Old Spice Trafford: Which brands could splash £150m sponsoring Manchester United’s new stadium?
Technology, financial services and northern brands are favourites to stump up a potential £150m to sponsor Manchester United’s New Trafford stadium, experts have said.
Despite only eight of the Premier League’s 20 teams having naming rights sponsors for their stadiums – notably Arsenal, Manchester City and Everton with Emirates, Etihad and Hill Dickinson respectively – it is thought Manchester United could make the most of its planned 100,000-capacity New Trafford stadium by slapping a brand on its hoardings.
Independent sponsorship research and valuation publication The Sponsor’s number crunching suggests that United have the 11th most valuable stadium in Europe and would struggle to hit £10m per season; a long way behind Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid.
But a new arena as part of a wider development in Manchester could see a New Trafford arena command nearly £15m per season, or £150m over a common 10-year deal. Some deals in the US see figures of around £60m per year.
“If Manchester United’s performances on the pitch continue to improve and reach the levels of rivals Manchester City or Arsenal,” The Sponsor’s editor Sean Connell tells Morning Wire, “we could see that value rise even further, competing with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona putting a £200m figure in reach.
“In terms of the brands that would be interested in acquiring such an asset and have both the financial resources to support it over the long term, the pool is relatively small.”
Manchester United Premier League leaders?
Elsewhere in the Premier League Bournemouth play in the Vitality Stadium and Brighton and Hove Albion play in the American Express Stadium.
Newly-promoted Hull City have a deal with building merchant MKM Building Supplies, Brentford are in a partnership with Gtech and Coventry City play in the Coventry Building Society Arena.
Sports communication consultant Matt Fletcher Jones states that “existing partners Snapdragon and DHL could be amongst the frontrunners”, adding that “tech brands like Adobe have grown their footprint in English football in recent years”.
“Financial services brands remain amongst the biggest football sponsors and eToro could be one to watch having been very proactive in the Premier League and European football in recent years.
“Arguably, the best fit though would be an entertainment brand. The new Old Trafford will be more than just a home to football and might the likes of Apple be keen to follow in the footsteps of the Spotify Nou Camp?
“Let’s hope Procter & Gamble are taking an interest as it’s a natural fit for one of their men’s grooming brands. What price ‘Old Spice Trafford’?”
Added Connell: “Stadium sponsors typically come from, or have strong ties to, the city itself. Beyond that, a sponsorship opportunity of this scale could realistically only be met by a financial institution, global airline or some form of technology provider.”