WG

New Chelsea kit sponsorship deal

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Chelsea has signed a kit sponsorship deal with Nike worth £900m, the largest of its kind in the Premier League.  The 15-year deal is reported to be worth £60m a year.

The size of the contract reflects the rapid rise in the cost of football kit and sponsorship deals as the international audience for Premier League games has grown.

Chelsea ended its previous kit relationship with Adidas in May.   That deal had been worth £300m over ten years, but the club decided that it was well below market value.   

Spurs want to rename station

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Spurs want to change the name of White Hart Lane station to ‘Tottenham Hotspur’ in time for their move into their new stadium.   They are also exploring changing the name of a section of road leading from the station to the junction with Tottenham High Road.

Spurs are confident that they can secure the change for less than the £12m fee that Transport for London have asked for.   TfL plan to carry out major improvement works to the station including a new entrance and ticket hall.   White Hart Lane has never been an easy ground to get away from.

AFC Telford seek funds

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AFC Telford United are seeking a cash injection of £50,000 to deal with a cash flow problem.  Gate receipts have fallen and some costs have risen.   They also want to change the structure of the club away from control by a supporters’ trust to permit external investment.

They have been something of  a yo-yo club and there is always a trade off between financial prudence and spending on players that might bring promotion and higher revenues.

Bolton finances ‘on right track’

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Bolton Wanderers fans have been assured that the club’s finances are ‘on the right track’.   The club’s accounts, which were due in March, have not been submitted to Companies House, but this should happen soon.   It is one of the factors delaying the lifting of a transfer embargo on the club.

Second phase of football investment

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We are now into a second phase of global investment in English football, according to Rory Smith, writing in the latest issue of Four Four Two.

He argues that the Manchester City takeover in 2008 was a watershed.   The amount it cost Sheikh Mansour to turn City into a top class Premier League outfit was much more than the money spent by Roman Abramovich on Chelsea.

Brady’s controversial remarks

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Karren Brady is getting hammered on social media after controversial remarks she made at the Football Leaders conference in London.   She said that before West Ham moved to the London Stadium the club had no culture.   The move was essential to get the culture right and rebrand the club.

Why would anyone buy Coventry City?

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This is the question that has been posed by the Coventry Evening Telegraph.  Among their answers are the strength of the brand; a good catchment area with no rivals; low operating costs as tenants at the Ricoh; and a training ground that is a valuable asset.

Of course, one might ask why anyone would buy a football club.   Most owners lose money, with a few exceptions such as the leveraged buy out of Manchester United by the Glazers,

Checkatrade trophy still unpopular with fans

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The latest series of matches in the Checkatrade or Football League trophy shows that the new format involving Premier League under 23 teams remains unpopular with fans.

The biggest attendance was at the derby between rivals Swindon Town and Oxford United at 2,698, but in fact it was the lowest attendance ever for a A420 derby.   Just 457 saw Barnet face Norwich City.   Portsmouth against Reading under 23s attracted the lowest attendance since 1945 and the 609 at Grimsby to see them play Leicester City under 23s was their lowest ever for a cup competition game.