US Tour: Feedback Comments

Tampa

• Disappointed in lack of LUFC presence at Tampa, i.e. shirts, etc.

• I thought the American Social Bar was excellent and a well run event

• Lack of merchandise...WAY too much Wrexham hype. Great to be with all the Leeds fans of course

• All Good

• Great meet ups pity no decent merchandise was available

• Lack of brand activation. No marketing effort whatsoever

• MORE MERCH!!

• The merchandise available was really poor. Wrexham had a ton more and also disappointed to see better merch at the other games. Missed a chance also for the neutrals.

• More Leeds official merch and a Leeds only fanzone

• Stadium was too big for attendance so atmosphere was flat. We had a lot of requests for team training access and many members received promotion from Wrexham with local out reach. If the goal of tours is to reach more audience the club can do more in that aspect.

• Would like Leeds to have a better presence at the game. Wrexham were given scarfs when coming into the stadium while Leeds were given nothing.

• Leeds merch for sale. Huge opportunity missed.

• Merch at stadium and a fan zone

• A massive thanks to the LUA guy who sadly could not get to the match and sent myself and my mate Roy. his tickets for the match. Helped us out a great deal as we had very little spending money after paying for flights from uk accommodation and hire car. You guys certainly know how to have a good time and are a credit to Leeds United fc.

• Meeting the players after the game was the best moment of my life, I waited 16 years to see them play didn’t think I’d get close enough

• Need a better team to play. At the stadium the announcers etc acted like wrexham was at home.

• Would have been nice to have more Leeds things at the match.

• Stadium was too big

• Merch would have appreciated.

• No Leeds merch , over zealous security

• LUA check-in at socials or designation to encourage meeting other groups. Fan zone was lacking at stadium. No merch, not even old stuff for sale.

  1. Duff's was great! Nice venue with outdoor deck and excellent food.

  2. Absolutely ridiculous that Leeds United (the official club) had zero merchandise for sale and no Leeds-branded fan experience at Raymond James Stadium. Bring the club store to these events!

  3. LU Americas and the Tampa Bay supporters group did all the work and did all the difference in making it a great weekend.

  4. I like the pirate ship. We should've been on the pirate ship!

• No merchandise available; No fanzone ; Felt like a very Pro Wrexham evening

• more lufc related things at the stadium

• I didn’t go to Tampa but there should have been another top 10 premier league team and not Wrexham. I know why it was done but stadium was so undersold it looked ridiculous on tv.

• Wrexham showed us what a true fan fest could have been. The fans were each given a free scarf and the events seemed more enjoyable. They sat the leeds supporters on the wrong side of the pitch.

• I didn’t make the pre-events. It would be great if they could have been same day and closer to kick off - and closer to the stadium. For the stadium, I’d push to just sell tickets in the lower level first and when that sells out, expand to the 2nd level as it just looked very dispersed and almost empty from where we sat.

• We looked tinpot with barely any merchandise available. Absolutely embarrassing and a real shame for many who traveled a long way

• I just felt like the club was not present for the fans. Outside of the legends coming there was nothing provided from the club, especially in comparison to Wrexham, which was severely disappointing. Especially after seeing that there was fan zones at the other two matches.

• Could have let us on the ship

• Enjoyed the meetup with players and representatives. Really enjoyed meeting up with other fans, some of whom travelled a long way to attend. You could improve by lowering the stadium ticket pricing dramatically and the outrageous cost of parking on a grass field

• Enjoyed the difference in bars, would be better more central

• I enjoyed all the social events

• The social at American Social could have been longer with the Legends but thanks for the free beer

• Wrexham and their setup put us to shame. Huge opportunity missed with jersey sales and fan engagement. Too large of a stadium for such a small crowd.

• Stadium was empty - ground was too far from bars and restaurants.

• I don’t feel that Leeds invested anything into this fixture. No Leeds merchandise, no Leeds area outside the stadium. Overall, it was like they didn’t bother with the Florida based fans.

• The Leeds United merchandise was very poor it was like Wrexham were more important.

• Game felt like a Wrexham event. No Leeds merch or meet up or activities.

• We maybe needed a bigger venue for the LUA social! It was good meeting everyone and I love that there was a mix of LUA and some fans who travelled from England, it was just maybe too successful with how busy it got. The game itself was very Wrexham-heavy especially outside beforehand, and a LOT of people we met were wanting to buy Leeds United merchandise but couldn't.

• No where to buy shirts or leeds utd gear. Cost of shipping stuff over is to expensive.

• The events at Duffs and American Social were wonderfully put together and enjoyable. The experience at the match, however, was overshadowed by zero club presence at the single fan zone available and a complete lack of merchandise that many supporters were looking forward to spend their money on.

• Having no pregame event near the stadium was too bad. Too hot as well, obviously, which was not a great combination. Lack of merch was unfortunate. Shouldn’t be a home game for one side for a friendly (didn’t play marching on together, etc.)

New Jersey / New York

• Needed more official LUFC merchandise especially the new shirts. Great meeting old LUA friends.

