Ferran Soriano: City positioning themselves as “club of the future”

[Prestwich_Blue]

Interesting but it should be ringing some alarm bells as well.

For one thing, he’s given that interview to an Argentinian newspaper, not the Guardian, Telegraph or even the Financial Times, which is increasingly writing about the business of football. So if Ducker hadn’t picked it up we may never have known about it. Has he ever directly addressed us, via a fans’ forum, City TV or something like that? Not that I recall apart from some £x+VAT meal he did once.

And to add to that he makes an implicit statement that it’s all about foreign fans. The rags have found that it’s very difficult to monetise foreign fans. The focus should be on domestic ones, particularly those of us who go to matches regularly. If in 10 years time we can look back at 4 or 5 CL wins and 6 or 7 PL titles then the fans will come. My feeling is that in the rush to set up the CFG and the desire to promote the name of Abu Dhabi globally, the fans in Manchester are seen as the least important part of the equation.

 

[bobbyowenquiff]

We have stolen a march on our rivals because we have created a new business model. Spreading our costs across the City Football Group coupled with huge infrastructure development is generating huge revenues. Regenerating Manchester by building thousands of homes and the Campus will help to fuel those revenues. But we are also starting to do this in New York and other places where we have bases.
The longer our enemies rant on about "oil money" the easier it will be for us to overtake them commercially. They are too stupid to see that this project is about making Abu Dhabi commercially viable and sustainable without oil revenues. Our owners have already trebled their money on their Manchester investment. The Glazers and clowns like Ed Woodward are out of their league.

 

[aguero93:20]

They're still in Europe tbf

The "We beat Porto and Man City" cup double?

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

We have stolen a march on our rivals because we have created a new business model. Spreading our costs across the City Football Group coupled with huge infrastructure development is generating huge revenues. Regenerating Manchester by building thousands of homes and the Campus will help to fuel those revenues. But we are also starting to do this in New York and other places where we have bases.
The longer our enemies rant on about "oil money" the easier it will be for us to overtake them commercially. They are too stupid to see that this project is about making Abu Dhabi commercially viable and sustainable without oil revenues. Our owners have already trebled their money on their Manchester investment. The Glazers and clowns like Ed Woodward are out of their league.

I think you are right about business models, though ours is very long-term. My view would be that American owners had a simpler model: put all football decision-making power and control in the hands of an autocratic manager at United, who's now retired, and at Arsenal, who is now senile.

When those have gone, there's an enormous vacuum of football knowledge making a sucking sound at both clubs, filled inadequately by money at Utd, and filled hilariously by ArsenalTV at the Emirates.

 

[Shirley]

Interesting but it should be ringing some alarm bells as well.

For one thing, he’s given that interview to an Argentinian newspaper, not the Guardian, Telegraph or even the Financial Times, which is increasingly writing about the business of football. So if Ducker hadn’t picked it up we may never have known about it. Has he ever directly addressed us, via a fans’ forum, City TV or something like that? Not that I recall apart from some £x+VAT meal he did once.

And to add to that he makes an implicit statement that it’s all about foreign fans. The rags have found that it’s very difficult to monetise foreign fans. The focus should be on domestic ones, particularly those of us who go to matches regularly. If in 10 years time we can look back at 4 or 5 CL wins and 6 or 7 PL titles then the fans will come. My feeling is that in the rush to set up the CFG and the desire to promote the name of Abu Dhabi globally, the fans in Manchester are seen as the least important part of the equation.

Some very valid points you make which may explain why our local fan base has not expanded as I think it should have considering the football we are currently playing and the success we've had since the takeover, hence the delay with the north stand expansion.

 

[aguerrrroooooooooooo]

Most of their income is through advertising.

Over a billion profit on £12bn revenues.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jul/29/sky-profits-rise-customers-germany-italy

They paid about £4.2bn for 3 years which is roughly £1.4bn P/A
They're paying about 12.4% of their yearly revenue for premier league alone which is considerable.
In comparison I think they only payed £1bn for 5 years worth of F1, which is £200m P/A and less than 2% of their yearly revenue.

 

[aguerrrroooooooooooo]

The "We beat Porto and Man City" cup double?

