Man City’s new stadium was part of what made them such an attractive proposition, but only the subsequent reinvestment in the playing staff, firstly by Shinawatra and then the Abu Dhabi United Group is what has taken them to the next level.
Building a new stadium does not guarantee success on the pitch, it merely guarantees more profit off the pitch. For Chelsea, the move simply appears to grant them more freedom and control to do as they wish in the future, as they already have wealthy Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in charge.
For Spurs though, while under the guidance of Chairman Daniel Levy, they are a club that‘s hit a glass ceiling. Although the club can hardly be considered paupers, it’s clear that in order to move up to the next level and secure future investment, they have to address the stadium issue first, which goes some way to explaining to protracted saga involving the Olympic Stadium.
This was Spurs big chance to move up a level, but they missed out to West Ham. To move into a stadium, that while it required adjusting to accommodate a Premier League club, was built and funded by the taxpayer and it would have been worth it’s weight in gold going forward.
Liverpool are still pondering over whether to rebuild Anfield, much like NESV did with Fenway Park, the Boston Red Sox team’s home, or move to a new stadium altogether – a much more costly course of action. NESV are thought to favour redeveloping Anfield simply because it’s a much cheaper option.
Having a brand new stadium is a lot like converting a loft in a house – it adds sell-on value to the club. Clubs all over the land looking to make the leap from also-ran to major player are eyeing up new homes.
Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool will not be the last to consider such a course, but until their plans come to fruition, they’ll continue to bang their head against that glass ceiling as they fail to make the most out of the massive potential the Premier League offers in terms of making money.
Football is a business now and a new stadium is a crucial part of that – Man City have provided the model by which others will look to follow in the future.
It reminds me a lot of the line Al Pacino utters in Brain De Palma’s seminal 1983 crime flick Scarface: ‘You gotta make the money first. Then when you get the money, you get the power. Then when you get the power, then you get the women.’ In this analogy, the money is the stadium, the power is the new investors and the women is success on the pitch – the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Stadium’s don’t guarantee success, just look at Arsenal, they are six years without a trophy, but they do lay the groundwork and conditions upon which to build a successful club.
You can follow me on Twitter @JamesMcManus1
Introducing the neat little app that’ll pay you to view content tailored to your interests:
ThisisFutbol.com are seeking new writers to join the team! If you’re passionate about football, drop us a line at “thisisfutbol.com@snack-media.com” to learn more.