• Thoroughly enjoyed the Legends event. The fan zone was poor and needed better visibility. More merchandise would be a huge improvement

• the meet up and pre game plans came up quite quickly to the event. From time of purchasing tickets should we expect get togethers/activities already set or at least with the ball rolling to announce no later the following week. it would make planning for travelers much easier It’s special when team come over to the US to play because it doesn’t happen so often so the experience should/must be special I enjoyed the meetup at Legends before kickoff. It was a bit tight space but it got done. The interaction with former players was great but better organization for all to enjoy could have been improved

• Same as Tampa...without the Wrexham bit obviously! Plus the Leeds shirts outside the stadium were only available in the Sunderland tent !

• Everything on match day was wonderful. Having some of the Leeds legends there was terrific and they couldn't have been nicer. The entire ticket process was borderline criminal, especially for all the Leeds fans and groups that bought the 1st day of sale.

• Legends was a good venue. Wish the VIPs would have filtered downstairs. We got there early and were the first in line to get into the event, and were ushered downstairs immediately by the staff. By the time we figured out everything was upstairs, it was very limited standing room only. Would have been a nice touch to include the people downstairs. That being said, the stairs ended up being a great view to see the Q&A. Fan zone at the stadium was very lackluster in my opinion. Not much to do there. Would have liked more experiences, or somehow tying in a slice of Elland Road into the fan experience. Or more interactive activities. Loved the match though! Taric looks phenomenal.

• The experience outside of the match as a fan was a little lackluster and we had to rely on our own groups collective sense of community to make a memorable area to congregate outside of the stadium. Also, considering how much the merchandise can cost online, it would have been great to purchase a larger selection of merchandise at the game.

• Poor brand activation. Little marketing effort. Very tiny amount of merchandise. No fan giveaways

• More merch!!

• Wasn't able to attend the meeting and great opportunities living in Philly. Merch options were quite limited which wouldn't be a big deal except we can't get merch in the States without massive tariffs from the idiot government. Would have been nice to have more to choose from. Ticket prices were odd. Maybe you were expecting a bigger attendance but to pay $137 per seat to buy when they were first available only to find tix were selling for $49 leading up to kickoff was a small kick in the gut. Was great to see the squad here on US soil though. Not the same atmosphere as Elland Road but still great all the same. If you come back to the States, come to Philadelphia. For selfish reasons, of course.

• Game was fine, despite the overall attendance. The fan zone outside of the stadium was a bit disappointing. I know there was an event in Manhattan, but not easy for many of us to attend. It would have been nice to have some of the players at the stadium (I think maybe Jermaine showed up, but not while I was outside). At least I met the Kop Cat ;-)

• How did you get selected for the VIP area at Legends? Speaking with the LUFC legends was quite difficult, but they were fantastic when available. Poor merchandise choice/availability at Stadium. Players signing after the game was fantastic; they hung about for a while, thank you!

• The FanZone was there but not really anything going on - we had much more fun tailgating in the parking lot. Also the lack of merch was a bit upsetting. I got to see Leeds in person so that alone gets a 10!

• Thought the fan zone was meager. The merch outside was pitiful and I didn’t know about the merch inside as it wasn’t near the Leeds end. Some legends in the fan zone was was made it - in addition to there being an established Leeds end.

• Fan zone was pathetic.

• More Leeds Merch and activities.

• Great game and great crowd. Loved all of the LUFC supporters from all over. All Leeds, aren't we?

• Great gatherings - need a better opponent than Sunderland who had hardly any fans

• Excellent events, fane zone outside the stadium was poor, thought there would be more merchandise. I was happy to buy some shirts but outside there really wasn’t much. This would have been a perfect moment to sell merchandise but Leeds seemed to have missed the boat

• The entire experience for fans lacked tremendously. Thousands of people showed up to almost no experience outside of the match. Sunderland had a better merch/ engagement table, and the fewest fans. Sunderland was also selling our new kits. We didn't have that. So much money could have been spent on merchandise. It just felt that we were an afterthought, or a midway destination. Engagement surrounding the stadium was absolutely awful in thwt regard. Fans supported each other and the club, so that was great, but someone dropped the ball in an enormous way.

• Improvements: Variety of merch on sale at stadium Enjoyed Legends party. Great venue. Great atmosphere. Great family reunion Legends freebies (towels and I❤️new Yorkshire) Quality and availability of pins Availability Of players after the game

• The only thing I saw on sale was the new Home shirt. I would have purchased an Away shirt had they been available. I think I’d have purchased several items, if only to avoid that ridiculous tariff that been levied.

• Going into New York City was expensive, should have been in New Jersey.

• I loved meeting the club legends. That was amazing!

• a little sparse with the crowd but i still enjoyed the experience. would have liked some more merchandise as there only appeared to be one tent with jerseys and it was shared with sunderland.

• More opportunities to buy merch. There was only one stand outside (that I never saw) and only a couple stations inside, with very long lines. So aside from the goodies passed out in the Fan Zone I went home empty-handed, rather than miss any of the match itself.

• The Fan Zone felt like an afterthought; it would have been lovely to have much more Leeds merch available. I completely understand that importing is challenging, but I wish there had been more available.

• Merch options were terrible, prices for tickets were too high so the stadium was empty and atmosphere not good enough. Only thing to be enjoyed was seeing Leeds in person

• Weren’t as many giveaways

• Club should have had new kit available for purchase

• Open the gates earlier so we can enjoy the stadium and grab some food before the match. I’m disabled, by the time the match was over there was not enough time to get to any shops and buy merchandise within the stadium before we were ushered out. Opening more than an hour before the match starts would have been great. Would have been able to enjoy the lounge, some food and a stroll around the stadium shops without it being too busy.

