Ahead of the Game: Man United cuts could be copied by other clubs
Manchester United’s controversial move to slash the funding it provides to its charitable foundation as part of cost-cutting measures introduced by Sir Jim Ratcliffe could be followed by other Premier League clubs.
The Manchester United Foundation are set to be the latest victims of Ratcliffe’s drive to cut costs at Old Trafford, with Sky News reporting last weekend that a significant part of the £840,000 in funding and benefits they received from the club in 2024 will be removed next year. The latest cuts to United’s charitable arm follow similar reductions in funding given to the club’s disabled fans’ group and a former players’ association.
While the move has been widely criticised by fans and risks damaging Ratcliffe’s standing amongst supporters at Old Trafford other clubs in the top-flight are monitoring his apparent ruthlessness with interest.
Sources at several clubs have told Morning Wire that they could follow suit as their budgets are tight, and that despite wanting to engage with fans and support their local community the football side of the business must remain their priority.
In some cases the need for spending restraint has been heightened by the difficulty many clubs are experiencing in complying with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules.
Staveley the Saudi sounding board?
Former Newcastle director Amanda Staveley has been offered an advisory role with the 2034 Saudi Arabia World Cup. The 51-year-old businesswoman remains close to Saudi’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) despite resigning from the Newcastle Board last summer along with her husband, Mehrdad Ghodoussi.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation are in the process of assembling organising committees for 2034 after their unopposed bid was approved by acclamation at Fifa’s Extraordinary General Meeting in December. While Staveley will not be given a formal position she has already been consulted and is likely to be used as a sounding board over the next few years given her contacts at European clubs, who will be forced to radically alter their calendar over two seasons to accommodate a winter World Cup in the Middle East.
Staveley played an integral role in brokering PIF’s £305m takeover of Newcastle three years ago. Since leaving St James’ Park she has been talking to Qatari investors about buying into another Premier League club.
Casting the net
Manchester-based sportswear firm Castore are planning a significant move into rugby union sponsorship next year after cementing their position as major players in the cricket and football kit partnership markets during the last 12 months.
Castore are already official kit suppliers for Bath, Harlequins and Saracens and have had initial talks with Premiership Rugby over negotiating a central deal covering all 10 clubs in the top-flight, while the company also have their eyes on the England kit deal.
The RFU’s existing contract with Umbro to supply kit for all England’s men’s and women’s teams runs until 2028, but Castore have close links with their British rivals’ professional sports teams division through a sub-licensing contract and could effectively replace them. Under the terms of a deal with Umbro’s European distributors, GL Dameck, Castore have the right to market and supply all RFU kits.
Morning Wire has been told that as part of plans to consolidate in rugby Castore want to secure branding rights from the RFU. Castore already have a 10-year deal with the ECB to supply kit to all England cricket teams and a similar arrangement with New Zealand cricket.
Into the final furlong
The Jockey Club are closing in on the appointment of a new chief executive to replace Nevin Truesdale, who left the organisation earlier this month. Former chief commercial officer Charlie Boss has been appointed interim chief executive on a six-month contract to keep the organisation on track ahead of the Cheltenham Festival and the Grand National meetings, but is not thought to be in the running for the permanent position, with the Jockey Club seeking an external candidate.
In a quirk of timing the British Horseracing Authority are also recruiting a new chief executive, although that process has been delayed to ensure the involvement of new chairman Lord Allen who does not start work at the governing body until June. In a similar move to the Jockey Club the BHA’s chief regulatory officer Brant Dunshea has been appointed interim chief executive starting next month, and the Australian may be considered for the role permanently.
Manchester media meltdown incoming?
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim’s unhappiness at the amount of time he is being asked to devote to media duties extends to the club’s own in-house television station MUTV.
The channel was regularly used by Sir Alex Ferguson to get his message across to the world following disputes with newspapers and other independent media after it was launched in 1998. They have continued to receive considerable exclusive access to managers and players since the Scot left Old Trafford 11 years ago.
Amorim is understood to have privately complained about giving MUTV additional time however, given the extent of his other media commitments to global rights holders, which he has grumbled about in public. The Portuguese coach gave his first interview as United manager to MUTV last month, but subsequent appearances have been limited to short question-and-answer sessions before matches, often lasting just a couple of minutes.