Etihad Campus, Stadium and Collar Site Development Thread

[SilverFox2]

Re: Etihad Campus, Stadium Development and Collar Site (cont

The City group is a little harder to get head around as the benefits aren't as clear to see, but these business people always talk about "brands." Having "sister" clubs in emerging football markets enhances our brand, the fact all three clubs have synergies enhances the brand of all three, it's mutually beneficial both short-term and long-term. I'm not a business person so as the benefits aren't as tangible it isn't easy to see the benefits but one thing Mansour and Mubarak have demonstrated is how good businessmen they are (or how good the businessmen they pay are) so it would be silly to think they don't know what they are doing.

You have (eventually) the top team in Asia/Australia, North America, Europe (PL), Africa playing the same brand of football, similar kits, badges, philosophies etc. At the hub is MCFC and the 'best training and medical complex in sport'. You can leverage commercial deals for the Group on a global basis or just at a country level and making everyone feel that they are a 'Cityzen' (yeah okay I know but they are deadly serious about this shit). You have Arsenal fans who will also be fans of say Melbourne City, ManU fans becoming fans of NYFC and so on. Effectively as a commercial partner you are looking to sell your brand not just to fans of MCFC but every fucker on the planet who happens to like football. And the City Football Group will always be smiling and will always be a friend and benefactor to everyone everywhere especially if that 'everyone' has their hands on the levers of power. A bit like SPECTRE but nicer.

Football clubs are still relatively small beer when it comes to turnover and this is about turning a modest turnover as it stands into a global super brand that sucks in money on an international and national level. This was always the plan. FFP was a block in the road that is now in City's rear view mirror. Everyone runs around clucking with horror at the 'implications' of Lampard being loaned to City and 'what it means' when it means fuck all. Lampard is a distraction that City did for the lolz (well OK they didn't but it is fucking funny) while they get on with the serious biz of actually ruling the world.

Well explained.

And if an Investment opportunity (because of this friendly approach) just happens to come along as a result of the advertising that football can bring (watch how the Nissan Partnership develops) then I am sure ADUG will help them by eliminating the need to involve a Bank to fund their multi billion dollar / yen project.

 

[Damocles]

Re: Etihad Campus, Stadium Development and Collar Site (cont

Not sure if some are on the wind up questioning benefits of CFA, if you have the money and ambition to make your club "the best" having the "best" facilities is a must. The CFA is also unique, certainly in this country, with everything being housed literally across the road from the stadium, it will be the envy of the football world, players young and old will want to be a part of it. It demonstrates we mean business long-term and not just "a rich man's play-thing."

The City group is a little harder to get head around as the benefits aren't as clear to see, but these business people always talk about "brands." Having "sister" clubs in emerging football markets enhances our brand, the fact all three clubs have synergies enhances the brand of all three, it's mutually beneficial both short-term and long-term. I'm not a business person so as the benefits aren't as tangible it isn't easy to see the benefits but one thing Mansour and Mubarak have demonstrated is how good businessmen they are (or how good the businessmen they pay are) so it would be silly to think they don't know what they are doing.

We aren't talking about the benefits: they are obvious. We are talking about what sort of Return on Investment we can acually expect by taking this route.

The Barca Academy's yearly budget is about €10m and one I presume we'll be in the same area as.

Let's call it the £10m a year that you did earlier which is 20% highest than theirs and a decent estimate. We'll call the construction a £150m expenditure.

Unless we produce the best player in the world ever and sell him, we're almost certainly not going to get a ROI any time in the next 20 years.

 

[supercity88]

Re: Etihad Campus, Stadium Development and Collar Site (cont

The City group is a little harder to get head around as the benefits aren't as clear to see, but these business people always talk about "brands." Having "sister" clubs in emerging football markets enhances our brand, the fact all three clubs have synergies enhances the brand of all three, it's mutually beneficial both short-term and long-term. I'm not a business person so as the benefits aren't as tangible it isn't easy to see the benefits but one thing Mansour and Mubarak have demonstrated is how good businessmen they are (or how good the businessmen they pay are) so it would be silly to think they don't know what they are doing.

You have (eventually) the top team in Asia/Australia, North America, Europe (PL), Africa playing the same brand of football, similar kits, badges, philosophies etc. At the hub is MCFC and the 'best training and medical complex in sport'. You can leverage commercial deals for the Group on a global basis or just at a country level and making everyone feel that they are a 'Cityzen' (yeah okay I know but they are deadly serious about this shit). You have Arsenal fans who will also be fans of say Melbourne City, ManU fans becoming fans of NYFC and so on. Effectively as a commercial partner you are looking to sell your brand not just to fans of MCFC but every fucker on the planet who happens to like football. And the City Football Group will always be smiling and will always be a friend and benefactor to everyone everywhere especially if that 'everyone' has their hands on the levers of power. A bit like SPECTRE but nicer.

