It’s been a rocky ride the last few months for Manchester City and financial fair play. They’ve been booted out of the Champions League for two seasons and it’s believed the Premier League will also be starting investigations.
City are appealing, with the main issue according to UEFA being the sponsorship at the club. That could see a downturn in revenue from the Etihad Airways as the club looks to adhere to regulations.
That in turn would affect how much the club could spend on wages, unless they found investment through other sponsorships.
Manchester City Announced New Exciting Partnerships
Manchester City are expanding when it comes to this and have recently announced a large number of partnerships, that only looks set to continue.
The club have built partnerships with Betsafe and Marathonbet as more online casinos sponsor football clubs, the latter of which also announced a mega deal with Real Madrid.
The casino and gambling industry has become a big source of income for clubs over the last few years, similarly to what beer brands and electronics were when the Premier League first launched in the 1990s.
However, the gambling industry is much more intertwined with sport as a whole, with many clubs enjoying record revenue through partnerships.
His gives Manchester City the opportunity to really expand in their partnerships and create revenue streams that previously haven’t been ventured.
Marathonbet was a first for City, and building into other industries will also be worthwhile in staying ahead of Financial Fair Play.
Gambling Sponsorships in the Premier League
While neighbours Manchester United have far from got it right on the pitch, commercially they continue to thrive, with everything from an official tyre partner, to gambling sponsor and most probably teeth whitening partner.
They’ve created new streams to ensure what they bring in is in line with the money they spend on players and wages.
As a wider point, gambling sponsorships in football is worth around £350million in the Premier League alone, with half of sides in the top flight having a shirt sponsor related to gambling.
In the Championship, 17 of 24 sides are sponsored by gambling firms, the most high profile being 32Red at Derby County.
Everton are perhaps the biggest club currently sponsored by a betting brand, raking in almost £10million per year.
While that is significantly smaller than the £45million Manchester City receive from Etihad Airways, brands in the industry would likely look to break records to claim shirt sponsorship at a top four side.
That is unlikely to happen at City, but the price paid by Marathonbet will have been significant.
Manchester City Is Super Attractive to Sponsors
The club are in an excellent position to continue to build their brand. They are now regularly seen with sponsors.
The DSquared2 deal recently noticeable as City players travelled to Madrid for their tie with Real. That isn’t the first time players have worn specific travel wear either.
They also have partnerships with Nissan, Nexen Tire and SAP to name a few. The next step is undoubtedly to branch out further.
Conclusion
Casino and gambling is a market that could be further explored for City. They’ve stayed relatively safe with it so far, but clubs all over the world are building hefty partnerships, which the club could continue to do.
Of course, City are appealing their ban from the Champions League, and the only thing they need to think about is the progression commercially.
Fail and there will need to be more revenue streams coming into the club to ease the pressure they face with the governing bodies.
It’s certainly a landmark case and will be interesting to see how it plays out. One thing Manchester City could certainly look to do though is taking a gamble on the gambling industry to significantly enhance those streams of revenue.