With a re-brand afoot, a new prime-time TV spot on Channel 5 and sponsorship deals coming up for renewal, The Football League "is gearing up to tell its story and find a younger audience for its member clubs," according to Charlotte Mceleny of MARKETING MAGAZINE. The Football League is 127 years old and "is attended by 16 million people every season, making it one of the most attended sports platforms" in the U.K. The complexity of the structure "makes a major rebrand for the organisation a unique challenge." Football League CEO Shaun Harvey said, "The Football League is a composition of 72 independent brands in their own right. The challenge is, where is the value? Is it in the collective or that brought by individuals? It is a challenge to find the right balance." A driver behind the need for a rebrand "is one faced by many businesses and organisations -- the need to stay relevant to a younger audience that has more choice." This season, The Football League "moved its highlights show to Channel 5, so that it was able to reach fans at 9pm, rather than being on the BBC after Match of the Day closer to midnight." In terms of innovation, Harvey "points to the way it is using digital as a showcase, both in terms of marketing activity and its fairly unique digital rights agreement with its clubs." Over the next year, as well as a major rebrand, The Football League "is also seeking fresh sponsors for some of its biggest competitions." Harvey believes the timing could "not be better." Harvey: "The rebrand coming simultaneously does give an opportunity for a new partner to be in right at the beginning of a new look. It means recognition will be greater if there from the outset" (MARKETING MAGAZINE, 9/8).
