A look into the future of Manchester City.

Ok, now I've calmed down I can start to type structured and coherent sentences again I'll restart this blog.

I'll admit just before doing this I was like a 5 year old on Christmas eve having just found his parent's secret stash of Christmas presents. But what got me so exited? I know for a fact fans of other teams wont have reacted to this news with the same child-like enthusiasm as I did, and maybe some City fans wont have either but here it is.

The Manchester Evening News had an article today describing part of City's plans for the newly named Etihad Campus (what used to be SportCity and a large stretch of land included). Now I know we had all heard bits and pieces of what was going to happen but we're now beginning to see those same pieces of the jigsaw come together.

Last season saw the performance of City on the pitch finally come together in winning the FA Cup and finishing 3rd in the league. Today we get a proper look at how City are building for the future.

City have today unveiled their plans for a new training complex. Yes we expected this already as it's been in the pipeline for the last 2 years, but now we're privy to a little more detail on what it will be included in this part of the project.

A view of the Etihad Stadium from what part of the Etihad Campus currently looks like

The facilities will include 16 pitches for the 1st team, EDS, and Academy players to use. Along with these will be included a 7000-seater stadium for the youth and EDS teams which will also be opened up for public use.

It doesn't stop there, oh no, the plans also include accommodation and educational facilities for the Academy and EDS players aged 8-18. This is as well as dedicated pitches, accommodation, a gym and rehab centre for the 1st team. It is believed that a section of the complex, not only the stadium, will also be open to the public.

At this moment in time the Academy is at Platt Lane, and the EDS train at Carrington along with the 1st team. These plans will bring them all together in one training complex and will vastly improve the Club's ability to nurture and develop young and talented players in the future. There is no doubt that the facilities will match if not better those used by the best clubs around the globe.

In fact officials and representatives from City have travelled to the best youth and training set ups around the world in order to come up with what is touted to become the world's best training complex. Just look at what has been happening in the UAE in recent times, they don't do things by half do they? The same can certainly be said of Sheikh Mansour and his investment in City to date so why should that change now?

City's Academy has already produced no less than 30 players who have made a first team appearance in its 13 year existence. Considering how basic the facilities were until recently that's an outstanding number of players. Many are still plying their trade in the the Premier League or lower leagues, and some are still with City fighting for silverware.

Academy graduates Shaun Wright-Phillips and Micah Richards at the last home game of the season

Something that hasn't been confirmed yet, but is expected, is the donation of over 5 acres of land to be used for the community and will create what has been described in the past as a significant number of jobs. I'm sure the CitC scheme will have some plans to work with Manchester City Council to improve the local community in that area; Something Patrick Vieira no doubt has an interest in getting involved with.

Today's announcement is just another in a string of announcements since the takeover in 2008 that have cemented Sheikh Mansour's intention of long term investment and his vision for City when he first took over. Many fans of other teams, especially a certain one which I wont mention (but we all know who they are) were quick to say "When the Arabs get bored in two years you'll be in trouble" but this is yet another smack in the gob for them.

City's owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak

What other owners have done what Sheikh Mansour has done and continues to do? What other football club is regenerating 80 acres of land that will not only benefit the club but put a significant contribution back into the community in which it stands? What football club signs a sponsorship deal that not only benefits themselves but actually generates £20m for the local council? Can anyone actually name another club like this? Answers on a postcard (or just a comment at the bottom will do) if you can think of one.

On a side note to this, and as I have already mentioned in a previous blog, the Etihad sponsorship deal looks ever more reasonable when you take into consideration that whenever this huge regeneration project is spoken of Etihad will be mentioned along with it. That is why Etihad were willing to spend so much on the deal.

http://imnotreallyhere-vallis1880.blogspot.com/2011/07/are-city-really-in-hot-water-with-new.html

These proposals have already been accepted by the council but have yet to be submitted to the public. This will happen from Tuesday onwards and in all honesty how can anyone seriously object to any of it? Can anyone honestly object to City and the council creating jobs and funds for the community? No one in their right mind could anyway. Surely it could only be someone bitter about their club having money drained out of it by their owners would stoop so low as to jest and jibe at something like this. Over to you lot at Trafford Friendship, Alliance, Togetherness it is then.

For more detail on the newly announced plans visit http://www.mcfc.co.uk/News/Club-news/2011/July/Etihad-Campus-consultation-to-open

Are City really in hot water with the new ETIHAD deal?

Well it seems the media and some clubs are well and truly spitting their dummies out over City’s new sponsorship deal, calling for UEFA to investigate and even veto the agreement. It’s no secret that City’s takeover sparked the beginnings of the Financial Fair Play rules as Europe’s top clubs choked at the thought of someone outside of their clique should be able to gatecrash their timeshare of the domestic and European honours.

