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

[FogBlueInSanFran]

It’s not the quality of the product but the number of games that’s the issue.

Meaning there are too many matches for the fan base to attend and fill seats at, yes? Or just that we have to have matches midweek to play in the LC or Europe so naturally it's harder to get working fans (not to mention their families) to attend without a really compelling deal?

One thing US clubs -- especially baseball -- do is free giveaways of club-branded items -- t-shirts, pennants, caps, bobblehead dolls, backpacks, water bottles, etc. (and many more creative items over the years) as a way to boost attendance. I know when I was a kid I'd nag my old man to take me to a game when I knew something cool and free was being given away.

 

[nmc]

Meaning there are too many matches for the fan base to attend and fill seats at, yes? Or just that we have to have matches midweek to play in the LC or Europe so naturally it's harder to get working fans (not to mention their families) to attend without a really compelling deal?

One thing US clubs -- especially baseball -- do is free giveaways of club-branded items -- t-shirts, pennants, caps, bobblehead dolls, backpacks, water bottles, etc. (and many more creative items over the years) as a way to boost attendance. I know when I was a kid I'd nag my old man to take me to a game when I knew something cool and free was being given away.

It’s not all the time but when you get a run of away games twice a week and you are maybe taking the kids etc - people are forced to chose matches (largely because of cost) and they don’t attend some midweek games. I go to all home games but midweek games can be a huge challenge from a logistical perspective. Getting home from work then driving in etc... I can see why some sack it off. We need significantly better public transport too that would help.

 

[KS55]

Gary Cook used to say the same thing and the press just laughed at him. They are not laughing now.....rather desperate to belittle us.

 

[city saint]

12m * £500 P/A= £6bn

Still eating into a considerable amount of their income

I pay £125 per month

 

[Hoghead]

One thing US clubs -- especially baseball -- do is free giveaways of club-branded items -- t-shirts, pennants, caps, bobblehead dolls, backpacks, water bottles, etc. (and many more creative items over the years) as a way to boost attendance. I know when I was a kid I'd nag my old man to take me to a game when I knew something cool and free was being given away.

They are called McDonald 'Happy Meals' back here!

 

[aguerrrroooooooooooo]

I pay £125 per month

True but not all customers are paying that, I think sky are likely using other customers to subsidise the costs for premier league rights

 

[waspish]

Other supports haven’t a clue about how well our club is run.

 

[razman]

With a 3% British audience it's not worth keeping Tyler on. ;)

getting coverage on Bein sports with the international broadcast , am pretty happy with Jim Beglin , Peter Drury & Jon champion !!

Regarding the OP , I watch the cup matches and Champions league getting over 2 am on a regular weekday in Dubai. Singapore / Malaysia is even worse - early mornings.

With 3% only English audience and with international TV rights to be worth more than the domestic rights in the next round , no wonder there will be the late kick off on Saturday which is under consideration - when the International fans will drive much more revenue than domestic audience.

This is not unique to city of course , we have seen happen with the rags / liverpool with the Asian market and it makes sense for city to follow suit - as they want a sustainable model.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

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.

I feel like our club are leaving the local fans behind. There is less and less “Manchester” about Manchester City Football Club year-on-year. The Mancunian selling point of the club has disappeared. It’s been more about the Moon and a worldwide fanbase than it has Manchester and Mancunians.

 

[Henkeman]

I feel like our club are leaving the local fans behind. There is less and less “Manchester” about Manchester City Football Club year-on-year. The Mancunian selling point of the club has disappeared. It’s been more about the Moon and a worldwide fanbase than it has Manchester and Mancunians.

It's either that and be successful or bump around the lower end of the division and below. That's football now, it's a huge business and won't work just by being a local club. City do better at maintaining the local links than many others. Look at United.