IS NOT THIS WAY IN OTHER PARTS OF THE FOOTBALL WORLD.

GERMANY'S BUNDESLIGA CLUBS ARE FAN OWNED AND CONTROLLED. REAL MADRID AND BARCELONA ARE 100% FAN OWNED WORLD-CLASS FOOTBALL CLUBS. IN LATIN AMERICA, 99% OF THE FOOTBALL CLUBS ARE FAN OWNED AND CONTROLLED.

STL'S FINANCIAL TARGETS:

STL'S FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE GOAL IS TO:

THESE TWO LEAGUES ARE OUR RESPECTIVE GLOBAL BENCHMARKS FOR FOOTBALL LEAGUES.

STL'S OVERARCHING FINANCIAL TARGET:

GIVEN THE SIZE OF THE UNTAPPED MARKET IN THE USA, WE THINK THAT STL AND ITS CLUBS WILL EXCEED THE PERFORMANCE PARAMETERS OF EUROPE AND LATIN AMERICA. IT WON'T HAPPEN OVER NIGHT -- BUT IT IS IMMINENTLY DOABLE.

AS PART OF THAT GOAL, AT LEAST TWO CLUBS FROM STL WILL BE IN THE DELOITTE FOOTBALL MONEY LEAGUE REPORT FOR THE TOP 20 CLUBS IN THE WORLD WITHIN 5 TO 7 YEARS.

INSTEAD OF FANS AS CONSUMERS, OR WORSE COMMODITIES, STL AND THE STL FAN OWNED MULTI-SPORT FOOTBALL CLUBS, WILL BE CREATING THOUSANDS AND EVENTUALLY TENS OF THOUSANDS OF "FOOTBALL CLUB OWNERS,” ACROSS THE NATION!!! AND HUNDREDS OF NEW JOBS AT THESE CLUBS!!!

THAT IS A DIFFERENCE THAT MAKES ALL OF THE DIFFERENCE!!!

THAT IS ALSO HOW A TRUE FOOTBALL CULTURE WILL BE CREATED IN THE USA (AND CANADA).

THAT IS HOW FAN ENGAGEMENT WILL BE TURBO-CHARGED!!!

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE HISTORY OF THE BEAUTIFUL GAME IN THE USA, REVENUES WILL BE MAXIMIZED!!!

FOR THE FIRST TIME FOOTBALL (SOCCER) IN THE USA WILL HAVE ITS OWN VIRTUOUS CYCLE OF REVENUES, PROFITS AND GROWTH.

AND FOR THE FIRST TIME THE USA WILL FACE EUROPEAN FOOTBALL AND LATIN AMERICAN FOOTBALL AS AN EQUAL, BOTH ON THE FIELD AND OFF, FOR BOTH THE MEN AND THE WOMEN.

THE STL PROJECT ALSO SETS THE STAGE FOR THE AMERICAS (NORTH AND SOUTH) TO COUNTER-BALANCE FIFA'S AND UEFA'S GLOBAL HEGEMONY IN THE SPORT.

BRANDING (OR REBRANDING AS THE CASE MAY BE), MOBILE APP TECHNOLOGY, FAN OWNERSHIP AND EMPOWERMENT, MEN AND WOMEN FOOTBALLERS UNDER THE SAME CLUB BRAND (LIKE IN EUROPE AND LATIN AMERICA) BEING PAID EQUALLY WITH A LEGITIMATE LIVING WAGE IN THE CONTEXT OF STL'S MULTI-SPORT FOOTBALL CLUB BUSINESS MODELS, WILL NOT ONLY MAKE US DIFFERENT, IT MEANS THAT WE WILL BE CARVING OUT "A NEW MARKET" OF 100MM+ PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN LARGELY IGNORED BY THE EXISTING PROFESSIONAL SPORTS ESTABLISHMENT IN THE USA.

8. STL BELIEVES THAT MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER (MLS) has done a service to the country and to the sport as a legitimate second division professional league by our global standards of excellence, the EPL and the Bundesliga.

HOWEVER, AFTER 30 YEARS (IN THE RICHEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD):

• MLS HAS GIVEN US 30 STRAIGHT YEARS OF UNINTERRUPTED LOSSES

• The MLS salary cap in 1996 at the league’s founding was USD 1.96MM/team.

• Today, 30 years later, the salary cap is USD 5.9MM/team.

