Manchester United are the world’s most popular sports franchise. The biggest brand in the world of athletics, more people identify themselves of Man United than any other team. Team Ambassador Bryan Robson said that the last survey indicated 660,000,000. So you can imagine how valuable that AON advertising space on their kit is. Remember in soccer/world football, they’re called “kits,” not “jerseys.” Nike’s contract with United expires at the end of the 2014-15 season.
However, a big announcement is coming.
Manchester United’s existing deal with Nike earns them approximately £23.5million-a-season, but they now stand to bank more than £60million-a-year over the course of a decade-long agreement.
The Daily Mirror reports an announcement is expected shortly; ending a four way race to grab the new apparel rights.
In addition to Nike, Puma, Adidas and Warrior are all in play.
Arsenal signed a £30 million deal with Under Armour in late January, so it stands to reason that Manchester United commands a significantly higher price tag than that.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. An MBA and Fulbright scholar, he’s also a frequent analyst on news talk radio; with regular segments on ESPN,NBC, CBS and Fox. A former NBC Chicago and Washington Times writer, he’s also been featured on the History Channel. President Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)