FEATURE PRE-SEASON TOURNAMENTS: Lucrative markets are bringing British clubs to foreign shores as they hope to boost their profile and incomes, writes SACHIN NAKRANI
AT WEMBLEY this weekend, Tottenham, Celtic, Barcelona and the champions of Egypt, Al Ahly, compete for a trophy nobody has won before and which may never be won again after the tournament ends tomorrow. The inaugural Wembley Cup, it is safe to say, lacks prestige but that is of little concern to the four clubs involved considering the other rewards.
Each is receiving a cut of one of the most lucrative close-season tournaments ever, with one analyst valuing it at €9 to €10 million. A large chunk of that comes from broadcast deals that involve the four-match event (Spurs played Barcelona in the marquee fixture last night) being televised in more than 90 countries. At a time when clubs are travelling further to boost their global profile in pre-season, the guaranteed TV coverage was a huge attraction.
The tournament has also been given a sheen by the presence of Barcelona but even without the European champions the event was always going to attract interest, put together as it has been by IMG, the international marketing company whose clients range from Kate Moss to Roger Federer. This is their first foray into football tournaments but the ambition is the same; to promote and enhance the profiles of those involved.
“There is a growing rationalisation among clubs regarding how their pre-seasons should be structured,” says Shiva Misra, IMG’s vice president of media football. “They want it to be more professional, more upmarket and know they can get that through tournaments such as this. But, of course, the Wembley Cup also provides clubs with the chance to promote their brand to an international audience, which is crucial at a time when the opportunity to sign foreign players and attract foreign customers is greater than ever.”
Hence the involvement of Al Ahly, whose fixtures against Celtic and Barcelona will no doubt catch the eye in Africa. Celtic in particular will hope to benefit from the exposure, having already taken a first trip to Australia this month to promote the club’s name.
They are not the only side from Britain to have been Down Under in recent weeks, with Fulham and Wolves also making the journey. In total 11 Premier League clubs are playing games outside of Europe this pre-season, with 20 countries being visited by the sides. Burnley, Chelsea and Everton, are undertaking games in north America, while Manchester United and Liverpool have made their regular treks to the far east. Manchester City have taken their newly acquired galaxy of stars to South Africa.
Overseas tours are far from new – Everton and Manchester United went to Asia as long ago as 1989 – but they are undoubtedly more common. That is hardly a surprise considering the riches on offer – United are expected to make about €4.6 million from their visit to Malaysia, South Korea and China while Chelsea and Liverpool will secure close to €3.5 million from their excursions.
Those outside the elite do not command such fees but there is still a worth in crossing continents, such is the customer base on offer. In 2007 the Premier League secured a €720 million deal for its overseas TV rights for the three seasons from 2007-08.
According to the accountancy firm Deloitte, 55 per cent of that deal is generated in the Far East so it is no shock the league has set up its own tournament, the Asia Trophy, which this year is being held in Beijing and includes Hull, West Ham and, a week after the Wembley Cup, Spurs.
The financial rewards of competing are relatively modest – each club will earn about €700,000 – but the long-term benefits are greater, as Portsmouth, winners of the first Asia Trophy in 2007, can testify.
“We’ve seen a big rise since then in the number of people from Asia visiting our website,” says Lucius Peart, Portsmouth’s head of operations. “These are new supporters and customers for us. The hope is to build on this on and off the pitch and make Portsmouth a global name.”
That is a sentiment espoused not only by marketing men but also by managers, including Alex Ferguson, who could justifiably have blocked the United squad from boarding a plane this summer after last year when Wayne Rooney was forced to miss the start of the season with a virus he picked up during the club’s visit to Nigeria in August for a friendly with Portsmouth.
But the Scot is, instead, understanding of the club’s reasons for spanning large distances during this period. “It’s part of the bigger picture for United,” he reflected recently. “We’re a club with global support and with that comes an obligation.”
Arsenal, in contrast, have never been outside of Europe for pre-season during Arsene Wenger’s time at the club, instead opting to visit countries such as Germany and Austria, where they are right now.
But Wenger does appreciate the need to raise the profile of the club, as demonstrated by Arsenal’s hosting of the Emirates Cup since 2007. Like its Wembley equivalent, the event involves four teams and is spread over a weekend, this year’s taking place on August 1st and 2nd and featuring Rangers, Atletico Madrid and Paris St-Germain.
The tournament lacks Wembley’s rewards, generating around €5.8 million – little more than half that of its counterpart – and is broadcast to only 40 countries. However the principal intention, of getting Arsenal noticed abroad, is being served. “The Emirates Cup has proved to be a winning formula for us,” says Arsenal’s head of marketing Angus Kinnear.
“It not only gives our supporters the opportunity to watch two very good pre-season matches from only £25 (€29), but also provides the team with high-quality preparation. Together with the fact it generates the club a healthy degree of revenue.”
And that is what it always comes back to. Misra is keen to stress not only the sporting benefits of the Wembley Cup, but also the opportunity IMG feels it offers to spectators. “People do not often get the chance to see Barcelona in the flesh for less than £30 (€35).”
Yet, ultimately, money and marketing opportunities are the main reasons why an African and a Spanish club will be playing in north London this weekend, and for the same reasons a host of English clubs will be getting down to business much further afield.
Guardian Service