Football clubs are still relatively small beer when it comes to turnover and this is about turning a modest turnover as it stands into a global super brand that sucks in money on an international and national level. This was always the plan. FFP was a block in the road that is now in City's rear view mirror. Everyone runs around clucking with horror at the 'implications' of Lampard being loaned to City and 'what it means' when it means fuck all. Lampard is a distraction that City did for the lolz (well OK they didn't but it is fucking funny) while they get on with the serious biz of actually ruling the world.

Excellent post

I'm sure there will be some FIFA ploy to stop this global domination though. Currently there are club ownership restrictions within the same country/continent and I feel this will have to extend to global preventions when City start feeding their youth players to sides abroad and can avoid FFP by buying a player for NYCFC and loaning to MCFC. That being said, I think FFP will start to fall flat on its face within too long as clubs start to challenge it as it proves to be just a way of preserving the elite clubs at the top.

 

[fbloke]

Re: Etihad Campus, Stadium Development and Collar Site (cont

Clubs are becoming every more creative in ways to make money, regardless of FFP, but FFP certainly adds tot he incentive to be creative.
It's an inevitable consequence of creating rules, that people will then find a way around them.

People see this as a bad thing - 'getting around the rules', but that's precisely what rules do. UEFA have said 'These behaviours are not allowed', and therefore they encourage you to find ways of making money outside of those rules.

As for the academy being an FFP dodge, well in a sense it is, but only in part.

1) Infrastructure spend is not counted towards FFP, therefore in theory you can spend 400 million on the infrastructure, and earn 10 million a year in renting out the facilities, or cost savings etc (thus would take 40 years to pay for itself), but the 10 million you earn IS counted as part of your revenue.
So in essence you can create some amazing white elephant sports facility and still count the minimal return is makes.

2) It's a genuine facility, and in theory will save us money when compared with the current facilities.

3) It's a top notch facility that players will welcome, and hopefully flourish in, and it should help us attract more young players. Make no mistake, it's not going to result in a team full of academy graduates, but it MIGHT increase our odds of picking up one or two top class prospects capable of making the first team, or being sold for a healthy profit.
This is NOT a bad thing for youth players. They get fantastic facilities, and a chance of ending up at a top club, even if it's not City.
And of course, the harsh reality of football means that many won't make it. But this is football. Many won't make it at Oldham Athletic either.

I'm glad someone gets it. That's exactly how I see it. A big investment that will have to yield big returns to get close to a ROI. The cash up front (is it£100m ?) is one thing but it's going to cost £10m a year or so to run, so in ten years it needs to have generated £200m (or whatever the figure is)

That's obviously taking the FFP implications out of it, which I agree are a factor.

The desire to build the best facility in the world for the academy and first team would have happened irrespective of FFP.

The owner we have wants the best that money can buy for reasons other than FFP, you can see it in how he has tasked Khaldoon and others to progress 'The Project'. There is no doubt an element of vanity in the way that Abu Dhabi royals invest.

That said of course they wont ignore the FFP benefits and the long term income generation makes perfect business sense too.

 

[Centurions]

Re: Etihad Campus, Stadium Development and Collar Site (cont

Not sure if some are on the wind up questioning benefits of CFA, if you have the money and ambition to make your club "the best" having the "best" facilities is a must. The CFA is also unique, certainly in this country, with everything being housed literally across the road from the stadium, it will be the envy of the football world, players young and old will want to be a part of it. It demonstrates we mean business long-term and not just "a rich man's play-thing."

The City group is a little harder to get head around as the benefits aren't as clear to see, but these business people always talk about "brands." Having "sister" clubs in emerging football markets enhances our brand, the fact all three clubs have synergies enhances the brand of all three, it's mutually beneficial both short-term and long-term. I'm not a business person so as the benefits aren't as tangible it isn't easy to see the benefits but one thing Mansour and Mubarak have demonstrated is how good businessmen they are (or how good the businessmen they pay are) so it would be silly to think they don't know what they are doing.

We aren't talking about the benefits: they are obvious. We are talking about what sort of Return on Investment we can acually expect by taking this route.

The Barca Academy's yearly budget is about €10m and one I presume we'll be in the same area as.

Let's call it the £10m a year that you did earlier which is 20% highest than theirs and a decent estimate. We'll call the construction a £150m expenditure.

Unless we produce the best player in the world ever and sell him, we're almost certainly not going to get a ROI any time in the next 20 years.

Not having to splash out £40 million on a Ross Barkley or 2 would make it worthwhile though. We might not ever have all starting 11 coming through the academy but eventually given the setup and correct coaching then we will have a significant number coming through to the first team. And it'll be a continuous conveyor belt.

