There is one little remaining benefit, which is that you can log into any club's player which uses the same software. So although that isn't any real benefit to me, as I generally have no real interest in any team other than Saints, I do have a wee look at AFCB's archived match stuff occasionally. In fact, when I discovered I could do this, a few seasons ago, I logged into every south coast club's player I had the remotest interest in. Saints got wind of this and tried to block me from the Saints player because I was logged into so many other players. Since then I know that if I log into another club's player I should log back out when I leave it. Then there are absolutely no problems. Should've known that really.
So is it possible for me to become a member, from Croatia? There aren't many advantages, bu I'd like to have a membership card. Here, when people ask me what club i support, they find it hard to believe that I support Southampton. It's not unusual for a football fan from Croatia to support foreign club; everybody does it. Only most of the people are fans of giants like Real, Barcelona, Juventus, Manchester United and so on. So when I say i support 'lowly' Southampton, nobody takes me seriously. So I want to show them my membership card and say 'Listen, I payed 25 pounds for this, I am a ****ing supporter of Southampton, all right?'
That's my thing, too. I don't know why there is virtually no attempt to market the team internationally. Let me pay $30 USD and send me a crappy bumper sticker and an ugly t-shirt. That way at least I'm driving around town with a Saints logo, or maybe wear the t-shirt when I go watch a game at a bar. It makes me feel like "Yeah, I'm a real supporter." and other people finally realize that Saints is a real team.
That has been virtually no attempt to market the club overseas. That is changing. Krueger has been very busy since his arrival. He doesn't just sit there and talk. He sits there and talks to the right people.
I'm sure Krueger is busy doing something. But reaching out directly to international fans is definitely not it. I'm on the Saints Newsletter emailing list or whatever. How hard is it too send out an email saying 'Hey, thanks for following us overseas?" Also, how hard is it to have a currency exchange on the online store for Euros or USD? Or a form that doesn't assume I live in a "Town" and "County?" Or an alternative language. It's not that I need these things personally, I'm just pointing out that these are pretty much the minimal cost/effort things that can be done by any team making a half-assed effort. Look at Manchester United's or Liverpool's website and then look at Saints. The difference is immediately obvious. As far as I know, Southampton does not have a single soccer camp in the US. And that is also not hard. Camps (and the sometimes unscrupulous people who run them) are always needing $$ and sponsorship. You just chuck a couple hundred bucks at someone and send the lowest rank academy coach over here as a "scout" and the kids are like "WOW I TRIED OUT FOR SOUTHAMPTON!!" and become fans. West Ham and Crystal Palace have a much bigger and more active presence than Saints (which is basically 0) where I live.
The truth is, Krueger has been busy, and he's making Saints have a presence in the States and Canada, where his name counts for something. Also, Saints have [and had] Football [please, not Soccer] camps in Australia and Africa, and elsewhere I forget, and that was even before Liebherr stepped in. It is true there hasn't been any of that direct reaching out to overseas fans and that will undoubtedly change. They are running as fast as they can, but 125+ years of being a cosy little family club is something that takes a while to work out of the system. Why not email them..? Can't hurt.
TBH, Krueger's name counts for nothing in the US and may actually count for less-than-nothing in Canada.