• CAPOLOGY estimates that Manchester City’s payroll (assuming 28 players) for the 2024-25 season (including bonuses) was USD 330-350MM, whereas for MLS for 2024 for its 30 teams with total a roster 899 players the total payroll (including bonuses) is estimated at USD 550-600MM -- COMPARING ONE FOOTBALL CLUB IN EUROPE TO AN ENTIRE FOOTBALL LEAGUE IN THE RICHEST COUNTRY IN WORLD (THE USA) IS PROOF THAT MLS IS DEMONSTRABLY UNDERPERFORMING AS A LEAGUE

• Real Madrid’s most recent revenue (for 2024-25) was Euro 1.185 billion. That is over half of MLS’s annual revenues -- AGAIN, ONE FOOTBALL CLUB FROM SPAIN (WITH 90,000+ FAN OWNERS) IS OUTPERFORMING MLS WHICH HAS HAD A 30-YEAR MONOPOLY IN THE RICHEST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD. THIS MEANS AGAIN, THAT MLS IS DEMONSTRABLY UNDERPERFORMING AS A LEAGUE

• Despite 30 years of operations, the average stadium size in MLS is 22-23,000. That is below the average stadium size of the U.K.'s 2nd Division and the Bundesliga's 2nd Division.

THE USA NEEDS A NEW CROP OR LARGER STADIUMS TO BECOME WORLD-CLASS. STL ENVISIONS A MINIMUM OF 12-18 NEW STADIUMS AVERAGING 45-55,000+ TO BE DISTRIBUTED IN STL'S FOUR (4) REGIONS AS AN INTEGRAL PART OF FOOTBALL'S NEW VISION AND WORLD-CLASS STATUS.

9. AFTER 3 STRAIGHT DECADES, IT IS PATENTLY OBVIOUS THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH MLS’S BUSINESS MODEL AND THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE SPORT BY U.S. SOCCER.

10. WE DON'T WANT TO DWELL ON THE PAST. WE WANT TO CREATE A NEW FUTURE!!!

THE USA DOES NOT HAVE THE WORLD-CLASS PROFESSIONAL LEAGUE IT DESERVES.

YOUTH FOOTBALL (SOCCER) IN THE USA IS DYSFUNCTIONAL AT BEST, AND IN THE WORST CASE, IS BLOCKING PROGRESS.

MLS IS A "CLOSED LEAGUE" WITHOUT PROMOTION AND RELEGATION (WHICH IS CATEGORICALLY AGAINST FIFA’S OWN REGULATIONS), AND U.S. SOCCER HAS BEEN INEFFECTUAL FOR THREE (3) DECADES. THIS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT!

MLS IS EFFECTIVELY “THE LID ON THE PRESSURE COOKER OF DEMAND FOR THE SPORT OF FOOTBALL (SOCCER) IN THE USA AND CANADA.”

MLS AND U.S. SOCCER REPRESENT AND ARE PROXIES FOR A NON-FOOTBALL (SOCCER) INTEREST GROUP (THE NFL), AND THEY HAVE REPRESENTED THAT NON-FOOTBALL INTEREST GROUP FOR THREE (3) DECADES.

FOR THE PAST 30 YEARS, THE NFL (AMERICAN RUGBY) HAS STRUCTURED AND EXECUTED A LITERAL COUP D'ÉTAT IN THE WORLD OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS IN THE USA BY "CONTROLLING" FOOTBALL VIA MLS AND U.S. SOCCER.

REFORM IS NOT AN OPTION.

IF WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT CREATING A TRUE FOOTBALL NATION AND A TRUE FOOTBALL CULTURE IN THE USA, WE MUST MOVE ON.

WE MUST LEAVE MSL, U.S. SOCCER AND THE NFL IN THE DUSTBIN OF HISTORY AND CREATE SOMETHING NEW.

STL’S VISION WILL LIFT THE LID ON THE PRESSURE COOKER OF DEMAND FOR THE SPORT OF FOOTBALL (SOCCER) IN THE USA, AND CHANNEL THOSE RELEASED FOOTBALL FORCES INTO A NEW STRUCTURE THAT WILL BRING THE BEAUTIFUL GAME TO THE PEOPLE ON A SUSTAINABLE AND GROWING BASIS.

THE TRUE MELTING POT OF CULTURES THAT IS THE USA IS THE LOST KEY TO FOOTBALL'S FUTURE.

STL HASN'T JUST FOUND THAT KEY. STL IS THAT KEY!!!

