Owning Multiple Sports Clubs: Are There Benefits, And Is There Success?

UEFA once analysed all their contributing first-division clubs across Europe in 2017, in order to find out how many were involved in cross-ownership. The answer is 26. In 2017. That means that it is the case for over 26 European football clubs to be under the influence of one private person, club or entity which has control over another football club. There are plenty of people with their fingers in numerous football club pies, to put it simply.

So, what do we think of this? Is it a betrayal to your team? Or a smart business venture? We are taking a look at the benefits of owning multiple sports clubs and whether or not it leads to success.

Diversifying business models

Any entrepreneur will tell you that you need to diversify when it comes to business. It gives you a backup, should one venture not work out the way you want it to; it gives you various incomes and various opportunities for success.

This is the position club owners see themselves in, where they would consider buying control of a few different clubs in order to diversify their income. It allows them to create a portfolio of a wide range of assets, including elite athletes, teams proven to win, and successful business ventures.

Growing the brand

It has become common for a brand to own clubs, such as Red Bull, who has created a pyramid of small and large clubs throughout various sports, of which they have control over. If you were to show up to a game featuring any of their teams, you will undoubtedly see the Red Bull logo all over the stadium. You might even see that they are funding and controlling your favourite team and decide to grab a Red Bull on the way home, or at least be aware that they contribute to good teams and consider seeing more of their clubs.

Those checking the Chelsea ticket price will be keen to see how buys the club and takes them forward. One rumour is the Ricketts Family, who own the Chicago Cubs of the MLB in America. Liverpools’ owners own the Boston Red Sox. The transfer of data analytics as a methodology between the sports can provide success.

Improving the chances of winning

And of course, it goes without saying that having control over two clubs rather than one already doubles your chances of winning competitions, in theory.

Any cons?

As with everything else in life, of course, there are cons to this pro-filled idea. These individuals or entities have to juggle at least two clubs for one thing. Just to begin with, that’s a lot of work, but it also comes with the problem of the inherent nature of sports: rivalry.

Anyone looking to control more than one club, especially if that club is in the same sport, or, God forbid, the same league or competitions, will soon have to face what the fans want. Even without rivalry, the varying ideas of what the fans want will have to be taken into consideration, such as the recent sacking of Man Utd manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, which fans were calling for weeks before the trigger was pulled.