Football Partnerships

By Alex Kotler

Yellow card! Brown to tackle Premier League

The British government is poised to insert itself into Premier League football, with a series of proposals giving fans first option to buy for-sale clubs and requiring that teams make 25% of shares available for purchase by supporters’ groups.

The Labour manifesto, according to the report by Owen Gibson of The Guardian, is the result of Portsmouth’s financial collapse, the leveraged buyouts of Manchester United and Liverpool and other high-risk ventures. Prime Minister Gordon Blair is now on a ‘collision course’ with the Premier League, and one hopes that he doesn’t come in studs up for the tackle.

Is this unnecessary meddling or should the government be involved?

Read about it in The Guardian

Kardashian is no Bridge over troubled water

More important than an intervention by Gordon Brown is knowing with certainty that US reality television-star Kim Kardashian is not dating Manchester City defender Wayne Bridge.

While we try to keep it strictly business here on Football Partnerships, this story was to good not to give it press. Having recently split, again, from Super Bowl winner and New Orleans Saints running back Reggie Bush, Kardashian supposedly responded to the rumors of her new beau by revealing that she had no idea who Wayne Bridge was.

Apparently, this match is not quite the same one orchestrated by Cristiano Ronaldo’s handlers who had the Portuguese shopping in Beverly Hills with Paris Hilton.

Read about it in TMZ

Hang up! The line is tapped

Following the arrests of 15 people in Germany last November suspected of fixing over 200 matches in Europe, a further 40 were taken into custody in Turkey this past week.

Of those accused are former Turkish international Arif Erdem, now coach of Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyespor, and supposed ringleader Ante Sapina, who served time in Berlin for bribing German referee Robert Hoyzer.

How widespread is match-fixing? Does it happen where you live?

Read the report by Tim Mansel in the BBC

Seeing Blue. Seeing Red.

On American shores, Women’s Professional Soccer side Sky Blue FC and Major League Soccer franchise New York Red Bulls have taken different approaches to their marketing campaigns.

Seasoned PR and communications specialist Joe Favorito takes a look at each organization’s marketing approach and the challenges faced.

What is your brand’s strategy? Do you work from the community up or from the top down?

Read the original article

Platini pulls reigns on spending

UEFA president and ardent “anti-financial doping” advocate Michel Platini looks set to impose a plan designed to reduce and regulate spending by European-based football teams.

Willie Gannon, a featured columnist for the Bleacher Report, distills the report and isolates the numbers worth knowing. Meanwhile, Platini intends to run for a second UEFA term.

Did you know that debt owned by the English Premier League is almost four times greater than La Liga’s debt of £858 million?

Grab a seat in the Bleachers

By Alex Kotler

PlayBeautiful | The 2010 World Cup Experience

PlayBeautiful LLC is pleased to announce the official launch of PlayBeautiful | 2010 World Cup, an interactive, community-driven pop-up experience coming to New York City this summer for the entirety of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™.

Featuring real-time match viewing of every World Cup game, live demonstrations by the soccer industry’s top performers, video game competitions, film screenings, private events and an unparalleled retail environment, PlayBeautiful will be the top destination for residents and visitors to enjoy all of the excitement of soccer’s signature tournament.

“PlayBeautiful will provide New York City residents and visitors with a one-of-a-kind World Cup experience,” said Alexander Kotler, Executive Director of PlayBeautiful and Founder of Football Partnerships.

Please visit www.playbeautifulnyc.com for more information, follow @iPlayBeautiful on Twitter and join the PlayBeautiful group on Facebook for updates.

Gunners shooting down the debt-load

SoccerexBusiness Daily are reporting that English Premier League side Arsenal FC have reduced their debt from £332.8 million to £203.6 million, thanks in majority to £96.6 million in revenue generated by the sale of 261 apartments at Highbury Square, site of the club’s former stadium.

Said Arsenal non-executive chairman Peter Hill-Wood, in response to servicing the debt and a £10.7 million profit increase year on year: “How we will use this surplus remains undecided but, in addition to investing in the team, I think we will examine investment in club projects and infrastructure, both in and around Emirates Stadium.”

With English Premier League clubs owing 56% of Europe-wide commercial debt it becomes all the more difficult to point a finger at Arsene Wenger, an economist by trade, for his buying policy.

MP & Silva becoming “King of the Jungle”

SportBusiness is reporting an agreement between the Football Association of Malaysia and MP & Silva agency, whereby the latter will sell the international media rights of the Malaysian national football teams - the ‘Tigers’ - until 2016.

“As the home of Asian Football Confederation, Malaysia plays a prominent role at the heart of Asian football, and Malaysians are fervently passionate about football and their national team, and we are honoured to play a long-term role in the international distribution of Malaysian football,” said Nicola Antognetti, Vice President of Football Acquisitions at MP & Silva and a member of Football Partnerships.

