Liverpool are the fourth most popular English team abroad behind Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal and the seventh most followed in Europe, according to a global fan survey published yesterday.
Liverpool are the fourth most popular English team abroad behind Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal and the seventh most followed in Europe, according to a global fan survey published yesterday.
A separate club-by-club analysis shows that United have nearly five times as many overseas supporters as Liverpool and more than twice the figure for the next popular club. The Barclays Premier League champions command a following of 354 million, ahead of Chelsea’s 135 million and Arsenal’s 113 million, according to research by the Sport+Markt business consultancy. Liverpool’s foreign supporter base of 71 million puts them between AC Milan and Inter Milan in a European landscape dominated by Barcelona (270 million) and Real Madrid (174 million).
The way in which Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre has opened the distribution of television money in public rather than in private at a shareholders’ meeting has caused some irritation in the Premier League. Some see it as a distraction from Liverpool’s domestic problems and the absence of Champions League income this year. It has been pointed out that the gap in media income over a five year period between Liverpool and Bolton, to whom Ayre referred in his comments, is already £159m.
A positive report on one year of the Fenway Sports Group in charge at Liverpool is given here. As the author points out, the new stadium is crucial to the future of the club to increase gate revenues which are well behind those of United. However, gate money of itself will not fund the stadium and naming rights are crucial.