It seems almost quaint now, the money clubs were getting back then. Notice Spurs were raking it in even then.
Marketing
May 28, 1987
News Analysis: Soccer sponsors weigh up the season
BYLINE: By LOUELLA MILES
LENGTH: 800 words
As the football season ends, sponsors are counting the cost of their teams' success - or failures. At least four clubs in the first division are negotiating new contracts, and their terms are likely to be dictated by their position in the final table.
The first casualty is Manchester City, which has lost its sponsor of three years, Philips, as it goes down to the second division. The club is currently holding talks to find a successor for the previous pounds 180,000 deal.
Graham Ball, group sales promotion manager, insists that the decision to pull out of its sponsorship has less to do with City's relegation, than with Philips' new trading structure. 'The new stance is to give added value to the trade and a better package for consumers,' he says.
'Manchester City's location is far away from that of the majority of our dealers,' Ball adds. 'Supporting dealers by advertising and trade promotions is more important than the secondary benefits of hospitality. '
Charlton Athletic's fate in the first division play-off last weekend is being looked at hard by its sponsor, the Woolwich Building Society. The pounds 105,000 three-year deal has profited from the club's rise up the league.
When it was first proposed, it was a mere pounds 75,000. An extra pounds 30,000 came Charlton's way when it made it to the first division. Now it will depend on the club's future prospects and the price it is asking, whether players will bear the Woolwich name next season.
In the Woolwich's case, the society considers it money well spent so far, in terms of TV and press coverage. Its major criticism is the lack of a central body to co-ordinate league sponsors and pinpoint joint promotional opportunities.
The Football League has attempted to step into the breach, with the appointment of a commercial director, Trevor Phillips, who joined from Beecham. He took up his post in March, but as yet there have been no signs of the sort of schemes he is envisaging.
There is the danger of further disenchantment among sponsors if no new initiatives are announced before the start of next season. Crown and Sharp, with pounds 1m investments in Liverpool and Manchester United respectively, are facing increased restrictions from TV companies which affect their visibility.
'Television companies are getting much tougher on perimeter boards and that is likely to affect most sponsors' attitudes towards their deals,' says Ball. 'If you can't be offered specific assurances then the whole package is questionable.
'TV has exerted much more pressure through the clubs this year than ever before. There has been a significant reduction in sites allowed in televised games. '
Ironically, those clubs currently negotiating new contracts may be ignoring their most marketable feature. A club fighting to enter a higher division may get better coverage than one struggling at the bottom or halfway up.
It may help keep the Woolwich with Charlton. Holsten, sponsor of Tottenham Hotspur, is faced up with a different problem. What is its attitude going to be towards a club that fields only half of its squad in the FA Cup Final wearing its shirts? Or has it found a new way to maximise the publicity value of its deal?
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FIRST DIVISION CLUBS AND SHIRT SPONSORS
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Length of
Club contract Value Sponsor
Arsenal Four year 600,000 JVC
Aston Villa One year 90,000 Mita
Charlton Athletic Three year 105,000 Woolwich
Coventry City One year 50,000 Granada SocialClub
Everton Three year 360,000 NEC
Liverpool Four year 1m Crown Paints
Luton Town Four year 200,000 Bedford Trucks
Manchester City Three year 180,000 Philips
Man United Three year 1m Sharp
Newcastle United Three year 1115,000 Greenalls Beers
Norwich City Three year s 150,000 Foster's
Nottm Forest Three year 150,000 Home Ales
Oxford United Three year 300,000 Wang
QPR One year 50,000 Blue Star
Sheffield Wed Three year 70,000 NSH
Spurs Three year 750,000 Holsten
Watford Four year 600,000 Solvite
West Ham Three year 360,000 Avco Trust
Wimbledon Three year 90/110,000 Truman
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Sources: Clubs and their sponsors: Football League
Sponsorship sums: Industry estimates