In 2014, football is far more than just a game. Not in the whole “life-or-death” way, but in a more business way. Football clubs have always been businesses, but in an age with huge sponsorship deals and foreign owners taking over, it is more noticeable than ever. Everything the club does – from signing new players to selecting a new printer – has to be thought of as how it will affect the club as a business.
Any big business is always looking for ways to exploit the market in ways that benefits them. Manchester City are no different from this idea, hence the ventures into the MLS and Australia (with New York City FC and Melbourne City FC respectively), two relatively unexploited areas, especially by English clubs.
America is one of those countries that desperately needed someone to take advantage of the growing football scene. David Beckham did that when he went to play for LA Galaxy – and now he’s doing it again with his new franchise in the States – whilst City are doing it by starting a new club along with the New York Yankees. The club was founded in May 2013, and since then excitement has been building in America and Manchester for the new project. They start playing matches next season, and have already signed some high-profile talent such as David Villa.
Melbourne City aren’t a new club, but they have been rebranded since City announced their deal to purchase the Melbourne club in January. The badge, kit and name have all been changed since then to bring the club into what is called the City Football Group, containing clubs all branded in a certain way. Melbourne have currently got David Villa on loan from NYCFC, as well as having signed Damian Duff, formerly of Chelsea and Fulham this summer.
One move that was lesser known to City fans because it was less publicised than the clubs in New York and Melbourne, is the minority stake that was purchased in Yokohama F Marinos back in May. The Japanese club were formed as the official team for Nissan Motors and are still owned by the car company, but City’s stake allows the Premier League champions to help out the J-League side on the footballing side of things. The partnership also led to a sponsorship deal between Nissan and City announced in July that provides benefits for both sides.
These ventures not only help City in terms of money in the wider footballing world, but it all counts as exposure. Football fans of New York and Melbourne may not have heard of City before, but they most certainly have now. That has a knock-on effect whereby City as a club and the CFG earn money over time
Some might criticise the City Football Group for creating what is starting to look a lot like a franchise, but people need to realise that football is now, above all else, a business. The old mantra “football is nothing without the fans” might still ring true in the lower leagues of football, but at the higher tiers there are a lot more streams of income, meaning bigger clubs could probably survive without huge attendances – which they still attract regardless.
Ten years ago all of this would seem like a big dream for City fans, a hallucination that was worlds away from being realistic. However it is happening, and it couldn’t be better received. The new training ground, the stadium expansion, the players, the overseas ventures; it’s all starting to add up after six years of foreign ownership. A lot of people backed City to still fail even with the investment – some of those people even being City fans themselves. It did look like it might do that in 2012 after City failed to improve after winning the league and ended up sacking Roberto Mancini after a trophy-less season.
Weeks later, Manuel Pellegrini came in and turned it around. Now City have won two out of the last three Premier League titles, have just won the double and are ever-growing and stabilising themselves as title challengers. Now, not only are City a big club, they’re also a big business. A big business who’re here to stay.
