Personal pitch: How community engagement enables brand loyalty, development
On March 28, 2024, with the help of The Martin Group’s public relations team, experienced sports executive, pro athlete, and Western New York native Peter Marlette, Jr. announced the formation of Buffalo Pro Soccer, his ambitious plan to bring a men’s USL Championship club and a brand-new soccer stadium to the Queen City by 2026, with plans for a women’s Super League club not long after.
Prior to engaging with our firm, Marlette—the once-general manager for USL’s Union Omaha and a former All-American at Trinity College in Connecticut—spent months engaging with potential club owners, community leaders, elected officials, business partners, and USL leadership on the logistics of bringing the highest levels of U.S. soccer to the Buffalo area.
The eventual announcement was met with excitement. But a strategic plan had to be conceived to communicate with an integral group who had yet to be engaged: the fans.
Marlette wanted to organize a long-term Community Town Hall series. These would feature casual discussion and question-and-answer sessions hosted by a local bar and restaurant. They would be open to the public and promised to deliver Buffalo Pro Soccer’s plans and updated developments directly to the people.
The series is now ongoing, but the first three of these events—held at The Banshee Irish Pub in Buffalo, Wayland Brewing Company in Orchard Park, and Lloyd Taco Factory in Williamsville—provided the perfect introduction to WNY’s loyal and enthusiastic sports fan base. Each one has also produced essential learnings for a soccer club and brand intent on weaving itself into the fabric of the community.
The depth of fandom
Buffalo has plenty of bona fides for being a hockey and football town, with fans regularly celebrated for their fervor and loyalty. Professional lacrosse has generated passion as well, with crowds drawn to an electric live atmosphere—and a franchise that’s now won back-to-back titles.
Comparatively, the depth of fandom for professional soccer isn’t as well publicized.
Soccer is part of Buffalo sports history, with the indoor action of the Stallions and Blizzard, as well as the amateur USL League Two play with FC Buffalo. In 2019, interested parties bought conditional rights to start a USL squad in Buffalo, but those plans fell through. All these endeavors have established a sustained local interest, but so does the region’s demographic information. With more than one million residents, a diverse population, and a growing Millennial and young professional population around the average age of the typical U.S. soccer fan (35), Western New York is an ideal market for a pro soccer club, according to USL research.
The first town hall event at The Banshee confirmed this. Between the on-site questions from fans, media coverage of the event, and support in the aftermath, the interest is there.
But by Marlette bringing discussion of this future to the fans directly, he’s doing more than facilitating a conversation. He’s creating a community.
A family affair
Another element that makes Western New York an ideal place for a USL Championship team: it’s vibrant youth soccer scene.
From the city’s Delaware Soccer Club to leagues across the suburbs and locally supported programs like Soccer for Success, Buffalo-area families are soccer families. According to the Aspen Institute’s State of Play study (2017), of the more than 309K WNY youth athletes, nearly one in five boys and girls played outdoor soccer. This provides an audience already interested in the Buffalo Pro Soccer product.
To reach this audience, Marlette brought the Buffalo Pro Soccer message to Orchard Park, one of the region’s most active youth soccer groups. In 2023-24 alone, more than 1,000 children participated in youth soccer programs run by the Orchard Park Soccer Club. Set up amid young fans and their families across the outdoor expanse of the popular Wayland Brewing, Marlette was able to address questions about how the club plans to be an asset for growing soccer culture across the region and provide family-friendly entertainment to bring area communities together.
Games will be gatherings, just as each Community Town Hall event means to be. This is how connections are made between franchises and fans, and it’s how bonds are formed between clubs and communities.
More than a sports opportunity
The focus of these Community Town Hall events has been on the game of soccer, and how a USL Championship team will fit into the region’s sports landscape. But with every gathering, there’s been a building buzz that Buffalo Pro Soccer isn’t just about a league, a team, or seasons of games.
It’s also about how soccer could contribute to a better Buffalo.
A new team needs a new stadium, one that Marlette and his partners are committed to constructing in Buffalo proper. Once a site is chosen and developed, that could mean a remade section of the city, with new streets, housing, restaurants, and more. It could mean a gametime influx of 10,000 people into this chosen neighborhood, bringing life and energy that could birth the type of vibe seen with the creation of Buffalo’s Canalside and Larkin districts. Both have been developed across previously desolate expanses, and the two are now vital assets to the region’s economy and seasonal tourism.
But along with adding to a new Buffalo, there’s the chance to inject confidence into a fan community that’s been exposed to its fair share of heartbreak and empty promises. Good leadership, strong messaging, and verifiable accomplishments can breed this confidence—and Marlette continues to deliver on all three. Events like our 716 Day meet-up at Lloyd have given him an avenue to connect with fans, earn their trust, and share his passion for bringing the highest levels of this global sport to Buffalo.
In a time of accessible remote messaging, maybe the nature of these in-person events is old school. But when you’re trying to earn buy-in on a product that aims to become a central part of people’s lives, the pitch needs to be personal.
That’s what these Community Town Hall events have been; and throughout this fall, we’ll continue to work with Marlette to connect with those hungry for a seat at the pro soccer table—and give each reason to believe that Buffalo’s time has come.
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Kate Measer
Public Relations Director