Ed Warner: Sport owners mustn’t forget the loyal and local in rush to go global

In the frenzied rush to create global franchises and events, the sport business risks forgetting local and loyal fans at their peril, says Ed Warner.

Storm Darragh dashed many sporting dreams last weekend, including those of the Australian 15-year-old who spent all his savings on a solo trip from Down Under only for the last Merseyside derby at Goodison Park to be postponed. 

The gales did give at least one tourist a surprise windfall though. Their tales highlight sport’s delicate balance between the global and the local.

The windfall was enjoyed by a young Norwegian who, travelling in hope to Selhurst Park on Saturday without a ticket, found himself next to my brother just as his son rang to say he was stranded on the coast with all trains cancelled. 

So, the ticket didn’t go to waste and a first ever trip to England, taking in four Premier League matches, was complete. Turns out our new Norwegian mate was no fan of Manchester City – not even compatriot Erling Haaland – and celebrated both Palace goals with us like a denizen of SE25.

Reports arrive weekly of English football fans in uproar at hikes in ticket prices, the watering down of concessions for youngsters and older fans – and even cuts in the numbers of available season tickets. 

With their wings clipped by financial regulations, clubs are attempting to squeeze higher matchday revenues so as to operate within the rules. Casual spectators paying full price, whether travelling from near or far, are the highest margin occupants of ordinary seats in the stands.

Whether it is the inherent quality of the Premier League, its marketing, the various glamorous documentaries, or simply Ted Lasso – maybe even the whole bundle – the global appeal of an offering rooted in local fervour is undeniable. 

Take away the local fans, however, and something essential would be removed, and with it much of the attraction for young Australians and Norwegians, not to mention those closer to home with just a passing interest in football’s drama.

The sport and entertainment industries bleed into each other. Matchday event presentation borrows eagerly from rock concert styling. The biggest events sandwich the sporting action with live music. Streaming platforms showcase Hollywood and Elstree dramas alongside locker-room insights and, increasingly, match action. 

The two industries compete for the same scarce consumer dollars, but are also exploring collaborative opportunities. It is little wonder that sport’s owners are keen to learn what lessons they can about ticketing, hospitality and merchandise sales. Premium prices for premium packaged products is the direction of travel.

The latest Huddle Up newsletter on Substack looks at the revenues earned by owners of sports stadia from hosting Taylor Swift concerts. Possibly as much as $12m at Anfield. You can read the analysis here.

When you buy a ticket for your favourite band, a West End show or a blockbuster movie, you can be pretty sure of the quality of the product. 

Musicians may have an off day, the venue may not be up to scratch, the review you read may not chime with your idea of what constitutes a five-star performance. On the whole, though, you are unlikely to be disappointed. And if the experience is a one-off, you may be relatively insensitive to the ticket price.

Sport, on the other hand, is a different matter entirely. On your way to the football you simply don’t know whether you are about to watch a bore draw or a multi-goal thriller. The toss at the cricket may have a fundamental bearing on the shape of the day’s play. 

Wind and rain can wreck the quality of an athletics meet – I’ve seen the pole vault moved indoors away from the crowd to escape the elements. Against that background of risk, sport relies on committed, repeat viewers.

Loyalty must be valued more highly by the owners of sports events than promoters of other entertainment forms.

Regular customers don’t simply fill scarce seats at lower prices than casual attendees. They form the bedrock of sporting enterprises. 

Their staunch support is hard won, but once acquired can prove incredibly sticky. In corporate finance terms, they should command a very high multiple in calculating the value of any sporting asset.

In the frenzied rush to create global franchises and events, sport’s owners and promoters risk forgetting the local and loyal at their peril. Our new Norwegian friend is very welcome to south London any time though.

You wait ages for one bus…

Eschewing the trains, I was caught in traffic behind not one but two Manchester City team coaches. 

The phalanx of City staff traipsing up the touchline before kick-off with laptops and folders at least partly explained the need for twin charabancs. Does make you wonder whether the struggling champions might have forgotten the KISS principle though.

The Good Place

I’ve said before that in the next life I fancy being a sporting or performance director, taking responsibility for grand strategy and personnel but one step removed from the agonies endured by head coaches and team managers. The salary might be lower, but job security is higher.

The Football Association’s employment of Thomas Tuchel as head coach for the England men’s football team epitomises the trend towards performance structures which can efficiently swap coaches in and out.

The challenge for a performance director, however, is that they can find themselves caught between the egos of chair or CEO and head coach, and the desires of both to have direct dialogue with each other rather than always communicating via the PD. 

No doubt a non-disclosure agreement will prevent us from truly understanding why Dan Ashworth lasted only five months as sporting director at Manchester United. If his mayfly term of office becomes a trend for the profession rather than a one-off, though, I’ll have to reevaluate my after-life career aspirations.

G’day

Out of the blue, a post on LinkedIn by an Australian reader about my original Sport inc. book has triggered a slew of sign-ups to my newsletter from the other side of the globe. Welcome! 

I was interested to read recent news about the money being invested through Commonwealth Games Australia into the 10 sports making up the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. The event badly needs a fully-funded and hence fully-firing Australian team in 20 months’ time. Hope to see some of you over here then!

Ed Warner is chair of GB Wheelchair Rugby and writes his sport column at sportinc.substack.com