If "getting back into the Champions League was hard enough for Liverpool," staying there will be "even tougher," according to Roger Blitz of the FINANCIAL TIMES. Pressure to stay there is "acutely felt" by Liverpool CCO Billy Hogan. The new constraints of UEFA's Financial Fair Play rules on clubs' finances "puts the onus on clubs to maximise commercial revenues." Increasing ticket sales is "not an option for a club based in a low-income part" of the U.K. The club is raising average adult season ticket prices for next season "by the rate of inflation." So it is on "Hogan's shoulders that much of the revenue-raising burden falls." Hogan: "Within the commercial team, we recognize that the revenues we generate go directly back into the club. And with Financial Fair Play, that pressure on the commercial side is that much more." But commercial revenues "are growing" -- up from £63.9M in '11-12 (a 10-month period) to £97.7M in '12-13. Five new deals have been announced in recent months, with U.S. fast-food chains Subway and Dunkin' Donuts, Indonesian airline Garuda, Indian mobile phone company Xolo and Vauxhall. Hogan said that another five "will be announced over the next season" (FT, 5/27).
