The Nascar-ization of Soccer: Teams Double Up on Sponsor Money
The English Premier League kicks off its 2010-2011 season on Aug. 15 and a ranking of the teams based on sponsorship revenue makes professional soccer look like an economic bubble: Nearly £100 million ($159 million) has been spent putting corporate logos on team shirts, about £28 million more than last year; at the same time, the sponsor ranks are dominated by finance and gambling brands rather than companies that actually make products or provide useful services.
Liverpool F.C. and Manchester United are top of the league with deals from Standard Chartered and Aon, both worth £20 million, respectively. Liverpool, Aston Villa and West Bromwich Albion all doubled the value of their sponsorships:
This breakdown of the sponsors by industry paints an unpleasant picture of economic priorities in Britain:
- Finance: 8
- Gambling: 5
- Airlines: 2
- DIY: 2
- Beer: 1
- Software: 1
- Electronics: 1
Only two clubs saw the value from their sponsors decline: Newcastle United and Sunderland, both of whom were promoted from second-tier football last season.
Tottenham Hotspur has the most innovative deal. It sold its shirt to software company Autonomy for league play only. It's hoping to add a second sponsor for cup play. That's potentially a clever move because the lower price for fewer games increases the number of sponsors who would consider Tottenham. At the same time, the club should be hoping that the combined price of the two sponsors will exceed what it could have gotten from just one. On top of that, diehard fans will want to buy both versions of the shirt, adding incremental revenue.
If Tottenham makes a success of this it could pave the way for clubs to sell home, away and third-kit shirts to separate sponsors. At that point, players will start to look like Nascar drivers, and it will be a matter of time before some bright spark suggests offering space on the back of the shirt as well as the front. Multiply all those variables and there's no reason -- aside from common sense or dignity -- a club shouldn't cut a deal for 12 different shirt sponsors in a single season.
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