Tom Hicks, the co-owner of English soccer club Liverpool, has vowed that the club will not rest on its laurels after securing a world record shirt sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered worth more than US$130 million over the next four years.
Hicks expects that deal - which will see Standard Chartered sell Liverpool shirts in its branches throughout Asia - to be worth more than it is at first glance, while the club's managing director Christian Purslow is spearheading a number of other commercial sponsorships, including one with outgoing shirt sponsors Carlsberg.
"We are seeing for the first time the real power of the brand and the power of a well managed club," said Hicks. "I feel very good about the entire club. The total sponsorship contracts should probably bring in 25, 26 million pounds (US$42 million) of incremental revenue a year. It's a huge development for the club. It's not just the 21 million pounds (US$34 million) that we will develop from the new sponsorship agreement with Standard Chartered because we will have an additional two or three million pounds for the Infinity part of the deal."
Carlsberg, meanwhile, are expected to keep hold of the lucrative pouring rights at the club's Anfield stadium. "We have an existing contract with Carlsberg until the end of the season," said Hicks. "Between now and the end of the season we will finalise new arrangements where we will retain the Carlsberg special sponsorship packages and pour Carlsberg products in the stadium. They will be one of our key sponsors, just not on our shirts."
Midas Touch by LFC !!!!
We are Liverpool , isn't it ?
We deserve that , isn't it ?