Study says ManU is missing out on as much as $36M per season.GETTY IMAGES
Corporate finance adviser Duff & Phelps revealed that ManU is "missing out" on more than £26M ($36M) a season in potential revenue for Old Trafford's naming rights, according to Matt Slater of the PA. That figure, which is £7M ($9.7M) more than Man City earns from Etihad's sponsorship of its ground, is "contained in a new study of naming rights values in the Premier League." Duff & Phelps believes the value of this market has risen 80% from £74.6M in '13 to £135.6M last year, with the league's "big six" accounting for more than three-quarters of that sum. ManU, however, has repeatedly said that it has "no intention of selling the naming rights" to the 75,000-capacity stadium, a stance that has not changed. The study ranks Chelsea's Stamford Bridge as the third-most valuable naming rights deal at nearly £18M ($25M) a year, with Tottenham's new White Hart Lane worth a potential £15.5M ($21.5M) to a sponsor -- "marginally more than Emirates' deal with Arsenal." Liverpool's Anfield is in sixth place at £11.1M ($15.4M), but this is "probably a reflection of the fact the naming rights to famous old grounds are not particularly attractive to sponsors as very few people ever use the new names -- a point that could also be made about Old Trafford" (PA, 2/13).
'EMOTIVE TOPIC': SKY SPORTS' Husmukh Kerai reported Duff & Phelps Head of UK Sports Trevor Birch, also a former CEO at Chelsea and Everton, acknowledged that these valuations were "not an exact science" and they were "potential, theoretic valuations that might not be achievable on the market." He said, "It's an emotive topic, particularly in this country, but it's an area that is definitely under-utilized as a revenue stream" (SKY SPORTS, 2/13).
