Post by Salem6 on Aug 23, 2006 9:20:34 GMT
Champs League winners to net extra 100 mln euros-study
Wed Aug 23, 2006 6:01 AM BST
today.reuters.co.uk/news/articlenews.aspx?type=footballnews&storyID=2006-08-23T050120Z_01_L22211286_RTRIDST_0_SPORT-SOCCER-CHAMPIONS-REVENUE.XML
LONDON, Aug 23 (Reuters) - The winner of this season's
Champions League could earn up to 100 million euros
($130 million) on top of UEFA prize money and
tournament gate receipts, a study said on Wednesday.
Increased sponsorship, extra television revenue,
higher attendances and inflated player values look set
to swell the victorious club's coffers long after they
lift the trophy in Athens on May 23.
Ahead of the group stage draw in Monaco on Thursday,
KRC Research and Champions League sponsor MasterCard
assembled 12 leading football and business experts to
estimate the extended windfall for the winning team.
The 100 million euro figure does not include cash
awarded to the winners by UEFA. The European governing
body says the successful club could receive as much as
40 million euros in prize money, including television
revenue but not gate receipts.
It is not just the clubs that benefit from Champions
League glory. The study found that the winning team's
home city also receives a large cash injection.
The city of Liverpool received an estimated 70 million
euro boost last year through increased consumer
spending, tourism, sponsorship and commerce after
Rafael Benitez's side won the trophy in 2005.
The effect on Barcelona from their 2006 victory has
yet to be calculated but the study found that FC
Porto's Champions League victory in 2004 brought up to
12 million euros into their city.
Despite the low figure in Porto's case, the research
reckoned smaller cities are likely to profit more from
having winning clubs than larger places such as London
or Milan.