Article: Latest Investment Trends In Football

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By Jonathan Lewis | 23rd Feb 2023

Football is one of the most attractive sports where investment opportunities are concerned. And, it’s not just a situation for local people, businesses and brands to exploit; it’s of interest globally. As times change, so do investment trends in football, and there are several that seem to be prominent right now.

American Cash For European Football Clubs

While Americans are renowned for their financial backing of so-called American sports such as the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB, they are now looking to spread their wings further when the right opportunities arise. At present, it appears as though a lot of American cash is being pumped into European football clubs; take Leeds United and Bournemouth from the English Premier League, for example. And what we’re also seeing are owners or investors of American sports franchises adding European football clubs to their portfolios. They say it makes sense to diversify your investments, after all.

Gambling Company Sponsorship Agreements

What is undoubtedly the case, especially a the top end of football, is that clubs are spending more and more money. They want to be ambitious and competitive, which means purse strings are naturally looser than ever before. But, expenditure has to be balanced off, and one of the ways this is done is by having agreements with huge global brands. Right now, the trend is to partner with gambling companies with financial fortitude, such as Entain, a company with several trusted global brands, including renowned online casino PartyCasino. They can provide the levels of investment needed and, in turn, reap the rewards of the exposure supplied by high-end football clubs.

Multi-Club Groups

Multi-club groups are fast becoming one of the number one trends in football. We’ve seen it in the past with companies such as Red Bull, who have invested heavily in the sport and taken control of multiple football clubs across multiple regions, and now others are following suit. The owners of Manchester City, for example, continue to add clubs from around the globe to their portfolio. And even lower-profile outfits such as Sheffield United are involved in a similar system. Having a multi-club group makes sense on a couple of fronts primarily, with the obvious one being able to move players around a network with relative ease. This can also help to balance the books too.

State Ownership

We mentioned at the top how American cash was flowing into European football, but as you will imagine, it’s not the only region in the world willing to pump in significant sums of money. And, when the Middle East get involved, not only is there seemingly unlimited wealth, but the State is at the forefront. As seen at PSG in Ligue 1, Qatar, the State is effectively the owner of the French outfit. And, more recently, state funding was used in Saudi Arabia to complete the purchase of Newcastle United, making them arguably the richest club on the planet. There are also now suggestions a similar situation could arrive at Manchester United too.