The BBC’s ‘Price of Football’ survey has reaffirmed the stout belief that the beautiful game is incredibly expensive. Aside from the revelation that the shocking standard of pies in English football will set you back at least £3, the far more concerning outcome surrounds the fact that ticket prices have risen by 11.7% – more than five times the rate of inflation.
As clubs continue to struggle with the growing financial demands of professional football, is the American advertising model the only means of securing long-term stability?
Despite the fact vast sums of money continue to pour into what is regarded as the most lucrative league in the world; very few top-flight clubs in England actually make a profit. Arsenal continue to defy expectations by repeatedly posting impressive streams of revenue, but it’s hardly surprising when you compare ticket prices at the Emirates with their fellow rivals. In 2010, Arsenal were the first club to break the £100 matchday ticket barrier, and today their most expensive ticket clocks in at a staggering £126.
To understand the importance and indeed potential of adopting an American advertising model, we have to revisit the revolutionary 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games. In the wake of the disastrous and financially crippling 1980 games in Moscow, organiser Peter Ueberroth encouraged external endorsement that enabled the games to be funded solely by private enterprises.
The games were incredibly successful on an unprecedented economic scale and helped established a format that future hosts would embrace for years to come. Nowadays there are official partners and sponsors in every possible commercial avenue, with a Mcdonalds now a familiar sight in the Olympic village after its debut back in 1984. The modern Olympics simply could not exist without the current level of investment, which is arguably the harsh reality football is destined for.
However, while many supporters still view football as a sacred institution, if such a historic and culturally significant event like the Olympics can benefit from mass advertising, why can’t football? Northern heavyweights Manchester United have quietly gone about gathering up a collection of Olympic-style ‘official partners’, which even includes Mamee, their Official Noodles Partner for Asia, Oceania and the Middle East.
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There are a growing number of marketing tactics that English football has incorporated from our friends from across the pond. The annual Sky Sports ‘Super Sunday’ fixtures feel increasingly like the Superbowl, with television commercials, posters and social media campaigns fuelling anticipation weeks before the event. Is it completely ridiculous to suggest that half-time shows or adverts during breaks in play won’t soon also accompany these fixtures?
One aspect of the American advertising model that is already a familiar feature is the concept of stadium naming rights. Thankfully we don’t have anything quite as bizarre as the Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, home of the Colorado Rapids, but it’s clear that clubs simply cannot afford to build a new stadium without sacrificing its identity. Mike Ashley recently notched up another colossal example of misjudgement when he decided to rename the pre-existing St. James’ Park and Liverpool had to move quickly to ensure fans that planned redevelopments to their home would not mean abandoning the name Anfield.
There’s certainly a risk that if clubs employ extreme measures to attract revenue, they will be inevitably reach a point of no return. It’s fair to say that advertising theatrics don’t tend to sit well with the typical football fan, and few would be happy if next year’s replica shirts featured the same garish plethora of sponsors that current decorates Santos’ shirt. However, such a high volume of sponsors accumulates a reported £12m a year for the Brazilian club, while three quarters of star striker Neymar’s (£936,000) monthly wage is financed by sponsors. Should clubs in England look to further utilise this tactic to ensure they can attract the world’s best talent?
The majority of fans in this country, rather unfairly in my opinion, still continue to mock the MLS. I will admit that the quality of football and examples of corny corporate exposure are sometimes embarrassing but there’s no disguising the rapid rise in growth and popularity. More and more accomplished internationals continue to flock to America in the twilight of their career and it won’t be long before the average age of ‘emigration’ rapidly declines.
It’s always been the belief that the MLS will be never be able to truly replicate the standard of European football, but I would argue that it’s the Premier League who are struggling to keep up and if it wants to continue to thrive then it could do worse than imitate the MLS and not the other way round.
Join me on Twitter @theunusedsub where Neymar celebrated his 200th game for Santos with a goal worth of £200k per week.