Originally Posted by
EastStandRed
Strategy, strategy, strategy
It all adds up to having a uniformed strategy. And if clubs want investment, there needs to be 100% buy-in. Conway explained:
“You don’t see many investors going into clubs with huge operating losses. There has to be a strategy for balancing the books. Most clubs don’t have a strategy. They say ‘we want to get promoted’, or ‘win the league’, or ‘get this coach’. That is not a strategy. You have to have a very clear definite strategy: Here’s how we grow, how we balance the budget and this is our style of play. Without that, it will be very hard to raise capital..”
“We are trying to find clubs with a similarity in targets. Barnsley, for example, were already into data, balancing a budget and using younger players. We recently invested in Nancy and they’ve historically had a great academy but just weren’t using it for the last few years. That made no sense..”
“You have to find a match.”
A smaller Europe
A multi-club model looks set to become the norm through the continent as clubs battle to attract and retain the top playing talent.
Conway talked of the “significant consolidation of European football,” citing a number of strategic investments in clubs across Belgium, France and Denmark. He continued:
“Countries with no restriction on foreign ownership, that is where you’ll see consolidation first but even big countries like Germany you will see more clubs with strategic arrangements, starting with minority investments. There are so many synergies, both on the football and commercial side.”
“Most clubs would rather have their young players who are not quite ready for the first team playing in a system in a professional league with a similar style of play rather than being loaned out to another club or play in the Under-21.”
“It’s not just their growth individually, it’s the growth in their value. You want to be highlighting these players in competitive leagues. This will not stop. You’ll see more consolidation.”