• There wasn’t really a lot going on at the fan experience before the game. For the minimal attendance it was fun

• Poor communication at JD Sports. Event started late, sound system poor. Players were great though. Fan zone was poor with poor selection of merch. Legends event was excellent. Held a kit launch in NYC that was a closed event. Need to improve advertising and communication with fans throughout. Although we started discussions on events in March club didnt finalize anything until about 3 weeks prior. Should be finalized more in advance.

• As a professional sound engineer, I was frustrated to see a full sound system, installed throughout the bar, in every room at legends go unused in favour of a PA system not worthy of projecting sound for anything other than a children’s birthday party. More frustratingly - it would have taken 1 cable to hook up that PA systems mixer to the bar’s sound system. If any help is needed for future events, I’m happy to help.

• More merch! I was really hoping for an opportunity to buy more Leeds merch (tshirts, hats, koozies, sunglasses, etc). Seemed like a real missed opportunity to have more Leeds swag rolling around the US.

• More things at the stadium.

• More drink facilities outside ground but if in New York next season 100% going

• The JD meet and greet was a joke. I lined up in 100-degree heat for an hour only to get in and discover there was no line whatsoever, it was a free for all. I also wanted to buy the new away shirt but there was no merch available!!! Crazy. I didn’t even wait around to see the players I was annoyed. The Legends event was superb. My one piece of feedback would be to bring more merchandise for fans to buy.

• Meet and greet could of gone smoother waiting time was quite bad

• Sound system at Legends was lacking, but players were great before and after. Fanzone was very 'meh', but honestly the match was most important to me, along with meeting Leeds supporters old and new.

• The former players were great. They came around and shook hands, took pictures and chatted away. They really seemed to enjoy it. I would have liked there to be an adult beverage station at the Fan Zone.

• Loved every moment awesome atmosphere

• The stadium and atmosphere was great. Still a huge missed opportunity to interact with fans. The fanzone was joke….again the wrexham setup put everyone to shame.

• Should have been cheaper to get more people to attend. Big missed opportunities with merch.

• Stadium was superb and easy to get to. Could have held a supporters event the night before rather than the day of IMO

• The players were great, fantastic, so engaging with the fans. I was disappointed that having waited so long the security staff at JD stopped the players signing autographs. Also the fact that there was zero Leeds merchandise for sale was again disappointing.

• The JD Event was badly organised IMO and people kept queueing way after the advertised start time. Also took ages to start once we got inside. Pretty mobbed so we didn't hang around. No new Shirts for sale. Also found out there was another event happening over in Brooklyn which none of the New York faithful knew anything about and looked way better. So a few frustrated regulars. Legends event was great. Ex-Players were fully interacting with the whole place and not exclusively to VIP. The Q&A was top notch and positioned where all could see and get involved. The place was decked out brilliantly and made it feel like the club had made a real effort. The fan zone at the stadium on the other hand was very poor. No a great deal to engage with and no merch. Leeds gear was under a Sunderland Branded Tent. Would have probably stayed longer in Legends had we known. Ended up going into the stadium early and that was decent. Some merch and food and drink as you'd expect. Won the game and players celebrated with the crowd in the usual fashion.

• Fanzone was none existent so we went to the pub o er the road

• Legends was brilliant the access to the players and the bar itself was easy to move around and talk to other fans and the players

• Not a lot. It was midweek so very much low key. I don't understand why it was so expensive for tickets. They didn't really do anything special at the game. I always love going down to Legends.

• Better advertising and better stock of merch. By the time we got there, the new away kit shirts were all gone. Also, it wasn’t clear if there was an “after party” event or not. Seemed like everyone went back to ny

• I didn’t see any Leeds merchandise for sale whereas Sunderland had a stall selling shirts. Also no LUAmericas stuff for sale unless I missed it, so opportunities missed. Having The Chief, Becks, Dorigo and Bridges there was class.

• Meeting old friends from NY Whites. Legends always quality

• The meet and greet at JD sports left a bit to be desired, as there was not as much organization with the players interview portion. You could also not purchase the homekit at that event. The event at Legends was wonderful and well received by attendees. The fan Zone at the stadium, while a step above the fan Zone that did not exist in Tampa, left a bit to be desired. It was a bit strange to Leeds merchandise mixed in with Sunderland's. The game made up for this tour stop, and it was a very nice stadium. Very much appreciated the players coming back out to take pictures and sign autographs.

• Stadium was easy enough to get to (driving from NJ). We would have liked to see more variety of Leeds kit available for sale at the stadium. There was no availability for away kit nor much non-kit items for sale. Otherwise a very enjoyable event.

Chicago

• More merchandise!

• Bigger variety of merchy at the Fanzone would have been good. However it was a superb weekend, difficult to fault. Some great personalities amongst our fan base. Chicago weather was great too!

• What a great weekend. Thanks to The Embassy and Fados for accommodating all of us

• The event at Faldo’s could have been better perhaps in a larger venue on one floor, we weren’t aware the meet and greet was upstairs until we overheard someone saying.