 

[ped]

Re: Etihad Campus, Stadium Development and Collar Site (cont

all roads will lead to beswick.if your good enough,

 

[jrb]

Re: Etihad Campus, Stadium Development and Collar Site (cont

It's mind games, isn't it.

It's that wow factor.

Something that gives you the edge and tips the balance.

Said youth player goes to OT. Wow!

Said youth player goes to Carrington.(United) OK.

Said youth player goes to the new training academy. OMG!

Said youth player goes to he expanded Etihad. Wow!

Getting these youth players is a battle. It's a war of attrition.

Whatever gives us an advantage over other clubs has to be a good thing.

And the new training academy is the good thing.

 

[Marvin]

Re: Etihad Campus, Stadium Development and Collar Site (cont

We aren't talking about the benefits: they are obvious. We are talking about what sort of Return on Investment we can acually expect by taking this route.

The Barca Academy's yearly budget is about €10m and one I presume we'll be in the same area as.

Let's call it the £10m a year that you did earlier which is 20% highest than theirs and a decent estimate. We'll call the construction a £150m expenditure.

Unless we produce the best player in the world ever and sell him, we're almost certainly not going to get a ROI any time in the next 20 years.

Not having to splash out £40 million on a Ross Barkley or 2 would make it worthwhile though. We might not ever have all starting 11 coming through the academy but eventually given the setup and correct coaching then we will have a significant number coming through to the first team. And it'll be a continuous conveyor belt.

Premiership clubs as a whole have invested huge amounts in academies and facilities. I don't see much in the way of results

A continuous conveyor belt would be great, but it wont be an automatic consequence of the upgrade in facilities.

The single advantage it gives us is that it will help us to recruit some of the best players.

 

[squirtyflower]

Re: Etihad Campus, Stadium Development and Collar Site (cont

Not sure if some are on the wind up questioning benefits of CFA, if you have the money and ambition to make your club "the best" having the "best" facilities is a must. The CFA is also unique, certainly in this country, with everything being housed literally across the road from the stadium, it will be the envy of the football world, players young and old will want to be a part of it. It demonstrates we mean business long-term and not just "a rich man's play-thing."

The City group is a little harder to get head around as the benefits aren't as clear to see, but these business people always talk about "brands." Having "sister" clubs in emerging football markets enhances our brand, the fact all three clubs have synergies enhances the brand of all three, it's mutually beneficial both short-term and long-term. I'm not a business person so as the benefits aren't as tangible it isn't easy to see the benefits but one thing Mansour and Mubarak have demonstrated is how good businessmen they are (or how good the businessmen they pay are) so it would be silly to think they don't know what they are doing.

We aren't talking about the benefits: they are obvious. We are talking about what sort of Return on Investment we can acually expect by taking this route.

The Barca Academy's yearly budget is about €10m and one I presume we'll be in the same area as.

Let's call it the £10m a year that you did earlier which is 20% highest than theirs and a decent estimate. We'll call the construction a £150m expenditure.

Unless we produce the best player in the world ever and sell him, we're almost certainly not going to get a ROI any time in the next 20 years.

I was going to mention the fallacy of DD's figures earlier but you have now perpetrated the same inaccuracies
Regardless of the CFA we still have to spend the yearly amount on upkeep on three separate facilities ie Platt Lane, Carrington and Ewan Fields
Forgetting the benefits of a much needed upgrade, world class facilities and a 5 star academy that can take youngsters from further than the permitted one and half hours traveling time, we won't be paying rent to third parties

As the old adage goes, renting is dead money, owning is an investment.

So when you do your figures you should also offset the current costs of our poorer facilities

 

[Centurions]

Re: Etihad Campus, Stadium Development and Collar Site (cont

The Barca Academy's yearly budget is about €10m and one I presume we'll be in the same area as.

Let's call it the £10m a year that you did earlier which is 20% highest than theirs and a decent estimate. We'll call the construction a £150m expenditure.

Unless we produce the best player in the world ever and sell him, we're almost certainly not going to get a ROI any time in the next 20 years.

Not having to splash out £40 million on a Ross Barkley or 2 would make it worthwhile though. We might not ever have all starting 11 coming through the academy but eventually given the setup and correct coaching then we will have a significant number coming through to the first team. And it'll be a continuous conveyor belt.

Premiership clubs as a whole have invested huge amounts in academies and facilities. I don't see much in the way of results

A continuous conveyor belt would be great, but it wont be an automatic consequence of the upgrade in facilities.

The single advantage it gives us is that it will help us to recruit some of the best players.

From a young age so same difference. I'm not saying they'll all have been at the club from the age of 6 (although there will be some of them too).
United brought Phil Jones through their academy from the age of 19 after all (maybe that's not a good example).