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Charitable Villa play a new game

Posted in Advertising, Marketing, Latest reporters' blogs, Stuart Aitken June 5th, 2008 by Stuart Aitken

At a time when English football is at something of a moral cross roads, how re-assuring it is to see the news of Aston Villa’s latest shirt sponsorship deal - agreeing to promote a Midlands-based charity for free, shunning an estimated £2m - £4m from corporate sponsors into the bargain. 
 
The arrival of ‘foreign’ investment in the top flight of the English game has seen much change in recent years - much of it morally questionable to say the very least. Most recently, Thaksin Shinawatra’s arrival at Manchester City has all but erased the dodgy dealings of Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich. After all, a man who robbed the Russian people to pay the hairdressing bill of a group of whinging under-achievers is nothing when compared to a human rights abuser (allegedly) whose new mission in life is to ensure Manchester’s second team can crawl into the top half of the Premier League.
 
When Randy Lerner took over at Aston Villa many feared that the club would become little more than another sporting franchise to add to the Lerner portfolio (which currently includes the Cleveland Browns). This move shows however that he is willing to run the club very differently to the profiteering approach of his US compatriots currently eroding the community spirit at Liverpool Inc. 
 
What though of the sponsorship? Can we expect to see more clubs going down this route?
 
Well Barcelona are the real trail-blazers in this. Having shunned corporate sponsorship until 2006 they then agreed to allow charity Unicef to appear on their shirts. Swedish clubs Hammarby and Brøndby have since done similar deals. But in a game so heavily dominated by the pursuit of cash which other English clubs would really be prepared to give up the sponsors’ money? In truth, none immediately spring to mind. And looking to the longer term, will this always seem like a good idea? Money is useful to a Premiership football club after all? What will the Holte End fans be saying if the likes of Marlon Harewood continue to lead the line in place of a a top-flight - top price - foreign import next season.