What is the trajectory of Malaysian football in your eyes?

Read the original bit by Kevin McCullagh in SportBusiness

Tiring out all of Brazil

Continental AG, the world’s fourth largest manufacturer of passenger tires, has committed to serving as the Exclusive Tire Partner for the FIFA 2014 World Cup™ in Brazil.

Having recently reached an agreement to be an official sponsor of Major League Soccer, the German outfit is has its sights on expanding throughout the Americas.

“We have already laid the ground for worldwide marketing communication in the next few years by renewing the FIFA partnership through 2014. As a central communications platform, [professional] soccer has been shown to be extremely useful in enhancing brand awareness in our core markets and in contributing to a steady strengthening of our premium Continental brand’s market position,” explained Nikolai Setzer, Continental Executive Board member for Passenger and Light Truck Tires.

Is there value and/or ROI for Continental AG in being the ‘Exclusive Tire Partner’ of FIFA?

Read the original release here

English Premier League 24/7. Dear Lord.

EPL Talk revealed last week that the English Premier League will launch a 24/7 television service next season, with all content available for rights holders everywhere - except Great Britain.

Programming would include classic Premier League matches, news and discussion programs. By way of the Q17 rule, requiring all managers to attend in person and participate in post-match interviews, consumers can also expect more face time with Premier League gaffers. Sir Alex Ferguson on the BBC, anyone?

A host is yet undetermined, yet - like EPL Talk - Football Partnerships throws its support behind the little man of the one-liners, James Richardson.

Read the article by the Gaffer in EPL Talk

By Alex Kotler

US stays goo-goo over Gulati

Football Partnerships is pleased to congratulate Sunil Gulati on his re-election to another four-year term as president of the US Soccer Federation. Approved unanimously at the governing body’s annual general meeting, Mr. Gulati is an established multi-tasker who wears many hats, also including that of board member to the US Bid Committee for the 2018/2022 campaign to bring the FIFA World Cup to the United States, member of Columbia University’s economics department and soccer dad.

Some of us have our hands full taking out the rubbish and talking on the telephone.

Taking the game out of the show

Chinese CCTV 5 channel, owner of 85% of the nation’s sports television market, abruptly suspended the broadcast of the East Asian Championship tie between China and Japan last Saturday evening. Instead of the match again China’s fierce rival, viewers were treated to European gameshow Jeux Sans Frontier.

While no comment, nor recognition of the 0-0 result, has yet been offered by CCTV 5, it is suggested that this is part consequence of accusations against several Chinese soccer officials for match-fixing.

It appears that the solution is to punish fans for the alleged wrongdoings of members of the establishment. Fair or foul?

Read more from the original source

Where the knowledge flows like wine

According to the Belfast Telegraph, Burnley FC has unveiled a plan to redevelop its Turf Moor ground to include the nation’s first ‘football university’.

Referencing the club’s increased global visibility, courtesy of its current status as an English Premier League team, Clarets chief executive Paul Fletcher said: “The trick now is getting people here. The university would do that and allow students from across the world to learn about every facet of the business side of the biggest sports industry in the world.”

Regardless of where Burnley FC is positioned in English football this time next year, it’s safe to say that its executives have much homework and study ahead of them.

Read more from the original source

First time deal for region and category

FIFA have announced the signing of a sponsorship deal with Yingli Green Energy of China, the first time for a renewable energy company - and one from China - to support the World Cup.

As part of the agreement, Yingli will provide solar panels to assist with FIFA’s ‘Green Goal’ in South Africa. On Yingli’s part, the company will receive ticket, media and perimeter-board advertising rights and will get a chance to display and demonstrate its products in FIFA fan zones during the competition.

The best question is: Will the deal, like the energy, be renewable?

Read it and re-read it to save energy

Three’s Four’s a charm

English Premier League club Portsmouth FC have made headlines again, with Hong Kong businessman Balram Chainrai taking control to become the fourth owner of the club this season.

As quoted by Kevin McCullagh in Sport Business, Chainrai has “zero interest in buying Portsmouth” and has only acted to confiscate the shares of the previous owners. Wallowing at the bottom of the Premier League table, the club look likely to be relegated regardless of whether its enters administration.

Any guesses as to how long this scenario will last?

By Marina Hyde

“For potential owner,” reads a sports headline this week, “a background check worthy of the KGB.” Not altogether shockingly, this isn’t a reference to the Premier League’s “fit and proper person” test, nor indeed the Football League’s even ropier equivalent thereof. The article appears in the New York Times, and concerns the NBA’s deliberations over whether or not to pop its Russian oligarch cherry.

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By the gaffer

Fox Soccer Channel and the Premier League today announced that Fox Sports International has won the bidding for the rights to show the Premier League on US television for the 2010-2013 seasons. Fox has also won the similar rights for Central and South America to its associated company, Fox Sports Latin America.

Read the rest of the article