• Fanzone was basically a bunch of lines, mostly Liverpool fans in 200+ person lines so there wasn’t a ton of area to walk or hang out. Leeds merch was limited. Just not very much to do for people besides stand around, wait in lines and pay for overpriced food. I would’ve preferred if they kept the Leeds and Liverpool area separate so that the Leeds fans could all have their own fan zone, but I don’t know if that was possible.

• Merch lines at Soldier Field were too long. Maybe more ex players come over to mingle

• All centrally located and well informed.

• Lack of merch available. Fan zone was heavily weighted towards Liverpool.

• Fado seemed a bit small and loud. LOVED the fan section at the game! Could’ve had more Leeds merch

• Poor brand activation. Little marketing effort. Very tiny amount of merchandise. No fan giveaways

• Merchandise selection was very limited

• Brilliant game, was in the best area for Leeds supporters and the singing was fantastic. Cant think of anything I would change.

• Fado’s was a good venue but surprisingly felt small for the numbers we brought. i would have preferred a better layout as it felt like the groups were separated due to seating availability. I would have liked if LUA also had a meetup or photo opportunities at the fan zone just to give us additional opportunities to mingle.

• The Leeds set up was slow Liverpool were ready to go at 11am

• I liked the fanzone in general. I liked that it had things for kids to do and that some Legends were able to attend. Very cool and I certainly appreciated the effort that went into it. I have feedback on the merchandise that I put in the general feedback section.

• Game atmosphere was great! Thanks to all the Leeds fans. Would have like more merchandise and at different cost points too.

• More merch buying opportunities would have been great, maybe at the meetup day before

• I thought it was odd that we were only given second tier and the scousers got the first tier behind each goal.. and that the players had to come out of the tunnel to their anthem. Nothing LUA could have done I guess but there you go

• Fado’s was small. Couldn’t hear the Q&A. Great to see a bar full of LUFC!!! Fan zone was fine. Got a photo from the booth and the away kit. Match was amazing. One of the best experiences of my life.

• Selection of merchandise available for purchase at the Leeds United fan zone store was really poor compared to what Liverpool had on offer

• Better signage around the stadium to get to the fan zone, better queuing for photos and team stores. Lines were bunched up in one small part of the fan zone.

• Fan zone could have used some improvement more things to do or sets ups for older fans

• More merch available and more presence from the club and/or league. Last year went to the premier league summer series and it was a better facilitated even with four teams playing a double header and a rainstorm. Turned out great because Leeds won this time but event was lacking

• Fadó was fun but woefully understaffed. Ordering drinks was a real pain because it took so long and a good number understandably voted with their feet. Felt sorry for the bar staff who had to deal with the masses and some of them were clearly irritated and terse. Very poor planning by Fado given that they knew the place was going to be a mob scene.

• Fadó was good but we arrived a little late and missed legends. I heard that people didn’t know the Q&A was happening so sound all over the venue would make sense. Skipped fan zone but the stadium was great and atmosphere.

• I'm sure you're going to get comments on the merch - which is a big issue here in the states. Having a fan zone was great, met a lot of people. Didn't really participate in the events.

• Stadium was not great - would have been good to have all Leeds fan together. Difficult to create an atmosphere. There was a lack of toilet facilities and the stadium bag policy should have been made much clearer and lockers made much more convenient. Getting to and from the stadium was not easy either. The DJ/announcer was painful and there seemed a definite bias towards Liverpool. Chicago itself was wonderful but busy with Lolapolooza and Cubs/Yankees game on the same weekend, so prices were high.

• Fan zone was disappointing. Also, was difficult to find merchandise and then there was very little. You missed an opportunity to make some money!

• All events should be at The embassy which is the true home to LUA and Leeds in chicago. Aside from that the game was awesome and enjoyed meeting supporters from across the world. MOT

• Issue was at Fados, they didn't have nearly enough staff working

• Merch merch merch

• The Chicago fan zone itself was great, lots of activities and things to see and do. And Soldier Field was a great venue. The Leeds specific things left a LOT to be desired compared to Liverpool. There needs to be more Leeds branding, signs / banners, and flags! There was almost nothing that stood out, if I didn’t know any better I would have guessed Liverpool was playing themselves.

• Fan support in the Leeds end was massive - I imagine that's what being the kop was like! Fan Zone was ok - although $20 for a beer with tax and tip is a crime. It was cool to hear Dorigo and Beckford speak for a little bit and the music wasn't bad. Obviously it was much more geared towards Liverpool and it made Leeds look like an afterthought. I was able to purchase the yellow kit though!

• Didn't attend the fanzone / merch as was getting poor feedback before even getting there so swerved it. I thought the ex pros could have answered a few questions etc at Fados but ran pretty quickly. It would have been quite nice to have a coordinated meet up with LUA for an hour or so, as being in Fados it was a bit disjointed / difficult to know who was who etc.

• The fan fest was a little light on stuff and the mascot was dripping something awful

• Fantastic experience

• It was great to meet so many people at Fado's, but the 2 floors made it feel a little separated. The fanzone was way more Liverpool focused. I didn't see the merch they had, but like everyone else was saying... Ours was pretty limited. The match itself was great! The whole weekend was really fun

• More variety in products offered for sale.

• Fadó wasn’t big enough - overcrowded and hard to mingle. Match was fantastic and a worthy opponent.

