The majority of top leagues will take a break during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, so will this be a time for the non-league to cash in and take advantage of this rare lack of midseason domestic football activity?
As well as having the option to follow a non-league team during the World Cup, there are also plenty of other activities for anybody who isn’t too bothered about the international game but misses their domestic team.
There are activities such as poker, casino, and esports that will be looking to make the most of the situation. But instead of the non-league clubs seeing these activities as rivals, they can be used by teams to attract new fans during the 2022 winter football hiatus.
Poker Schools
Online poker could see growth when the Premier League season halts in November. But it doesn’t have to be just the online platforms that pick up all the slack. Non-league teams could hold open poker sessions for experienced players in a competitive format or they could even hold poker schools to teach fans how to play. There are so many variants, like the existing popular poker games Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Seven-card Stud and 2-7 Triple Draw Poker, as well as newer games like Draw and Stud Poker. Finding a way to incorporate playing any format into a match day could be a way to generate new fans.
It doesn’t have to be for money either: a lot of the best online poker sites have free options and any club offering this as a matchday activity could give players the same choices. And if playing poker on match days isn’t possible, the clubs could stage evening events that combine playing the game with watching live TV matches during the World Cup. It could be a revenue generator either way.
Casinos and Esports Competitions
Online casinos will be looking to attract new players during the 2022 World Cup. The casinos are in a strong position to find new players, as they can create football-themed games ahead of the Qatar competition.
But it’s Esports that could be the real attention seeker. Watching people play computer games against each other as a sport is growing incredibly popular. When the idea was first mooted that people would pay to sit in stadiums and watch guys and girls on computer consoles trying to beat each other, it was largely ridiculed.
Those laughing have been proven wrong. Esports has gained vast numbers around the world, and all established bookmaker sites now offer odds on Esports competitions. Don’t be surprised to see further growth in Esports during this period.
Clubs can set up their own Esports competitions during the World Cup, and can even combine them with live coverage of the 2022 competition on big screens. It would be silly to ignore Esports gaming, as it appeals to the younger generation. So if the non-league clubs can use it to their advantage, they could work to attract the next generation of young fans and help finance the clubs for years to come.