Now those same clubs along with the media are crying foul that City have managed to secure what is now being touted as up to £400m over the next decade. All that money for just selling the naming rights to what was now formally known as the City of Manchester Stadium? Well not exactly, but we’ll come to that later on.

The most vociferous of the critics from the football world have been Arsenal and Bayern Munich (according to the media). Now let me see, why would Arsenal and Bayern Munich have such sour grapes over such a deal?

Arsenal have seen Manchester City buy a number of their players over the last few seasons with the latest arrival being Gael Clichy. And although certain sections of supporters and so called experts will tell you he hasn’t had a good season, the statistics tell another story showing him as one of the best in the Premiership. City have also been heavily linked with a deal for Samir Nasri.

Gael Clichy shows off his new shirt after signing of City from Arsenal

A spokesman of the Arsenal Supporters Trust has been outspoken regarding the deal with ETIHAD saying: "It's like a match where one side decides to follow the offside rule and one doesn't. The City deal drives a coach and horses through the market place."

Earlier on this week the spokesman also stated: "The deal at Manchester City stretches credulity to the limit. The numbers just don't stack up."

Forgive me if I’m wrong but this just sounds like sour grapes. City have caused a stir amongst Arsenal supporters after they not only beat them to third in the league but have also taken one of their best players and are linked with another this transfer window. Add to this that Arsenal’s board simply refuse to spend money on proven players and other club’s aiming to poach other Arsenal stars it’s likely to leave Arsenal in another ‘transitional’ state of limbo yet again.

And now for Bayern Munich whose Chief Executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has ‘blasted’ or ‘slammed’ the deal (depending on what headline you read) saying: “Maybe they still have a trick up their sleeves but I’m not sure that they will be permitted to play in the Champions League.”

But let’s have a look at what he said moments earlier shall we?

“You have to look at it soberly – the player is under contract with Manchester City and the decision lies with them. They have demanded a price we will never be willing to pay.”

German International Jerome Boateng playing for Manchester City

Oh so Bayern aren’t bothered about the deal? No, although the papers would have you believe the first quote is talking about the ETIHAD deal. What he’s actually moaning about is that City won’t sell them Jerome Boateng on the cheap. And that, as they say Karl, is harte Scheiße.

Thank you Independent for trying to mislead us with the context in which those words were spoken by omitting the full detail. That’s a snide trick I would’ve expected the Daily Fail or the Sun to try.

So, getting back to the point, something else that the media aren’t happy about is that the owner of ETIHAD Airways is Sheikh Mansour’s half-brother and feel that the deal has been done at inflated values in order to gain an unfair advantage in the market.

Well as it was pointed out at the press conference at the unveiling of the deal, CEO of ETIHAD Airways, James Hogan made the point perfectly clear when asked if the Abu Dhabi government had invested in the deal through Sheikh Mansour. Hogan said “We’re (ETIHAD) a stand-alone business… [and] are responsible for our own commercial activities. So the funding of this deal is by ETIHAD Airways.”

Is that clear enough for everyone?

If not here’s some more from James Hogan: “We (ETIHAD) had very strong commercial requirements. If it didn’t add up we wouldn’t be doing it.”

And let us not forget that this is much more than just the sale/sponsorship of the stadium naming rights. It encompasses the shirt sponsorship and a substantial amount of ground that City own around the stadium. The ground on which major work will be done in the near future. Ground that will eventually consist of a new training ground, community football pitches, a swimming pool, a new speedway, and educational facilities and an ETIHAD call centre. Some or all of which could bare the ETIHAD logo.

Hogan describes the historic deal as “Far beyond the typical sponsorship-club agreement.” And when you actually look at it, it is!

We were initially getting figures of £120m-£150m it caused a stir but now the estimated figures have jumped to £400m sheer panic has set in. But if you break it down is it really that ludicrous?

As was mentioned earlier we have 3 major parts of this contract; the stadium naming rights, the kit sponsorship, and the naming of the campus around the stadium. Say for a moment that the naming rights are £150m which is the figure touted earlier on in the year, and the naming of the grounds around the stadium are also £150m (which seems fair if the stadium is the same). This now leaves £100m kit sponsorship deal.

Obviously these figures are complete guesses but not unrealistic in their logic. Barcelona have recently signed a kit sponsorship deal worth €150 (£125m) over 5 years with Qatar Foundation which works out at £24m a year. If the figures I used are anywhere near correct, City will make £10m a year from the kit sponsoring element. Hardly over the odds is it?

