A Netflix of football: Would it make business sense for the Premier League to launch its own streaming service? August 7, 2019 The new Premier League season starting on Friday also marks the start of a new broadcast rights cycle and a debut for Amazon Prime’s coverage. Over the top (OTT) sports services are here to stay and there is no shortage of analysts who feel the rights market has peaked. Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan [...]
Andrew Pozzi interview: Team GB world champion hurdler on his passion for business and choosing athletics over a career in the City July 24, 2019 His time and effort may be taken up by how to clear a handful of hurdles as quickly as possible, but Andrew Pozzi has plenty else on his mind. The 27-year-old world indoor hurdles champion over 60m is currently working hard to translate his success into medals over 110m. Last year he moved from Loughborough [...]
Football needs spending caps, open auctions for players and fairer distribution of revenues or an increasingly narrow group of clubs will prosper July 21, 2019 As memories of a tumultuous 2018-19 season fade, it is tempting to believe all is well with the beautiful game. Scratch the surface, though, and it is apparent that football faces formidable challenges as market forces tighten their grip on its evolution. From the growing influence of a small number of global super clubs to [...]
Why Roger Federer’s Laver Cup should be a smash hit with brands keen to engage with a tennis audience July 11, 2019 Late in 2016, tennis legends including Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer and John McEnroe unveiled one of the most innovative concepts in the game’s modern age, the Laver Cup. Created by 20-time grand slam champion Federer, the tournament pits Europe’s top six male tennis players against counterparts from the rest of the world over three days [...]
Going, going… Dons: AFC Wimbledon aiming to raise £7m using crowdfunding to pay for new Plough Lane stadium July 8, 2019 AFC Wimbledon are a club founded by fans and now, 17 years on from their rebirth, they are hoping their supporters can help lay the foundations for a move back to the corner of south-west London they call home. The Dons are building a new stadium at Plough Lane, which they believe will be ready [...]
Stevenage FC launch share offering as they seek £1.2m boost to promotion ambitions June 3, 2019 For clubs scrambling to scale the ultra-competitive English football pyramid it can pay to go against the grain. Ambitious Stevenage FC are doing just that with an innovative equity offering designed to give them a leg up into League One and, later, the Championship. Chairman and majority owner Phil Wallace hopes to raise £1.2m by [...]
Champions League final prize money 2018-19: What Liverpool and Tottenham can earn and how winnings have trebled in a decade May 30, 2019 When Barcelona conquered Europe for the first time in Pep Guardiola’s reign, beating Manchester United 2-0 in the 2009 Champions League final in Rome, it banked the club prize money of €31m. A decade on and the winners of this year’s competition – either Tottenham or Liverpool, who meet on Saturday night in Madrid – [...]
Aston Villa hit £170m jackpot after promotion gambles pay off against Derby County May 27, 2019 It tends to take a gamble to escape the bear pit of the Championship. Aston Villa have bet bigger than most and now, with victory in the play-off final over Derby County on Monday, they have scooped the £170m jackpot that promotion to the Premier League guarantees. Villa were rewarded for rolling the dice on [...]
Football’s most lucrative match stagnates in value amid Premier League rights growth slowdown May 22, 2019 The Championship play-off final, which takes place on Monday at Wembley and pits Aston Villa against Derby County for the last remaining spot in next season’s Premier League, is well established as the most lucrative one-off match in the world of club football. Worth an estimated minimum of £170m to the victors – 10 times [...]
McIlroy tops list of the UK’s top 20 richest young sports stars May 11, 2019 Golfer Rory McIlroy is the UK’s richest young sports star, it was revealed today as the Northern Irishman topped a list otherwise dominated by footballers. McIlroy’s wealth hit £138m in 2019, the Sunday Times Rich List revealed, putting him ahead of second-placed Gareth Bale on £94m. Read more: Sam Torrance: McIlroy is at ease and [...]