Man UnitedThey may have lost last night’s Manchester Derby but Man United remain 12 points clear at the top of the Barclays Premier League and a long way further clear in terms of commercial and merchandising revenue.
Yesterday they announced that the club’s training facility in Carrington was to be renamed as the AON Training Complex in a deal over eight years that is worth £120 million.
It is the latest in a dizzying switch of deals which has seen AON now move from front of shirt in 2014 to the training ground, Chevrolet step up from official vehicle partner to front of shirt and United increase their sponsorship income by 13% year on year.
While most other clubs in the top flight of English soccer still remain beholden to wealthy investors, United are the ones making the most of their massive global audience.
A large part of the growth has been in the dividing up of different rights according to geography.  There is no such thing any more as an official global partner of the club below the top line deals.
Instead you can sign up as a partner in different sectors according to where your main area of business is.  United are opening up an office in New York to complement the ones they have in Mayfair, London and in Hong Kong.
The pitch side boards last night were busy with Mandarin and Japanese ads competing for space with United’s own social media branding, Hublot’s announcing of time added on as part of their official timekeeper status and one old school ad for Mr Potatoes crisps whose glaring yellow and green branding stood out from the rest of the moody black and red colouring favoured by all others.
Man United is of course vastly different to any sport operating in Ireland, indeed around most of the world but there are still lessons to be learned.
The Champions’ League model showed that it was possible to divide up a major tournament among complementary brands and increase value as well as reach.
This was adopted successfully by the GAA with regard to the All Ireland Football and Hurling Championship and multiple sponsor deals often offer more by way of closer business cooperation, even if giving over an exclusive hold on consumer eyeballs.
With so much spoken of Ireland’s diaspora and the value of ‘Brand Ireland‘ it may also be possible, in some small way at first to create international value through Irish brands.
To be the official US, Chinese or Australian partner of the GAA or of Irish Rugby or Soccer may cost in servicing as much as it generates in income.
Tours of star players and teams may need to be adapted to encourage greater international buy in but in the long term, such a strategy can yield significantly more, even than a domestic market which will always be constrained by size.


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