A report from finance consultancy Duff & Phelps has claimed that Premier League football clubs are missing out on millions of pounds by not having naming-rights partners for their home stadia.
During the recently-concluded 2018-19 Premier League season, just six of the 20 teams had a stadium sponsor: Bournemouth, Arsenal, Brighton & Hove Albion, Huddersfield Town, Leicester City and Manchester City. Only two of these – Bournemouth (Vitality) and relegated Huddersfield (John Smith’s) – had a stadium sponsor independent of their shirt sponsor and owner.
The number of stadium sponsors in the Premier League is in stark contrast to the NFL American football league, where 80 per cent of teams have such an agreement in place.
The BBC, citing Duff & Phelps’ report, said that the potential value of stadium sponsorship deals to Premier League clubs increased by five per cent from £135.5m (€154.6m/$172.5m) in 2018 to £142m in 2019.
According to the report, Manchester United’s Old Trafford – the biggest ground in the league with a capacity of 75,000 – is the most valuable stadium asset, with a potential £26.75m per season to be generated.
Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium is second on the list with a potential value of £21.9m, followed by Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium (£17.5m). Anfield, home of Liverpool, makes up the top four with a potential value of £16.9m and is followed by Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge (£16.75m), Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium (£16.65m), West Ham United’s London Stadium (£5.55m), Newcastle United’s St. James’ Park (£3.9m), Everton’s Goodison Park (£3.3m) and Leicester’s King Power Stadium (£3.2m).
“Multi-million-pound Premier League shirt sponsorships have been signed, multi-million-pound sleeve sponsorships are being signed, and it is only a matter of time until multi-million-pound stadium sponsorship follows,” Michael Weaver, managing director at Duff & Phelps, said, according to the BBC.
“Brands just have to be courageous enough to take the first step which will bring the market alive.”
Image: John Hickey-Fry
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