Arsenal can overtake Real Madrid and become biggest brand in world, say owners KSE
Arsenal’s owners believe they can become “the biggest brand in the world” after being stunned by the global celebrations which greeted their long-awaited Premier League triumph this year.
Footage of Gunners fans swarming the streets of East Africa and monuments from New York City to Guangzhou being lit up red flooded social media before 1m fans lined North London for the trophy parade.
Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, whose multi-sport portfolio includes Arsenal, the NFL’s LA Rams and NBA’s Denver Nuggets, has taken note, said Kevin Demoff, KSE’s president of team and media operations.
“I think Arsenal can be the biggest global brand in the world,” Demoff, also president of the Rams, told sports industry conference Leaders Week London at Stamford Bridge.
“When you look at the opportunity in London and the success the team’s had, and when you look at the parade in Kenya, I think that’s what we’re all striving for. We build our global brands to model them after Arsenal.”
Arsenal have the third most valuable brand in football after Real Madrid and Barcelona, according to the latest ranking by industry consultants Brand Finance, thanks in part to securing their first Premier League title and reaching the Champions League final – both for the first time in two decades.
“Suddenly we realised that we had this latent set of fans that perhaps had been slightly dormant for 22 years that suddenly all felt that connection,” said Arsenal CEO Richard Garlick of the worldwide title celebrations.
“I share the optimism that Kevin has about the brand, but it’s the fact that we’ve got a successful football team, we’ve got a really strong women’s team, and we’re based in London. They give us a real advantage.”
Arsenal want to dominate for years, says CEO Garlick
Arsenal have further strengthened their position by confirming that manager Mikel Arteta has signed a new long-term contract, and Garlick believes they are well positioned to build on their title win and create a dynasty.
That ambition looks to have been boosted by the uncertainty surrounding the Premier League future of Manchester City, who face possible relegation after being found guilty of hiding more than £900m in owner funding.
“We can’t sit there, pat ourselves on the back, and say job done. This is the beginning, not the end of our journey,” he added.
“We want to go on and show the confidence that win is going to bring to us. We want to dominate football for the next number of years. We’re in a really strong position to do that.”