What is the value of good?
Finding out if generating positive impact is worth the football industry's money and attention.
Last month, Brand Finance, an independent brand valuation consultancy, released the 2023 ranking of the world's most valuable and strongest football brands. I dove into it with a very clear goal: finding out the role that ‘doing good’ plays in determining the strength of a football brand today.
First of all, let's look at the ranking. The top 5 most valuable football brands in 2023 are Manchester City FC, Real Madrid CF, FC Barcelona, Manchester United FC, and Liverpool FC. We find the same names in the strongest brands’ ranking but in a different order: Real Madrid CF, Liverpool FC, FC Barcelona, Manchester United FC, and Manchester City FC.
How good does a club have to be off the pitch to appear within the top global football brands? Does it make any difference at all to be making a difference in a community? Here are 3 answers I found through the “Football 50 2023” report:
1. This is a thing and it is not going away
I was glad to see that social impact and sustainability are addressed in the report multiple times and influence the results, even if slightly compared to other metrics. Like it or not (and I hope you do), it is clear that a company's social and environmental impact are becoming matters of interest to different stakeholders, and increasingly affecting brand reputation, strength and value. This year, Brand Finance even released the first edition of the “Football Sustainability Index", which reflects the results of fan surveys and their perceptions of the clubs’ sustainability, social and governance efforts.
2. We can all learn from Liverpool
When we compare the rankings of both reports, Liverpool FC appears on all of them - brand value, brand strength, [perceived] sustainability, [perceived] social and [perceived] governance. The steps the club is taking to generate social and environmental impact directly affect that and also increase the club's reputation among the fans. Another key factor in this equation is how well Liverpool FC is communicating these efforts to different audiences.
I really like this quote by Ben Latty, from Liverpool FC, especially when it appears not to be only empty talk:
“At Liverpool FC, we aim to be the best in the world at everything we do. Sustainability is no different. We care deeply about our people, planet, and communities and recognise, as a global brand that spans the world and reaches millions, we have a responsibility, and an opportunity, to play our part in creating a healthy planet and thriving communities.”
3. This is the land pitch of opportunity
There is plenty of opportunity for the clubs willing to promote a positive impact. Real Betis is a great example of that. The club is taking the lead on sustainability initiatives in Spain, and occupying a leadership position that was then unclaimed. In the perceived sustainability ranking, Real Betis appears in second place, followed by the giant and fellow La Liga member Real Madrid. How wild is that? Because of its pioneering efforts in promoting sustainability, Real Betis achieved a higher ranking than the club with the strongest football brand in the world.
Other smaller clubs that appear in the rankings are Italian teams Udinese Calcio, and Cagliari Calcio for their work on carbon footprint reduction and community reach, respectively. Stade de Reims, in France, was also highlighted for its social and environmental efforts.
There are great seats at the table waiting to be taken, and I believe that by leading through innovation and impact, clubs can develop into stronger and more valuable brands, grow their fanbase beyond local borders, and build winner and iconic teams.
THE GOOD LINKS
🎙️ This episode of the Armchair Expert podcast featuring Natalie Portman and very interesting stories about Angel City FC and the impact it is generating in LA.
✊ This story on Oakland Roots, a football team in California, and its amazing initiatives to promote sustainability, inclusion, and more.
🏆 The winners of UEFA's FottbALL awards, recognizing the efforts generating impact beyond the pitch: Royal Belgian FA, Arsenal FC, Liliam Thuram, and Deutsche Fußball Liga.