• Amazing to meet legends and just commune with so many Leeds fans

  1. Fado was good for meeting LUFC supporters from around the USA, UK, etc. but it was very crowded and difficult to get drinks.

  2. Fado "hellos" from Beckford, Dorigo, & Radebe was only done on the upper floor. Test the audio first! It was terrible with mic feedback... Why only for about 1/4 of the crowd who could get up there?

  3. The Embassy is a great bar and was more fun than Fado pre- and post-match. Only challenge is that it's a smaller space. The bus from Embassy was great to avoid Lallpalooza crowds.

  4. Another missed opportunity by Leeds United to bring the club store. They would've sold a ton of merchandise if they'd just brought it!

  5. LUA & Chicago Whites made a great event with seemingly little help from the Club.

  6. I hated the too loud music being pumped in at Solider Field when nothing was happening, especially pre-match.

  7. Great crowd in sections 222, 223 where we were sat! That second half was what we were all craving!

  8. Personal favorite moment...I started a chant (semi-original?), which was picked by 100+ in 222/223: "No Wilson, No Party!" (to the tune of No Scotland, No Party.)

• Improvements: Liverpool fans filled the 100 level in Leeds end! Was that by design? TV Broadcast focused on the lower bowl and consequently our perceived contribution was visually reduced. TV broadcast was awful. No microphones in either end to pick up crowd contributions. So it didn’t seem like 50,000 people were there. Fan fest from Leeds perspective was still lacking Enjoyed: I love my « tribe » Fados was okay. Embassy was brilliant Buses were a great idea Our end was a great atmosphere Real fans. Couldn’t hear Liverpool fans at all except for before game.

• Had a great first in-person experience with the team, though overall the Leeds presence felt a little underwhelming/disorganized. That said, getting to meet with former players and the match itself was great, and hope that this event can be built on for future preseason tours!

• The Leeds section should have included the lower level pitch side. On TV it seemed to be all Liverpool. The fan zone was not prepared for the fans to shop for Leeds apparel. The venue was on the same weekend as lallapalooza, which made it impossible to get a hotel for a reasonable price. The fact that Leeds won the Summer Series and did not get a trophey was suspect and careless.

• Post party at the Embassy was an 11/10. I didn’t stay at Fado long due to a personal obligation but it was kind of an awkward venue with how it’s set up. The fan zone wasn’t bad it was your typical fan zone for a friendly.

• Fan zone needed more organization and more merchandise. Should’ve been set up well before anyone got there. More merchandise. Liverpool made us look like amateurs.

• The meet at Fado’s was too cramped. Otherwise, absolutely incredible.

• Just like Tampa. No merchandise available other than a couple things. We looked like a League One outfit once again. Fado wasn't a big enough venue. Most never even saw the legends bc the upstairs was at capacity at 4pm already. A real shambles

• Player meet and greet. Active players

• I have 10s because the overwhelming fact of the matter is that I got to bring my family to a Leeds game on a sunny summer day and we won. Nothing takes away from that, and I’m thankful for everyone who made that happen. Regarding the positives - I really want to thank the team for helping organize the fan zone ahead of time. My family and I did the photo booth and then got our pics autographed by the former players (who - it has to be said - were incredibly warm and gracious with everyone). It also obviously worked out amazingly to have had the Leeds fans sit in dedicated sections so that we could sing, cheer, and have a great time. I sincerely hope that there’s another American tour in the not so distant future. For improvements - 1) it would have been AMAZING to have more merchandise for sale. I haven’t ordered from the team shop since the tariffs hit. I was appreciative of there being the home and away kits, but the team could have brought EVERYTHING like Liverpool did. I was ready to spend the money. 2) speaking of spending money - tickets. I’m a die hard and I was happy to spend the list price to attend the game with my family. However, the tickets were way too expensive for the casual fans. For example, I bet you I could have talked my in laws and nieces/nephews to come out of the tickets were more in the range of $30. It would have been a sell out. And everyone there who sees Leeds win is a possible future fan.

• Much more merch available at this game; thanks! The fan zone was much more energetic and well-stocked with drinks and activities.

• I liked that there was a dedicated LUA section in the stadium. The atmosphere in that section was amazing. I was disappointed that their wasn't much Leeds merch available for purchase. It would've been nice to have a larger selection in person, especially since shipping and tariffs add a lot to orders from the official Leeds United webstore.

• Do not drive to Soldier Field on a Sunday when Lollapalooza is on. What a mess after the match. ☹️

• A bigger venue would have been good instead of Fado’s. Fado’s was good but we couldn’t hear the legends on the microphone. The Leeds end of the stadium was like an away game in England, excellent atmosphere. It was nice to hear MOT and Kaiser Chiefs played there. Great to meet Leeds legends.

• I believe some Leeds fans had issues with disabled access

• LUFC at the Liverpool game felt like an afterthought because of its disorganization compared to the Liverpool crew. The lack of communication from the club specifically in my case about the river cruise was nonexistent and did not make me feel anything but ripped off. I had to call the club. I had to email the club to find out anything about the cruise and then I had to do the same to get my money back. For club is big as Leeds United. You would think they had some team in place to be able to pull these kinds of get-togethers off. We looked sub par and we looked not serious compared to what Liverpool had going at the Fan Zone. The supporters were of course 1000% fabulous.