And I hate to bring “them” up but the rags already get £23m a year from Nike and there are rumours of a £400m 10 year kit sponsorship deal with them... Has anyone batted an eyelid about this? Don’t be silly, of course they haven’t. £40m a year for a kit sponsorship alone but people are up in arms about what is essentially a whole company sponsorship for the same price.

It’s impossible to think that City have gone about this blindly without checking the rules and regulations regarding such a deal. And something which all of the media has conveniently missed is that during the Q&A after the initial press conference Gary Cook specifically stated: “We have a very open dialogue with UEFA, we’ve had several meetings with UEFA about our plans.”

Cook Even went on to say the UEFA were “very supportive of Manchester City’s ambition.”

There it is in black and white, but if you don’t believe that the full press conference can be viewed on citytv on mcfc.co.uk if you want to check it out.

The hypocrisy of the press over this is truly sickening, and the obvious jealousy of sections of fans is highly laughable. Although they can both get under your skin sometimes, do we really need to care what the press and opposition fans come out with to try and knock us down? No, we know what’s going on, City are more open with its fans than any other Club in the world.

Should we be worried about being able to comply with the FFP rules UEFA created to keep the traditionally big clubs at the top and everyone else looking on in frustration? Hell no! We have owners and a boardroom who know what they’re doing when it comes to business. And that’s what football is today, a business, and it has been like that for some time whether we like it or not.

Once everyone’s 2nd favourite team because they were the plucky underdog, the team who never quite made it, the team who weren’t considered a threat, but now hatde beyond belief because they have the cheek to have a wealthy owner who has turned the club around and continues to do so in dramatic style.

As the saying goes, hated or adored but never ignored. And just like their new ETIHAD Airways A330 – 200 namesake, the blue moon will continue to rise for some time.

Kit man Les Chapman enjoying the ride on ETIHAD's A330-200 City airliner.

ETIHAD Airways' Manchester City A330-200

@MikeWalsh1880

Welcome to the Etihad Stadium

Today Manchester City confirmed a deal with Etihad Airways to rename the City of Manchester Stadium. As of today it will now be known as the Etihad Stadium with the surrounding grounds renamed as the Etihad Campus. This is expected to include, a new training ground for the Blues, amongst other things, by the time the redevelopment of the area around the stadium is finished.

And let’s get the point clear straight away. Etihad translated from Arabic to English as union. So all of you United fans who still haven’t managed to understand that point yet and are having a little giggle about the thought of City’s ground being called the ‘United’ stadium, stop it, you’re just plain wrong (or plain stupid as the case may be).

Anyway back to business. It is believed to be the largest deal of its kind to date, estimated to be worth between £100m - £150m over the next 10 years. It will therefore provide City with between £10m - £15m each year for the term of the contract.

Manchester City Council is also set to benefit from this deal, making them £20m over the next 5 years. Manchester council leader, Sir Richard Leese, said: "The relationship between Etihad Airways and Manchester City Football Club further supports Manchester’s international profile and global connectivity and the city’s ability to attract leading brands to invest and create job opportunities. It is great news for Manchester, reinforcing our sporting, transport and economic growth priorities and is particularly welcome news for east Manchester.”

Charles Johnston, Property Director at Sport England, has also added: "This announcement is positive for grassroots sport and people in Manchester. The re-negotiated stadium agreement will generate further investment in community sport and sports facilities in the local area.”

Despite all the positive comments from members of the council and Sport England there have been initial calls by certain areas of the press suggesting Uefa investigate the legitimacy of the deal. But The City hierarchy aren’t concerned in the slightest about this as they feel the nature of the deal is at market value and falls neatly within the regulations set in the new Financial Fair Play Rules.

Cook also added: "We are delighted to be expanding our relationship with Etihad Airways through this comprehensive partnership agreement. Most importantly, in addition to delivering significant revenue at a key stage in the Club's evolution, the agreement creates exciting opportunities for our two organisations to cooperate more deeply commercially and on media and community initiatives in the future."

It appears as a part of, or aside to this deal Etihad are said to be increasing content, match day coverage and DVD material on all Etihad in-flight entertainment and website. This in turn will increase the profile and appeal of the Manchester City brand and could generate extra merchandise sales.

I think we can rest easy tonight, safe in the knowledge that today the club has taken a serious step in ensuring the financial viability and stability of our beloved club. Let’s not forget, in doing so it has also got right up the noses of the prawn sandwich brigade provoking large sums of jealous fury at the thought of ‘ickle Citeh’ growing ever more powerful. Nice.