Arsenal have confirmed their involvement in an exclusive
agreement with Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids, with the
aim of the venture to build the Premiership club's standing in
America, help improve the quality of the Rapids and provide support
to the grass roots game in the US.
The arrangement, which has been agreed with Kroenke Sports
Enterprises (KSE), the owners of Colorado, will see the best
practices from both parties exchanged, with commercial and
marketing ideas to be looked at, along with the 'transfer of
coaching know how'.
A key part of the relationship will be the founding of the Arsenal
Cup - an event which will be opened to a host of American club
teams.
Arsenal managing director Keith Edelman believes the agreement will
prove to be beneficial to all the parties involved, speaking with
enthusiasm about the link-up.
"We are delighted to be able to announce our partnership with
Kroenke Sports Enterprises and the Colorado Rapids," he told the
club's official website.
"This is a very important step for Arsenal Football Club as this
becomes our first venture into the United States marketplace.
"We are approaching this as a long term development partnership
that will benefit both clubs significantly."
Colorado Rapids managing director Jeff Plush was equally enthused
by the arrangement.
"This groundbreaking partnership with Arsenal, a team that has been
in the first flights of the sports for more then 100 years is the
one of the stepping stones to continue pushing our sport into the
next level.
"In today's international business community, soccer is the only
true global sport that transcends ethnicity, culture and language
and with this type of relationships we are making sure that our
company is expanding this vision through our worldwide sport."