The
city of Leicester in England's Midlands should also expect to enjoy a
huge commercial boost after its hometown team wrote the unlikeliest of
sporting success stories, one that has captured headlines around the
world.
Yet
though the club known as the Foxes will gain this substantial windfall,
they still have a long way to go to join the true big-money elite of
world soccer.
The
club that had never won the top-flight crown in its history will cash
in through the 90 million pounds in prize money from the Premier League,
and money from competing in Europe's Champions League next season, as
well as increased TV and match day revenue.
With
Leicester's increasing attraction to sponsors as the champions of the
Premier League, which possesses remarkable global appeal, it could all
be worth as much as 150 million pounds to the club, said the sports and
entertainment intelligence firm, Repucom, on Tuesday.
Other
experts have put the estimates much higher with some British media
reports suggesting that the figure could be much nearer 250 million
pounds, particularly if Leicester's success proves to be more than a
one-season wonder.
Leicester's
TV audiences have soared by over 23% globally this season and because
of the excitement inspired by their run to the title, audiences in the
UK have grown from 785,000 to over one million per game.
In
Italy, the numbers watching Leicester's games have doubled, largely
thanks to the interest generated by the club being managed by Italian
coach Claudio Ranieri.
"Leicester's
media values have jumped by 30 percent globally whilst in the U.S. they
have grown by over 70 percent, showing first-hand the increase in value
to current and potential sponsors," Repucom said.
Leicester's
first appearance in the lucrative Champions League will also make a
vast difference to their coffers in the region of 36 million pounds.
As
well as increased TV exposure, it will generate increased revenues from
group stage fees, a proportion of the competition's market pool and a
participation bonus, totaling 33 million pounds, as well as 3 million
pounds performance bonus.
A
story which had echoes of Leicester's triumph was Atletico Madrid's
breaking of the Barcelona-Real Madrid duopoly to win La Liga in 2014.
Based
on the increased match day and commercial revenues that unlikely
champions Atletico gleaned, Leicester can expect to see between 10 to 15
million pounds boost in that area.
"Leicester
City FC's real commercial potential will become clearer in the season
break as brands vie to associate themselves to the club," Spencer Nolan,
head of consulting at Repucom, said.
So,
much will depend, in the mid to long-term on how successful the club,
owned by Thailand billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, are in
developing their fan base.
Though
their victory was greeted enthusiastically in Thailand, where
Srivaddhanaprabha's family runs the duty-free empire King Power, their
fan base is still not in the same league as the historic elite of the
English game like Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool.
Meanwhile,
Leicester itself hopes for an economic boon, with the local newspaper,
Leicester Mercury, reporting that financial experts believe the overall
economy in the city could benefit to the tune of 49 million pounds.
The
numbers of visitors to the city have grown rapidly since the discovery
of the remains of King Richard III in 2012 and now tourism chiefs hope
that being the home of England's soccer champions will prove a draw card
for Leicester too.
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