• I know it was just a friendly, and I know it was pretty lackluster for the English United fan, but it was the most amazing sporting experience I have had (and I have been to many). 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. It gave me a small taste of the community that is LU fandom. The club did not do much to add to the experience, which was a bummer. Really wanted some merch but they did not bring nearly enough. But, that did not matter. I spent nearly $2500 all said and done on this experience, and it was well worth it. MOT, and thank you for all of the work you put in to make this happen!

• No chance to get merchandise at game?

• Thought Fan zone would have had beer so turned up early. Was just the stall to meet the ex players and shop

• The LUA Ticketmaster link to buy seats in the Leeds Section was confusing and caused some of our group to split up due to lack of clear communication. Not this was the club or Ticketmaster. Bring more Merch to Fan zone events please Great the 4 legends were in attendance Have at least one autograph signing session with the players

• Enjoyed : Whatts apo group, embassy, coach arrangements, meet the legends. Well organised Improvements Fado not big enough,no announcements legends upstairs, leeds fan zone area very secondary to liverpools, fan zone (leeds) not set up for opening. Merch late, Overall it was very well organised by volunteers and should be applauded. Things are not going to be 100 per cent its trial and error for a unique visit. Hard to guage numbers and expectations but overall it worked. We loved chicago and info about the city was very helpful.

• Fados was a terrible venue. Fanzone didn't have Leeds Merch or anything exciting. Soldierfield was a great stadium and Chicago a great city.

• I think the club blew it by not bringing more merch to the fan fest. Lots of folks looking for stuff to buy and avoid tariffs.

• Discouraged by the fan meet up sound quality at legends, I decided to forgo fado, (I would have had to drag my wife to is as well lol).

• Meetup was stellar but venue too small (a good problem to have). Fan zone chatter suggested it wasn't worth the visit. Match itself was great, just sorry it felt like Anfield away. Why did I get so much LFC marketing and almost none on behalf of LUFC?

• Fanzone could have been better specifically more Leeds merchandise. Overall great weekend between Fado’s, Embassy soldier field brilliant.

• The meet up at fado Irish bar was a bit disappointing as it was on 3 different floors it's spoilt it as not everyone was able to see the players or get pictures and signed stuff

• Fan zone was small and heavily favoring Liverpool. Not enough bars.

• Fado was ok and the people attending made it. Didn't see any ex-players as it was split level. Could hear briefly but not as well thought out as NYC Legends. Giant shoutout to the Embassy though. Buses were well organized and easy...great idea and got to and from the stadium with ease. Pub is cool too...no complaints and tons of good service. Fan Zone at SF was great. Alot for the kids and buzzing. Weighted toward Liverpool and it showed. If the Sports Illustrated was our home game we should have done more there. Game was spot on. Result helped but I will say having a dedicated Leeds section made it impossible for Liverpool fans to compete. We were totally outnumbered but the atmosphere in that section was spot on.

• Fado layout was too hard to get around upstairs was closed off to some fans when the players where upstairs the players didn’t interact as well as they did in legends

• Great game, great energy! We were outnumbered by the Liverpool fans, but we were the loudest and proudest! Can't wait for more of these American Tours! MOT

• Enjoyed the concentrated fan section in the stadium. Fado was great. Would like to have had interaction with club officials / representatives. Would like to have had a concentrated Leeds area in the fan zone. Great job overall by LUA. Thank you.

• I really enjoyed Fadó and the match at Soldier Field. I did not make it to the Fanzone. . It was great to see the players at Fadó. It accommodated a large crowd well but one slight disadvantage was that not everyone could make it upstairs to see the players.

• More/better merch needed. Wanted to spend $ but stand ran out before I could buy

• Sitting in the Leeds fan section was awesome! Experience the boys from Leeds UK was the best.

• The event at Fado was great fun and the staff were very accommodating. The fan zone improved from New York, but there was still a heavy presence of disorganization in the sense of timing, information being provided to supporters, and a lack of merchandise. By this point in the tour, it should not be the case that Leeds would have such limited offerings for people to purchase items that represent the club that they love. With as many Liverpool fans in attendance, our lack of presence in the fan Zone made us look very small. But just as David beat Goliath, the match was a thriller for those seeing the team play for the first time or for the 100th time. It was a truly awesome, unforgettable day.

• Fanzine was too crowded to stay there long and lines for autographs and merch too long (maybe do multiple booths next time so that folks can choose one through quicker), so we went inside. Low volume of merch was unfortunate, though there was a bit more than Tampa, but it was hard to find and they’d run out of lots by the time we got there. Shouldn’t be treated as a home game for one side for a friendly (though at least the stadium did play marching on together unlike Tampa but before the players came out). Game experience was incredible, obviously though Leeds sections should have been next to the field rather than upstairs.

General Comments (78 comments)

• Chris, you & your support team, be they wherever, do a great job.

• Great events, let’s do more!

• Lots of good and timely communication from yourselves and David Wightman for the Houston group. Website info was useful.

• Overall my experience was great going to watch Leeds United for the first time ever. Now i need to watch them live at home!

