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Arsenal’s new sponsorship deal with Emirates Airlines will enable the club to spend on player retention and acquisitions, but the real action is not expected to occur until the summer transfer window. Arsenal’s kit deal with Nike expires in 2014 and they are expected to sign a lucrative new deal with Adidas which should further boost the funds available to them.
It took a long time for Asian nations to create professional football leagues. Even now, a lot of time is spent watching matches on television from the Premier League or La Liga. Globalisation spreads interest in football, and it both stimulates and constrains its local development.
Football still remains the most sponsored sport in terms of the sums of money paid out. The figures suggest that it earned $2714m in 2011, followed by the Olympics at $1275m. American football earned $1085m, followed by Formula 1 and NASCAR racing at just under $600m each. Companies from emerging countries are increasingly getting into sponsorship.
It has often been argued that the business model followed by the Glazers at Manchester United is doomed to failure. However, Ed Woodward, the Glazers’ London-based adviser, and in effect their representative on Earth, thinks that there is a case to be argued in their favour (as he would).
The following statement has been issued by Newcastle United Supporters Trust:
Tonights game between England and San Marino at Wembley is a sell out. This in spite of the fact that the microstate surrounded by Italy is the joint worst team in the world (they rank 207th alongside the Turks & Caicos islands). No doubt England fans will be hoping to see some goals, although it should be remembered that San Marino also have eleven men on the pitch and getting through a crowded goalmouth is not easy.
The row over Newcastle United’s sponsorship by payday loan company Wonga rumbles on, although at the end of the day the deal is likely to stay in place.
The Magpies may have suffered some reputational damage, although that is nothing new for them off the pitch under the present regime, but Wonga have got loads of free publicity. If no one had heard of them before, they certainly have now, although the downside may be increased scrutiny of their business.
In the wake of Wonga’s sponsorship of Newcastle United, the Daily Mirror has produced a list of the 10 most embarrassing shirt sponsors ever. Most of the embarrassment seems to relate to rather unfortunate names as distinct from the product or service itself.
The Scottish Pie Club has added a new category to the 14th World Scotch Pie Championship this year – the best pie available for supporters to buy at a Scottish football club.
A statement issued by Scottish Bakers, who run the competition with the Scottish Federation of Meat Traders claims that it is ‘expected to be a hotly contested category. [Groan] The Scotch Pie Club has recognised the ever growing popularity of a warming and tasty pie as part of the match day experience for football fans the nation over.’ That is true south of the border as well.
Some Newcastle United fans are unhappy about the lucrative new shirt sponsorship deal the club has concluded with Wonga, the short-term loan company that has been criticised over its high interest rates. Blackpool and Hearts already have deals with Wonga, but Blackpool has a slightly raffish air while Hearts has encountered serious financial problems. Newcastle is an established and major top flight club.