WE ALSO NEED TO RECOGNIZE THREE (3) THINGS:

FIRST, THE USWNT IS THE ONLY GLOBAL STANDARD OF FOOTBALL EXCELLENCE THAT WE HAVE,

SECOND, WOMEN ARE THE KEY TO THE FUTURE OF FOOTBALL BOTH ON THE FIELD AND OFF, AND

THIRD, THOSE YOUTH IN OUR INNER-CITIES, BARRIOS AND RURAL AMERICA (THE CULTURALLY, RACIALLY AND FINANCIALLY DISENFRANCHISED) REPRESENT AN UNTAPPED RESERVOIR OF TALENT THAT HAS BEEN EXCLUDED FROM THE BEAUTIFUL GAME IN THE USA FOR DECADES.

WE NEED TO TAP INTO THE ENTIRETY OF THE CULTURAL MOSAIC OF THE USA TO BECOME WORLD-CLASS FOOTBALL NATION FOR THE MEN.

THE USWNT IS ALREADY WORLD-CLASS BUT THE REST OF THE REST OF WORLD IS CATCHING UP. TAPPING INTO THE FULL CULTURAL MOSAIC OF THE USA WILL GUARANTEE THE USWNT'S FUTURE AS WELL.

NWSL IS NOT AN ACCIDENT. THE NON-FOOTBALL PEOPLE WHO CURRENTLY "CONTROL" THE BEAUTIFUL GAME DO NOT WANT THE MEN AND WOMEN (READ: LABOR) UNITED.

AT TUSA, FOCUS, STL AND URBAN REFUGEE, THE MEN AND THE WOMEN WILL BE UNDER THE SAME FOOTBALL LEAGUE UMBRELLA AND RESPECTIVELY, CLUB BRAND (A LA EUROPE AND LATIN AMERICA) AND JUST AS IMPORTANTLY, THEY WILL BE JOINTLY PLAYING AND MANAGING ON THE FIELD, AND ADMINISTERING THE SPORT OFF THE FIELD GOING FORWARD.

BILLIONAIRE OWNERS FROM ANOTHER SPORT WILL NO LONGER CONTROL THE FUTURE OF FOOTBALL PLAYER'S (MEN OR WOMEN) ON OR OFF THE PITCH!!! THOSE DAYS ARE OVER!!!

BILLIONAIRES AND MULTI-MILLIONAIRES WILL BE WELCOMED INTO A NEW OPPORTUNITY WHERE THEY CAN ADD VALUE THAT BENEFITS EVERYONE NOT JUST THEMSELVES.

TRUE FOOTBALL FANS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE CLUBS AND THE PLAYERS WILL CONTROL THE FUTURE OF THE BEAUTIFUL GAME!!!

THE MOTHERS, FATHERS AND YOUNG GIRLS AND BOYS AND TEENS WHO ARE AND HAVE BEEN DEDICATED SUPPORTERS OF THIS SPORT AT THE YOUTH LEVEL FOR DECADES, AND THE LITERALLY TENS OF MILLIONS OF MARGINALIZED POPULATIONS IN THE USA WHO LOVE THIS SPORT BUT HAVE BEEN PURPOSEFULLY EXCLUDED FROM THE BEAUTIFUL GAME, DESERVE A WORLD-CLASS PRODUCT THEY CAN ASPIRE TO.

STL AND ITS CLUBS AND SISTER ORGANIZATIONS ARE THAT PRODUCT.

PLEASE SUPPORT OUR E-COMMERCE PLATFORM AT: https://urbanrefugee.myshopify.com/

TO THE ARMY OF FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS IN THE USA (AND CANADA) WHO HAVE LONG BEEN DORMANT, THIS IS YOUR WAKE-UP CALL!!!

WE CLOSE WITH A QUOTE:

"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge." -- Isaac Asimov

• SUPPORT STL'S FAN OWNED PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL (SOCCER) CLUBS AND THE RE-EMPOWERMENT OF YOUTH FOOTBALL!!!

• PUT FOOTBALL (SOCCER) IN THE HANDS OF ITS FANS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES WHERE IT BELONGS!!!

• PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD TO YOUR NETWORKS!!!

REMEMBER: REAL FOOTBALLS ARE ROUND!!!

(*) Statistics from Deloitte's Football Money League Report (2024). Figures represent the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2, for a total of 36 clubs.