US Tour: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly
This summer Leeds United came to the US for the first time in 30 years. Thousands of us showed up in Tampa, New Jersey and Chicago. Some drove a few hours, others flew cross country. The lucky ones had games on their doorstep.
We asked LUAmericas members what they made of it. And our survey said…
The Good
Let's start with what went well. The biggest takeaway is that the vast majority of people had a great time.
The matches were the highlight: the Liverpool game at Soldier Field was rated 9.3 out of 10, with most scoring it a straight 10. Sunderland in New Jersey scored an 8.13. "One of the best experiences of my life," said one of you. "To finally be with my people, to sing the chants, to meet the legends, and to cheer the mighty whites on to victory will forever live in my memories."
The dedicated Leeds seating sections were a huge win. Sitting together turned the stands into something close to the Elland Road experience. "Fan support in the Leeds end was massive. I imagine that's what being in the Kop was like." "Brilliant game, was in the best area for Leeds supporters and the singing was fantastic.”
Then there were the Leeds Legends. Tony Dorigo, Lucas Radebe, Jermaine Beckford, and Michael Bridges. You rated the events built around them among the highest of the whole tour and the reason was simple: they were brilliant with everyone! Warm, generous, and friendly. "Meeting the players after the game was the best moment of my life. I waited 16 years to see them play, I didn't think I'd get close enough."
Finally, the LUA community. This is what makes LUA special. Bars full of Leeds fans from all over the US, the UK, and beyond. Impromptu pin and sticker trading. Buses to the ground. "What a fabulous family we are all part of." "LUA carried the day."
The Bad
Unfortunately, some things fell short.
The fan zones were the weakest link. The Chicago fan zone scored 5.75. The New Jersey one scored 4.47, the lowest-rated part of the entire tour. Too many lines, not enough to do, and far too much of the space handed to opposition teams. "If I didn't know any better I would have guessed Liverpool was playing themselves."
The Meet and Greet at JD Sports was also a disappointment, scoring 5.40. Comments described poor organization: the event started late, people kept queuing well past the advertised start time, and once inside there was no real line at all, just a free-for-all. One fan lined up in 100-degree heat for an hour only to find the queue "meaningless" and left annoyed before even seeing the players. The sound system drew repeated complaints, making the interview portion hard to follow.
The venues were sometimes too small for the crowds we draw. Fado in Chicago and the Legends venue in New York both got praised as good bars, but criticized as being packed, split across floors, and with poor audio quality to hear the Leeds Legends Q&A. "Fado wasn't big enough, overcrowded and hard to mingle." A fair few of you pointed at The Embassy as the real home of Leeds in Chicago and wanted more of the weekend built around it.
We apologise for falling short at times with some of our venue choices. We will do better next time: larger venues, all on one floor, with good sound quality. We’ll also give more recognition to local meet up spots like The Embassy in Chicago.
Tampa had its own problems. A stadium far too big for the crowd, so it looked half empty on TV, and an experience that felt built around Wrexham rather than Leeds. "Wrexham were given scarfs coming into the stadium while Leeds were given nothing." “Felt like a very Pro Wrexham evening.” “Wrexham showed us what a true fan fest could have been.”
Travel costs were at times expensive. Big-city summer weekends meant pricey flights, parking and hotels, made worse in Chicago by Lollapalooza being the same weekend. Ticket pricing frustrated plenty of you too, especially early buyers who paid full whack only to watch walk-up tickets go cheap. Requests for a West Coast tour tour op next time came up more than once.
None of this ruined the weekend. But it's where we can do better, and where we'll be pushing the club to help us.
The Ugly
And then there's the merch... Or rather, the lack of it.
This was the single loudest thing you told us. Of all your written comments, 74 were about merchandise. It was bleak. A couple of kits, some tour t-shirts. "Just a few Leeds shirts sold under a Sunderland tent." The consensus was Sunderland brought fewer fans than us and still had a better setup.
The comparison to the opposition hurt. "Liverpool had tents and trailers packed with dozens of types of merchandise. Even the store inside was jammed with their things. But all we had were generic t-shirts, hats, and the two kits. It was embarrassing." "We looked tinpot." "Most League Two sides would have had their acts together better."
Here's the thing that makes it worse: you said you were ready to spend. Tariffs and shipping costs making the official LUFC online store painful from over here. Buying in person was exactly what you wanted to do. "I was ready to spend the money." One fan who spent close to $2,500 on the whole trip said he'd happily have spent more, if there'd been anything to buy. No away kits. No youth sizes for the kids. "How do you not have the away kit for sale inside the venue?"
Where We Go From Here
Add it all up and the message is clear: you had a great time, and you want them back. "Wonderful tour, do it every year." "C'mon back soon." "West Coast next year?"
The football, the legends, the community, the atmosphere in our sections: that's where the magic happened. The fan zones, the venue sizing, and above all the merch: that's the stuff we'll be working with LUFC to fix before the next tour experience.
Thank you to everyone who traveled, everyone who sang, and everyone who took the time to tell us what they thought.
MOT
Average Scores (out of 10)
9+
LUFC vs Liverpool in Chicago — 9.30
7s or 8s
Official LUFC Event in Tampa — 8.73
Official LUFC Event in New York — 8.68
LUFC vs Sunderland in New Jersey — 8.13
LUA Meetup in Tampa — 7.85
LUA Meetup in Chicago— 7.18
Less than 7
LUFC vs Wrexham in Tampa — 6.43
Fan Zone in Chicago — 5.75
Meet and Greet in New York — 5.40
Fan Zone in New Jersey — 4.47
Feedback Comments
Read all the feedback comments here