The End of Premier League Title Contests? How Manchester City could get even richer, revealed
According to a prominent expert in data and insights, Manchester City has the potential to achieve a historic milestone by becoming the first football club ever to generate a turnover of £1 billion.
The expert suggests that the key lies in capitalizing on the desires of their extensive global fanbase. Despite currently facing 115 charges related to alleged breaches of the Premier League’s financial regulations, the data and insights company CLV Group believes that Manchester City has an untapped market that can be explored to boost their income and achieve this remarkable financial feat.
Deloitte’s 2022 Money League ranked City at the top with revenues of £731 million, closely followed by Real Madrid with £714 million. However, CLV Group argues that there are significant opportunities for Manchester City to engage with their fans and, consequently, generate more revenue.
“Digital platforms offer an excellent opportunity for Man City to engage with their global fans and generate additional revenue,” Neil Joyce, CEO of CLV Group, explained.
“The club should leverage social media platforms, create more exclusive content, and build a vibrant online community. By offering premium subscriptions or exclusive access to behind-the-scenes content, live matches, or interactive experiences, the club can attract a new loyal following and generate recurring revenue. I think they can be the first football club to turnover £1bn in the next 3-5 years”
Joyce asserts that despite the advancements in technology and the widespread reach of social media, many top football clubs primarily concentrate on core fan groups in their local areas. Manchester City, according to Joyce, falls into this category, but he believes there is a changing trend that they can and should take advantage of.
To support this claim, Joyce refers to research conducted by CLV Group, which focuses on Manchester City’s rival club, Manchester United.
The research suggests that United has a staggering 1.1 billion fans globally; however, they have a deep understanding of less than five percent of this massive fanbase. This finding emphasizes the significant untapped potential for Manchester United to better engage with their vast fan following.
“Unlocking the potential of the unknown 95% global fanbase can reap huge benefits in terms of increased revenue which in turn can increase the future valuation of the club by £1bn-£2bn,” he said.
“Many major football clubs already have enormous global reach but most of those fans will never make it to a game. In most cases, a few fans – if they’re lucky – will get to see a pre-season tour game or a meet-and-greet at a shopping centre.
“There’s a real opportunity to revolutionise loyalty and reward fans with what they want, raising revenue in the process, but clubs need to increase the pace on how they invest and mobilise these opportunities.”
Web 3.0, the next generation of the internet, is often seen as a potential avenue for generating revenue. Manchester City demonstrated their willingness to explore new revenue streams by forming a partnership with cryptocurrency exchange OKX in 2022.
This collaboration showcased the club’s openness to embracing emerging technologies and their desire to capitalize on the opportunities presented by the evolving digital landscape. By partnering with OKX, Manchester City indicated their interest in leveraging cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology as a potential source of revenue and engagement with their fanbase.
“Web 3.0, and in particular token-based memberships, have the potential to form the backbone of next-generation loyalty schemes akin to those of retailers and airlines where fans get the benefits they want, in an ecosystem they value, while clubs capture first-party data and drive new revenue streams,” Joyce added.
The End of Premier League Title Contests? How Manchester City could get even richer, revealed