• Enjoyed meeting fans from all states and countries

• Thanks to all who helped make this happen

• LUA organization was fantastic but the club themselves have a lot to learn about marketing. Presence negligible in TPA and NJ. Plus there was an event in Brooklyn (Socceria) which nobody seemed to know about and the whole team was there! However also great to meet the legends and again many thanks to all at LUA involved in setting everything up

• I felt that Leeds United missed a big opportunity with lack of merchandise on offer. Liverpool appeared to have a better more organised offer. If Leeds United want to grow as a club then better merchandising and appearances by the team is vital. It appears that much more was made of New York than Chicago. With people spending a lot of money to visit these friendly games then a few more opportunities should be made available for the fans who traveled from across America and from the UK

• Match was very fun. All the goals occurred on our end which was a nice addition. Wouldn’t have minded a time for people to meet the players after or do any autographs or what not or like a Q&A.

• Meet ups should be at established fan club bars such as Embassy in Chicago. Embassy and busses were brilliant. A+ weekend and day thank you . Hope Leeds come again soon

• Ticket prices were a bit steep for friendlies.

• Overall good experience!

• It felt as though there was not much thought put into the experience for Dana outside of the matches themselves.

• See a few adverts and sales of different “local” club merchandise which i have purchased over the years but seen a lot of stickers and merch at the meets that have never seen advertised for sale, and merch only available in U.S. As i live in Canada and have family still back in the U.K. we would both love to be able to purchase these items as well.

• It’d be nice to start acting like a big club and have a marketing team that know how to capture fan engagement. Small giveaways/momentos go a long way for international fans. Better communication of the events too

• Post match meet up would have been nice

• Watched the replay on ESPN. They totally omitted our MOT song and only played the Liverpool one, in full with scans of the red support. That was a totally biased move and favored the other team. If one anthem couldn’t be recorded then none should.

• i really loved the unexpected pin and sticker trading. felt like we all had the same idea but maybe we organize it a bit more.

• Merchandise selection missed the mark. I understand demand is hard to project, but having only two kits and a handful of preseason-specific branded items made us look thin compared to the selection Liverpool offered. I’d have loved to see hats, scarves, training gear, and more. The lack of youth sizes was also puzzling. There was clearly an effort to make the match kid-friendly — the games in the fanzone, for example — but without youth kits available, there was no way to help “cement” that memory for the kids who were there. One suggestion for future tours: other clubs have run open training sessions for fans to attend. That would be a great addition if scheduling and facilities allow. You could even “ticket” it through LU Americas to filter attendance, make it more intimate, and ensure the crowd present is there for the right reasons. Overall getting to see my club here in the states was an incredible experience. I hope the US will be frequently considered for preseason tours for those of us that have challenges finding time/money to fly to Europe to watch Leeds in person. MOT

• Great effort Chris P and the rest of the team

• Overall, it was a fantastic experience but there is room for improvement.

• Great tour, and wonderful to see everyone out!

• Great event would do it again MOT

• The lack of Official Leeds merchandise available at Tampa and Chicago was pathetic. Most League Two sides would have had their acts together better than LUFC did.

• I thought it was a great starting point. Communication from the club could be better, non committal on events, backing out of Tampa night before within a few weeks makes planning/pro mo difficult.

• Great experience and hope they come back.

• I’m very disappointed that The Embassy did not receive more promotion or support from either LUA or LU for this event. In fact, it is not even mentioned in this survey. I understand that logistical considerations have to be taken into account, but The Embassy has shown extraordinary loyalty to both the Club and its supporters. They certainly were not making money by consistently opening at 6:30 a.m. for the two people who wanted to watch a match when we were in the Championship. They did it because they supported the community. The Club already makes it difficult for supporters to obtain kits and other merchandise that help us promote LU. That makes it especially disappointing that the pub which gave us a welcoming, accessible place to gather and support the Club received so little recognition or loyalty in return. Frankly, it feels like a betrayal of an establishment that has done so much for the fan base. Please do better moving forward.

• Great job by Chris Padden and all of LUAs - I hope we can have a game out west at Levi Stadium one day. Loved meeting the legends Tony Dorigo, Kucas Radebe and Becks at Fado - they were brilliant with the fans!

• Glad the game went our way but the on-site commercial options were not good enough.

• Thank you for organizing and for all the work that goes into these events

• Should have worked closer with LEEDS UNITED AMERICAS, our merch was fantastic from the individual branches

• Aside from a complete lack of branding compared to Liverpool, the merchandise was laughable. 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 tshirts, hats, and the two kits. It was embarrassing! Not sure if it’s even an LUA problem, but perhaps you can forward it on to the team.

• Meeting at Embassy on the morning of the game was a highlight, enjoyed being able to catch up with some folk there

• Thanks to everyone who organized, loved it!

• MOT!

• Well done to everyone! We had a blast and we know it all took a lot of hard work behind the scenes! Thank you for organizing which areas to sit in so we were all together - I dont think the other teams did that hence why some ended up in our section!

• Wonderful tour, do it every year.

• All seemed half arsed by the club and the organizers (and I dealt with both). LUA was great.

• Thanks for everything, took the whole family and enjoyed it. Lets build on the successes for next season or visit. Also, would have been cool to have had a big flag or something that all LUA folks could sign who were in attendance.

