Leeds United may earn up to £10 million per season from their partnership with Red Bull if they take a similar approach to Liverpool, according to Kieran Maguire.
According to the football financial specialist, speaking to TBR Football [11 July], the partnership contract, labeled as easily the most lucrative in Championship history, could earn Leeds an eight-figure sum per season in the Premier League thanks to marketing through the worldwide conglomerate.
Promotion to the top division in the following season would boost the figure significantly, as Leeds follow in Liverpool’s footsteps in their collaboration with Nike, collaborating with brand figures such as LeBron James.
“Having links with other markets and products is likely to be a step forwards for Leeds commercially,” commented Maguire.
“We’ve seen Liverpool use a similar approach with Nike and its ambassadors, such as LeBron James.
“Therefore, we could see Leeds host a Red Bull Cup with RB Leipzig and so on.”
Leeds United may host a tournament with Red Bull at any moment, most likely during the pre-season.
He noted the Emirates Cup, which Arsenal has been hosting since 2007, as well as the Betway Cup, which involves West Ham United.
Leeds fans’ outrage at the blatant Red Bull logo plastered across this season’s shirts – in red, no less – may be mitigated when balanced against the financial rewards for the team to advance.
The board-level relationships between the club and the NFL franchise San Francisco 49ers, whose president Paraag Marathe is chairman at Elland Road, highlight Leeds’ new network and the corporate framework on which it functions.
If this campaign is carried out appropriately in the eyes of strongly proud traditional football followers, the potential for victory is frightening.
However, if it begins to slide into a Leipzig-style story arc in West Yorkshire, the idea of Leeds United as a worldwide football club before a business company will emerge very rapidly.
