Man City looking to score in Indian market
MANCHESTER City’s ever-expanding international commercial arm is exploring opportunities in India, as the popularity of Premier League football continues to grow on the Sub-Continent.
Tom Glick, who as City’s chief business officer, has overseen major commercial revenue growth over the last three years, said the club has dedicated a business development executive to India, who is building relationships and making contacts there already.
Manchester City, and its parent City Football Group, is building an international presence. It has acquired stakes in clubs in Japan and Australia, and its most ambitious project is the launch of New York City FC, a brand new soccer team to play in the Major League starting March 2015.
Speaking at the Manchester/India trade event at Lancashire Cricket Club on Thursday, Mr Glick said: “We are fortunate because football is a global language and there is growing interest in the game in India – many of the games are shown live by Star India, which is very helpful to raise awareness among the middle classes.
“The profile of City is growing fast there too, we have nearly one million Facebook members from India and 100,000 Twitter followers too.
“We’re just beginning to develop the market opportunity there, we have someone full time focused on it, and he’s visiting and building relationships and finding the right places to invest – it’s important and strategic for us.”
Mr Glick said City had already worked with its main sponsor, Etihad Airways, on a grassroots football programme. He told the audience too that City was now one of the top five football club’s in the world by revenues and by brand value.
Recent deals struck by his 40 strong team based in Manchester and London have been with South African beer brand Hansa, which is owned by brewing giant SAB Miller, Vietnamese financial services company Saigon Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank, and also Japanese auto manufacturer Nissan.