  1. The NFL are marketing experts. The 49ers are NFL.They need to show LUFC how it's done.

  2. C'mon back soon!

• City specific LUA merch and the LUA merch and shirt was brilliant stuff. Take my hat off to LUA, Chris, Ben, Valerie. Katharine. Great opportunities for us within club and location and promoter mandated restrictions. Thanks to all who showed up. What a fabulous family we are all part of.

• I loved the NY Legends venue. We had a blast!

• Please avoid large cities as parking, tolls, and hotel costs are pricing the average supporter out. Plus tickets were expensive only to see them for $50 each, closer to the game. Should have refunded those who already purchased. Plan better to have merchandise for sale. More freebies would have been nice as well. It was wonderful to meet the legends, they were so approachable, fun loving, and a joy to be around. I'm saddened that I wasn't called on in NY, so I was ready in Chicago to ask a question to the lads, hoping to get a gift, like they did in Tampa. Only to be disappointed that they cut the q&a short without taking any questions and I didn't get the chance to ask them.

• LUA carried the day. Let’s work on more collaboratively.

• Just a shame that those who traveled from far and wide and spent quite a lot. Nearly $2k for me to get to Tampa and Chicago and get hotels, especially in Chicago when Lollapalooza was happening. For all that travel to have almost nothing to buy from Leeds was ridiculous. Wrexham and Liverpool and so many options and their items cost less.

• Overall this was a great experience (my first match!) and I'm glad that these friendly tours are a thing that happens.

• I didn’t find out there was a VIP room until after I was at the event so I missed opportunity for me. It would’ve been nice to be able to get some club merchandise without having to order it with the overseas shipping.

• I want to thank everyone who had a part in making this happen. As stated above, I got to spend a wonderful summer day watching Leeds hang four on Liverpool on the second half of a game and see my children go crazy singing “Marching On Together” with some new friends. While I may dream of doing that at Elland Road, I know that this is the closest I’ll get. Thank you!

• What a treat to see Leeds in the US! Overall it was a delightful experience. We traveled from LA to NY and Chicago and would happily do it again.

• I had a lot of fun! This was my first time attending a Leeds game. I'm looking forward to going to Elland Road someday soon.

• I hope LUFC come back soon! Chicago was a really great time, like being at home with all of the Leeds fans there. The fanzone was a nice event, good to see lots of LUFC branding. The marketing can be done in lots of ways and it can really help to promote the club without having to spend too much money. It’s an investment, the club will see return. Also, little gestures to those who turn up (and spend a lot of money) go a long way. Employ some people to go hard on marketing here, people will be receptive to it!

• Embarrassing that other clubs merchandising was at a higher level, to the point where just a few leeds shirts sold under a Sunderland tent

• How do you not have the away kit for sale inside the venue?

• Leeds United supporters club of the Americas were amazing

• fair ticket prices. LUFC Americas did great to get social side together. West Coast next year?

• Before booking Venues worth consulting with experienced USA residents. Also the Legends in a corner of a pub roped off is disappointing for the majority.

• Open the gates earlier. I was told to get to the stadium early, around 2-3pm, for disabled parking as it’s first come first served and it fills up quick. There was NOTHING to do as the gates didn’t open until 6:30p

• For the leeds events - it would be great to have more structure to the day. Like a festival line up - where there’s an MC and we know what’s coming, and there’s an official signing line. I’ve run events for decades and structure is pretty important to the guest experience - and not hard to accomplish. This is feedback meant as my negative points - but I just want to say, I LOVED the lads being over in the US and I’m so grateful they came. I feel so far away from ER at times. And this was such a wonderful experience. I’d actually like to start a chapter of the LUA in Charleston SC - I see there isn’t one. How do I go about that?

• I'd have appreciated a better approach to merchandise sales.

• Tour USA again next year

• All LuA leaders need to get together to promote LuA specifically better deals for match day tickets\hospitality.deals at Elland Road . Leeds need to do better!

• Please do it again next season abroad

• If you’re going to play a friendly invest the proper time and effort into it.

• The experience in legends was amazing, loved every minute. JD, I was disappointed

• Overall I'd say the 2 locations, games and pre-events I went to were decent. I do think though the home city group should get invites to all events and not be left in the dark like NYC and BK Event. That did annoy alot of people who go week in week out and were excluded from what looked like the event of the tour.

• Yes don’t leave it so long next time to visit the states

• Met some great NYC whites

• Would love to see them come to the states again and play against teams in appropriate sized stadiums.

• The fan zones at the stadiums where not great would have been better if they where run by LUA outdoor setting with a few beers etc before the game would have been fine

• Please come back to Chicago!! And cheers to the LUFC of America, and the Chicago Whites at The Embassy. Paul and Tony are AMAZING representatives of the club! MOT!

• Overall a great and memorable weekend. Thanks to all who made it possible.

• Game was great need more of these games in the US

• One more note about the shirts: larger sizes would be great. Xl, XXL, XLT (for tall folks)

• MOT. Come to the Bay Area next year!!

• Same again next summer

• There is hope and room for improvement for how the club treats American supporters. There were times during the tour where this group of supporters was both celebrated and also left to feel like an afterthought. There is middle ground to be had between those two extremes. Understanding that the same experience can't be recreated perfectly over and over, the vast differences between each tour stop were obvious. Hopeful for the club to take this feedback in stride to do better next time and to recognize the value of this group of supporters.

• Thanks for doing this and we’ll be there next time!