Raheem Sterling hits new heights and shows why sponsors are in hot pursuit September 11, 2019 Last month it emerged that Raheem Sterling was being courted by Air Jordan, the Nike sub-brand reported to be considering making him the face of a new range of football boots in a £100m deal. If anyone was in any doubt why Sterling is in line for one of the sport’s most lucrative ever boot [...]
The great Premier League giveaway: Why Sky Sports are handing over free highlights on YouTube September 4, 2019 Premier League football is an expensive commodity and to extract every ounce of its value broadcasters need to innovate. In February last year Sky Sports pledged £3.6bn to buy 128 live matches per season in the 2019-22 rights cycle. That might have worked out as a reduction from its previous deal – £4.2bn for 126 [...]
Summer transfer window: Premier League narrowly misses out on all-time record as £1.41bn is splashed August 8, 2019 When Premier League clubs voted to shut the transfer window before the season started the reasoning was clear: get business done earlier to avoid disruption on the pitch. The change, which began last year and had its second outing with deadline day, was not unanimously agreed upon, with five clubs voting against and one abstaining, [...]
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 – [...]