Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan discussed the club’s sleeve shirt sponsorship deal, the club’s relationship with kit manufacturer Nike, and the latest on the Anfield Road end redevelopment.
Liverpool is in talks with Expedia to extend their sleeve sponsorship agreement, which is currently worth £10 million per year.
The Reds have had the Expedia logo on their shirts since 2020 and are in talks with the online travel company about a possible extension, according to CEO Billy Hogan.
It is reported that Expedia has the first refusal on renewing their agreement at Anfield and with the current terms set to expire at the end of the current campaign, talks have already taken place.
“Our partnership with Expedia is working great,” Hogan told the August edition of FC Business magazine. “The process will be similar to that of the principal partner. We are speaking with companies and it is an ongoing process.”
Given Liverpool’s ongoing success on the field, having won both the FA and Carabao Cups last term while also earning 92 Premier League points and going all the way to the Champions League final, there is potential for the club to earn even more than the £10m per year they currently pocket from Expedia.
Liverpool recently signed extended terms with Standard Chartered and announced the deal during their pre-season tour of Thailand and Singapore. The renewed partnership with the banking firm is worth a record-setting £50m per year, which would understandably lead to confidence that a more lucrative sleeve deal could also be struck next year.
“Standard Chartered is our most significant partnership and renewing shows the strength of our relationship and how well it is working for both organizations,” he added. “We have many shared values including concern about community and a sense of being here for good. We are proud that our partnership will be 17 years old at the conclusion of the new deal. Relationships are the key to success over the long-term.”
With Liverpool now two years into an agreement with Nike, Hogan believes the club is starting to feel the benefits of being in league with the biggest sports manufacturers on the planet and their pre-season tour of the Far East coincided with three new stores opening across Thailand and Singapore.
Liverpool’s deal with Nike sees them earn a base sum of £30m, annually, which is far below the figures earned by the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea in the Premier League. The top-flight rivals earn between £40-45m under their own respective agreements.
Under the terms of the Nike agreement, however, substantial add-ons that include 20% on all royalties across the world, meaning the Reds could bank as much as £80m per year from their first-ever contract with the American giants.
Hogan continues: “In what has been a difficult environment, we have had a positive start to our relationship with Nike. But I believe that in year three, we will be firing on all cylinders.”
Following the completion of the Anfield Road development project next year, the club will receive additional revenue. The addition of 7,000 seats, undertaken by construction firm the Buckingham Group, will cost Liverpool £80 million but is expected to generate around £10 million per season.
The plan remains on course for Anfield’s capacity to sit at 61,000 from the start of next season as Liverpool get set to host their biggest crowd of the Premier League era in 12 months’ time.
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