(Photo courtesy of the Premier League)

With the English football (soccer) season getting closer to the end of its season and a World Cup coming to North America in the United States, fans are beginning to watch the world’s most popular sport even more.

“With a seemingly endless amount of sports content and programming available these days within seconds at your fingertips, you can’t argue with the data—everything from viewership to attendance, engagement, and merchandise sales—that soccer is becoming immensely more popular in the United States, especially among Gen Z and Generation Alpha,” Michelle Wilson, Isos Capital founder and Co-CEO told the SBJ (Sports Business Journal).

On the other hand, according to a Morning Consult study, more than half (54%) of the respondents who identified as soccer fans were under the age of 45, which makes it the youngest fan base of any men’s pro league in the country. 

With that said, the English Premier League is close to coming to an end and there are still three teams who can claim the trophy with a one-point difference and six games left to play. Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester City are looking to add one more Premier League title to their trophy cabinet. 

SAU senior soccer player and Arsenal fan, Keaton Johnson says, “You become such a part of the culture after watching the game/team for so long that you want nothing more than to win.” This influences his way of thinking as an athlete, “Being an athlete, competition and winning is important to me, so it’s easy to apply to things such as the title race.” 

Johnson believes, “Soccer is growing with some recent players coming out of America, and being able to perform in Europe has done a lot. The 2022 World Cup as well and with the USA being in it definitely helped.”

(Photo courtesy of St. Ambrose University Athletics Department)

As an athlete for SAU, Johnson has tried to maintain a healthy lifestyle thanks to the accessibility of campus installations but states that “seeing the highest athletes perform so consistently makes me think why and what I can do to be like them. Then trying to implement anything I can that they do in my life in terms of weight training, running, and nutrition.” This way of thinking has let him become “healthier and influenced my (his) performance and health.” 

But it is not only about the American audience, it’s also about those who are far from home and unable to support their boyhood clubs such as Ryan Evans, a senior soccer player and Manchester United fan. 

Evans said, “Being far from home definitely adds an extra layer of significance to the Premier League title race for me. Soccer has always been a huge part of my life, and growing up in England, the Premier League was like the heartbeat of our weekends. So, even though I’m studying and playing soccer in the United States now, the Premier League still connects me to my roots, my friends, and my family back home.”

Both Major League Soccer and National Women’s Soccer League posted record attendance figures in 2022, with MLS welcoming more than 10 million fans, while the NWSL, which kicked off almost two decades later in 2013, eclipsing the 1 million mark for the first time according to the SBJ.

As an international soccer player, Evans recognized the growth of the sport in the country thanks to the diversity of the population, and to the US Women’s National Team’s success in the International setting winning four Women’s World Cups (1991, 1999, 2015, and 2019).

“Soccer is definitely growing in the US, and it’s really exciting to be a part of that growth as a student-athlete here. It’s really encouraging to see the sport gaining traction and recognition here, and I believe it will only continue to grow in the years to come,” said Evans.

As it stands, Arsenal sits in first place with 80 points and 3 games to go, followed by current champions Manchester City in second place with 79 points with 4 games to play. Meanwhile, Liverpool sits in third place with 75 points and 3 games left to play which gives Manchester City a one game advantage over its rivals.

For more information about the standings and fixture times visit Premier League.