They're servicing the parade bus as we speak

 

[SWP's back]

They paid about £4.2bn for 3 years which is roughly £1.4bn P/A
They're paying about 12.4% of their yearly revenue for premier league alone which is considerable.
In comparison I think they only payed £1bn for 5 years worth of F1, which is £200m P/A and less than 2% of their yearly revenue.

Yep. Football was the shrewd choice to get sky going and it’s been their bedrock ever since.

 

[aguerrrroooooooooooo]

Yep. Football was the shrewd choice to get sky going and it’s been their bedrock ever since.

Not a surprise nobody's been able to poach the PL from them.
I'm still surprised BT nicked the champions league from them but I can't see the numbers being in the same stratosphere

 

[aguero93:20]

Not a surprise nobody's been able to poach the PL from them.
I'm still surprised BT nicked the champions league from them but I can't see the numbers being in the same stratosphere

UEFA are pissed off with BT's viewer numbers, shouldn't have taken it off free to air on Tuesdays then the clown.

 

[1.618034]

Kiss me where the sun don't shine. The past is yours but the future's mine.

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

Some very valid points you make which may explain why our local fan base has not expanded as I think it should have considering the football we are currently playing and the success we've had since the takeover, hence the delay with the north stand expansion.

But don't you feel like City would need to "convert" die hard rags over to truly grow the local fan base? That's going to take a good long while, especially given the tribal nature of supporters (is not as ingrained here in the states) and it it starts with young people, so takes years to blossom. I suppose you could be converting the casual Manc football fan to a more rabid one, but I'd assume that bandwagoning impact would already have happened given the championships Utd won.

 

[aguerrrroooooooooooo]

UEFA are pissed off with BT's viewer numbers, shouldn't have taken it off free to air on Tuesdays then the clown.

They should've shown more FTA games I think to get people interested in the competition

 

[Blue Llama]

My feeling is that in the rush to set up the CFG and the desire to promote the name of Abu Dhabi globally, the fans in Manchester are seen as the least important part of the equation.

Seeing as promoting Abu Dhabi is the only motivation for putting money into City it would have been amazing if that hadn't been the priority.

 

[Easy]

Soriano made a good point. Kids today are watching football and becoming City fans.

Watching history in the making and will be fans for life. It is the clubs duty and goal to continue playing in the way and trophies are coming and will continue to come.

We already saw the likes of Naby Kieta and Dybala saying they would like to one day play for City. This will be more and more common.

Exciting times ahead.

 

[Tim of the Oak]

But don't you feel like City would need to "convert" die hard rags over to truly grow the local fan base? That's going to take a good long while, especially given the tribal nature of supporters (is not as ingrained here in the states) and it it starts with young people, so takes years to blossom. I suppose you could be converting the casual Manc football fan to a more rabid one, but I'd assume that bandwagoning impact would already have happened given the championships Utd won.

I agree with you up to a point mate. There are also a lot of young lads in Manchester who wear Barca shirts for kick abouts etc. They should be easier to convert to City than died in the wool rags.

 

[Charlie Chuck]

We already saw the likes of Naby Kieta and Dybala saying they would like to one day play for City. This will be more and more common.

Exciting times ahead.

Where have you read that?

 

[FogBlueInSanFran]

I agree with you up to a point mate. There are also a lot of young lads in Manchester who wear Barca shirts for kick abouts etc. They should be easier to convert to City than died in the wool rags.

Yes, starts with them I'd bet.

 

[kippax81]

15k according to telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance...992/More-pubs-get-sport-from-BT-than-Sky.html

When I was a pub landlord, Sky subscriptions were calculated against the rate-able value of the premises (don't know if they still are).

I looked into putting Sky in my pub in Docklands, I was quoted £36,000 per year and this was over 14 years ago. Told them to shove it. Had it installed upstairs in my flat for normal domestic price. It's a fucking rip off for Licencees.

 

[Fred_Quimby]

But don't you feel like City would need to "convert" die hard rags over to truly grow the local fan base? That's going to take a good long while, especially given the tribal nature of supporters (is not as ingrained here in the states) and it it starts with young people, so takes years to blossom. I suppose you could be converting the casual Manc football fan to a more rabid one, but I'd assume that bandwagoning impact would already have happened given the championships Utd won.

Very true. The rags were on top as football became a world game through satellite t.v. and it took them 20 years. It will take a lot of work and a lot of wins with attractive football to turn it around.