Foursquare co-founder wants to kick-start U.S. soccer
Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley on Wednesday said he wants to adopt Europe’s method of providing opportunities for lower level soccer clubs to move their way up through different leagues.
“In terms of the way that the game is structured here in the U.S. from the perspective of different leagues, we want that to look like the way the game is structured you know throughout the rest of the world,” he said.
Crowley, who is chairman of the Kingston Stockade F.C., said he doesn’t want to change the rules of the game but rather modify the way soccer is structured in the U.S.
“One of the questions I get asked all the time is, ‘you know we won our conference this year. Like what if we win the entire league next year, then what?’ We never have the opportunity to move because those systems don’t exist yet,” he said.
The Kingston Stockade F.C. is a men’s soccer club in New York that competes in the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL), which is in the 4th division of the U.S. soccer pyramid.
Crowley explained why he wouldn’t sell his company for $1 billion.
Foursquare, a location intelligence company, is behind two apps, Foursquare City Guide and Swarm, which help people discover the world, share information about different businesses and attractions and check-in. Additionally, the company's understanding of how people move through more than 105 million businesses and venues, using both implicit and explicit check-ins, allows it to license location data to brands and technology partners seeking information on where people spend time.
When asked by FOX Business’ Stuart Varney on “Varney & Co.” if he would sell the company for $100 million or $1 billion, Crowley said: “We would not entertain those offers at this time. We probably would have conversations with people, but after building the company for eight years we’re in such an amazing strategic position right now that we want to see what the future holds for us.”
Crowley briefly explained why his company is so valuable.
“Foursquare right now is on a tear, like we are doing fantastically well. The company just hit 12 billion check-ins to date, and with all of that data we can do fantastic things for marketers and brands,” he said.