Mayor hails LFC owner for its investment in club and region during US trade mission

Liverpool FC owners, US-based Fenway Sports Group (FSG) has been hailed for its game-changing investment in the club, and the region, during a trade delegation to North America by Metro Mayor, Steve Rotheram.

The Mayor is leading trade, tourism and cultural mission to Boston and New York.

FSG, owner of the Boston Red Sox baseball franchise, took control of Liverpool FC in 2010, with the club days away from financial meltdown, transforming the club’s fortunes.

The Mayor believes that learning from Fenway Sports Group can help drive the city region’s tourism economy.

It followed his meeting with FSG chairman Tom Werner and top executives at Fenway Park.

Under FSG control the club has expanded its stadium and in June it added tens of millions of pounds to the city region’s economy by hosting three sold-out Taylor Swift concerts at Anfield, attracting more than 160,000 fans.

At Boston’s Fenway Park, they explored how FSG could promote the Liverpool City Region in the US and use their influence and network to help open doors for companies seeking to do business within the city region’s largest trading partner.

Mayor Rotheram said: “LFC continue to have a hugely positive impact on the city region’s economy. This mission is about strengthening trade and driving investment in the US and we’ve discussed with Fenway Sports Group about how they can help us achieve this in Boston and the wider area.

“We’ve already seen the huge impact of sports tourism and how hosting major events can generate tens of millions of dollars for our local economy. It was fascinating to visit Fenway Park to hear about how things are done here and see if there are areas we can learn from.”

He added: “Our two great cities already share deep rooted historical and cultural links and we now have two of the world’s great sporting institutions in common, in the Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club.

“I’m grateful for the chance to meet influential stakeholders like FSG who have been instrumental in opening doors for us to showcase the tremendous opportunities of collaboration with businesses in the Liverpool City Region.

“We are keen to build on those links by boosting tourism, trade and investment, and can promise a warm city region welcome to any Bostonians who care to cross the pond and visit us.”

Mayor Rotheram was greeted at Fenway Park by Tom Werner, Chairman of Boston Red Sox and Liverpool Football Club, and other senior Fenway Sports Group executives, and enjoyed a wide-ranging discussion about opportunities for sports tourism, major events, women’s football and the development of a new, indoor golf competition, Tomorrow’s Golf League.

Reds fan Mayor Rotheram then took a tour of the stadium to learn more about how it is used to stage major events – ranging from concerts and festivals to movie nights and high school football matches – in addition to the demands of the packed Red Sox fixture list.

Accompanying Mayor Rotheram on the visit were Claire Briegal, Chair of Sport Liverpool and World Netball, and Kerry Villa, Chief Operating Officer of ACC LIverpool, the city’s premier events and conference facility.

Beyond sports, the delegation has focused on Liverpool City Region’s rapidly expanding health and life sciences sector, boosted by a recently created Innovation Zone that offers lucrative financial incentives to companies relocating to the area.

Mayor Rotheram has met with leading biotech firms and researchers in Boston, exploring investment opportunities and collaborative ventures in health innovation and biotechnology.

The Liverpool City Region Life Sciences Innovation Zone builds on the area’s century-old world-leading strengths in medical research and its status as one of Europe’s largest pharma clusters. The delegation will meet senior figures at the Massachusetts Life Sciences Centre and Boston University, where delegates from the University of Liverpool will discuss leveraging Big Data and AI to tackle societal health challenges.

As the birthplace of The Beatles and a UNESCO City of Music, Liverpool is already one of the UK’s top tourist destinations and was recently named the world’s seventh best city by Time Out.

US tourists account for the second-highest international spend in the region, drawn by its cultural heritage, vibrant nightlife, and sports offerings, including two Open Championship golf courses.

The delegation’s visit to Boston’s Tourism Office and the Boston Convention and Exhibition Centre will foster knowledge exchange and explore how Liverpool and Boston can collaborate on sustainable tourism and global events.

With existing US investments in the Liverpool City Region totalling £2.1bn ($2.7bn), the United States is already the area’s largest source of inward investment.

However, this mission aims to build on that success, highlighting the benefits of Liverpool’s Freeport status and its Innovation Zone to attract further US investment.

From Boston, the delegation will travel to New York for further business and cultural meetings.