Even now, in the early days of the Roc Nation-KS Cracovia union, there are certain goals. The first is to really tell the story of the club’s 120th year. The aim is to amplify that, take it out of Poland and show it to the world. This is a club with history, both Yormark and Amdurer say, but it’s not a history known by many outside of Krakow. How can they build interest in that history and, more importantly, how can they build interest in a club and city that is not currently one of soccer’s premier destinations?
Part of that comes off the field. Naturally, Roc Nation plans to help KS Cracovia find new uses for their stadium, turning it into a concert venue that alters how the facility is used. It can be the heartbeat of the local community, yes, but also a destination that draws different types of fans to Krakow. Drawing new fans leads to commercialization. That leads to new deals, new stories, and a new profile that help lead the club onto a bigger stage.
There’s an on-field aspect, too. Despite the fact that the sport is blossoming into something new culturally, there is still a central baseline of actual soccer. Roc Nation, through their agency contacts, can help with that, too.
“Africa is a big market for us,” Yormark says. “We do a lot of recruiting there, and we would hope that we would have an opportunity to move some of our players in Africa to their club. We see their club as a trampoline club where young players can go and develop and move to a bigger club. Bringing in great young talent, I think it’s a great opportunity for them.”
In general, though, this won’t be easy. It’s simple to point to examples of clubs that have succeeded, like Wrexham, for example. That club was lightning in a bottle, though. It was a mix of Hollywood owners, Welsh charm, a reality show, and the right sort of storytelling. It’s almost impossible to replicate, at least at that scale.
So what is success for Kracovia? It’s a complicated question, but also a straightforward one. To put it simply, the club just wants to be bigger and better than it is now.
“In five years, I’d love for football fans from all parts of the world to recognize our colors, not just because of a scoreline, but because they’ve seen our stories or engaged with our content,” Amdurer says. “In 10 to 20 years, success is Cracovia being a multi-purpose cultural destination. We want our stadium to be a hub for international events – music, entertainment, and sport – all while keeping that deep, local community connection that makes us who we are. We’re aiming to establish a bridge between a prestigious past and a global, modernized future.”
KS Cracovia aren’t the only club Roc Nation is working alongside. Mamelodi Sundowns, Como, Burnley, and Marseille are also being consulted by the organization. On Thursday, though, it was announced that the organization had just added another partner, one with a unique global reach.