United land £210m shirt deal
31 July 2012
MANCHESTER UNITED have signed a
world-record shirt sponsorship deal worth £210million.
The seven-year contract with US
Car firm General Motors will see Chevrolet on United’s shirts from the start of
the 2014-15 season.
It is worth an incredible £10m a
year more than their current deal with AON.
The announcement was brought
forward to boost interest in a stock market flotation of 10 per cent of United
by the owning Glazer family in the US.
The £30m-a-year deal eclipses the
current highest shirt sponsorship contract of Barcelona’s with The Qatar
Foundation, which is worth £25m a year.
United’s deal with AON was worth
£20m a year over four years — and the one before that with AIG was worth £14m a
year.
United’s commercial director
Richard Arnold said: “This is a fantastic, long-term deal for the club.
“We have been partners with
Chevrolet for only six weeks, but they have produced some fantastic ideas that
will benefit both the partnership and our 659 million followers around the
world.”
The deal will help to offset the
£500m-plus that has gone out of the club to service the debt incurred by the
Glazers when they took over in 2005.
Alan Batey, General Motors’ North
America chief said: “We are proud to connect our brand, Chevrolet, with
Manchester United and its passionate fans around the world.To be only the fifth
name on the iconic red jersey is a genuine honour.”
United manager Alex Ferguson will
be hoping the announcement will boost his transfer war chest. He has never
complained about the Glazers, although fans have been waiting for a marquee
signing this summer.
They are trying to land Arsenal’s
Robin van Persie in a £15m deal and Brazilian wonderkid Lucas Moura. The
19-year-old from Sao Paulo will cost £30m.
The Glazer family intend to raise
around £200m from their 10 per cent United sale, which was announced last
night.
Previously, it was thought the
entire sum would be used to pay club debts currently standing at more than
£400m.
But the prospectus indicates only
half the sum will be used in that way — with the rest going directly to the
family.
And that will provoke more United
fan fury.
Top 10 shirt deals
1. MANCHESTER UNITED £30m
(General Motors)
2. BARCELONA £25m (Qatar
Foundation)
3. BAYERN MUNICH £23.6m
(Deutche Telekom)
4. LIVERPOOL £20m
(Standard Chartered)
4. MANCHESTER CITY £20m
(Etihad Airways)
4. SUNDERLAND £20m
(Invest in Africa)
7. REAL MADRID £16.8m
(Bwin)
8. CHELSEA £13.8m
(Samsung)
9. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR £10m
(Autonomy & Investec)
9. AC MILAN £10m
(Emirates)
9. NEWCASTLE UNITED £10m
(Virgin Money)
*ALL deal figures per
season
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