And Why Barcelona FC Can Be Your Second Favourite Team?
The Barcelona Football Club was my most favourite football team, the FCB has carried the emblem of a corporate sponsor as the frontispiece of its shirt. Barça has stood almost completely alone in this every other major European club, in fact, just about every club you care to think of—has carried a major sponsor on its shirt.
Barça has joined the ranks of those who advertise, but not in the way one might expect. In keeping with its tradition of being "more than a club, Barça has unveiled a sponsorship deal with a difference—and it has raised eyebrows and garnered further plaudits for a club which is already well loved and respected the world over.
Barça has come to an agreement with UNICEF, the UN agency founded in 1946 in response to the needs of children all over Europe following the end of World War II. UNICEF has worked in 157 countries worldwide since its formation, helping children who are living in poverty to survive, providing vaccines, and helping to provide access to such essentials as drinking water and food.
In return for carrying a major sponsor’s logo for the first time in 107 years, you might ask how much Barcelona is being paid. The answer is not one cent. In fact, Barcelona has also agreed to pay UNICEF around $2.5 million dollars a year for the privilege. As Barça president Joan Laporta said when addressing the UN in New York recently, “FC Barcelona is not only a football club, but a club with a soul.”The deal is staggering, for a number of reasons. This must surely be the first time that a club has paid someone to have their logo on their shirt. In mid-2005, rumours were swirling about with claim and counter-claim being made that the club might break with tradition and allow a sponsor. The Barça members were known to be opposed. The actual premium a first sponsor might have had to pay would have been significant. It is now a moot point. But for some idea of the sort of money Barça has turned down by making this deal with UNICEF, one need only look at the income of its nearest rivals.
Real Madrid, the hated (Castilian) rivals, has a deal with BenQ from which they reap $35 million a year. Manchester United have in recent months signed a deal with American firm AIG worth $141 million over four years. Chelsea rakes in $25 million a year from Samsung, and Juventus make $37.5 million a year from Tamoil, an oil company owned by Libya, but based in the Netherlands.
The Barcelona deal is stunning. How often is this much advertising revenue refused, let alone given away? On top of this, and the financial contribution that will be made to UNICEF, Barça has agreed to “provide support (for) UNICEF activities through its players, promoters and members”.
As President Laporta said at the UN assembly, “Barça and UNICEF can go a long way to improving life for many children around the world." Could this be the beginning of a new trend for sporting clubs around the world? Time will tell. The cynical among us might simply say that this is the football club executive softening up the all-powerful Barça membership (Barça is owned by its members) for a time when a commercial sponsor might be brought on board.
On the other hand, Barça, like most major sporting clubs, is not short of money these days, with massive revenues coming from TV deals, shirt sales, European and domestic competitions, off-season tours, and of course the 100,000 or so people who go to the Nou Camp every second week to watch the Blaugrana in action.
The UNICEF deal shows FC Barcelona for what it is—a forward thinking club, with a long, proud history, and a strong commitment to social justice, and making a difference to all the children of this global community
