Football is about goals as it is about fans.? Any football team that gets its fan strategies right has put the best foot forward on the journey to success, because that is the only sustainable economic model. It is therefore imperative to be as aggressive on the field of play as off, vis-?-vis attraction of fans.

The trick is to attract more fans and keep the existing fan base very loyal.? Then, benefit from them by attracting them into stadiums, having them buying your merchandise, get sponsorship, media coverage and also having them buy your other business offerings.

Angus Kinnear UK head of marketing for Arsenal, says that they sell out all their season games months before the very first whistle is blown. This is only possible if you have a huge and very loyal fan base.

To grow your fan base these are some of the things that have to be done:

1.? Community activities, start with your catchment area.? Derby County in the United Kingdom for example has a Customer Charter that details what they will do within their community every year.
2.? Effective fan branches.? Create fan branches but do not forsake them.? They must have clear cut activities, with your club staff as overseers.? That is the only way they will be effective.
3.? School outreach programmes.? Do you have well planned school programmes?? Get your fans when they are young.
4.? Internet & Fan Relationship Management strategy (FRM). What is your reason of being on the internet?? Do you have a method to relate to your fans (FRM)?
5.? Songs and match day excitement.? This will attract even people who are not football fans on match days to enjoy the excitement.
6.? Family attraction programmes.? Get families excited about your club and club activities.
7.? Media and PR programmes. Engage the media and they help put your club in good light out there.
8.? Programmes focussed on community minorities and women.? Every one matters.
9.? Increase activities other than football on match days to attract people who are not football fanatics.
10. Bonding team and local community. Do your fans know who their heroes are?? Have they met them in person?
11. Free – Targeted give aways. Humanity loves free things, use these freebies to reach out to the people.

Failure to engage fans aggressively is the reason why stadiums remain empty.? It is the reason why teams struggle to pay their way.

Think about it, if you have a support base of 3,000,000 people and you are able to get half of them (1,500,000) to patronize you with say 80 (Rand, dollars, pounds, shillings or any currency) a year. Do your numbers.

Robert K Sebbale is a football marketing specialist. His main focus is fan marketing and fan-club relationships with an aim of getting the best out of fans, such as filling of stadiums. Visit our website and learn more about how to grow your fan base, football marketing and fan relationship management. : http://www.footballmarketing.biz.

The Manchester United Football Club is undoubtedly the most famous team in professional soccer. Originally the club was founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910. Manchester United has fans across the globe, throughout Europe, Asia as well as North and South America.

In 1968 United was the first English team to win the prestigious European Cup. They also won the EUFA Champions League in 1999 and 2008. The have won English Premier League Titles in 11 seasons since 1992. They have also won the FA Cup 11 times in total.

The most famous Footballer of all time, David Beckham signed for Manchester in 1992, at the young age of only 17. Beckham played for Manchester United from 1992 -2003, when he signed with Real Madrid. Beckham enjoyed a successful career with Manchester United winning 6 League titles and taking part in the infamous treble.

In 1999 Manchester United won a historic treble, winning the EUFA Champions League, The Premier League title, and the FA Cup in the same season. They Defeated Bayern Munich at the Camp Nou to complete the treble. Sir Alex Ferguson was Knighted in recognition of this accomplishment.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy signed for the club in 2001, and went on to score 150 goals in just 219 games with United. During his time at United, Rudd won the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year in 2 seasons with the club. He also lead the team in scoring in the EUFA Champions League.

Cristiano Ronaldo signed for Manchester United as an 18 year old in 2003 for over 12 million pounds. Ronaldo won the Champions League with United and was also named the FIFA footballer of the year in 2008. Cristiano has seen limited success since leaving the club for Real Madrid.

Wayne Rooney is the current superstar for the club, and has enjoyed success at a young age. However Rooney is coming off a poor performance at the World Cup in South Africa. and has been in the headlines recently for all the wrong reasons. Rumors in the British tabloids suggest that Wayne has been caught cheating on his pregnant wife with a $2000 per night prostitute. Manchester will need Rooney to focus on football if they are to have any success this season.

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The Chelsea Football Club is one of London’s top sports teams, gaining a loyal and passionate base of followers spanning the world. Chelsea was founded in 1905, at the “Rising Sun” pub (now called the “Butcher’s Hook”), gaining a reputation for being entertainers and signing big name stars. The boroughs of Kensington, Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham are the main neighbourhoods for Chelsea fans.

Chelsea colours are royal blue and white; the team logo is a lion holding a royal staff. The team plays at the 42,055 seat capacity Stamford Bridge stadium in Fulham, West London.

Chelsea had some early success in the 1960s, frequently placing first or second in their league. Rumours of “hooliganism” and shoddy play in the 1970s and 1980s led to the club’s descent into lower divisions. English football requires a number of years of success to reach the top echelons as teams engage in the gradual process of winning the lower divisions to move up to higher divisions.

Chelsea recovered in the 2000s with new ownership and players. Chelsea has won championships in all of the United Kingdom’s top leagues and championships: Premier League, Football Association Challenge (FA) Cup, Football League Cup and as English Champions.

The Premier League is the best English football league; founded in 1992, it is world famous and with satellite television coverage claims global fans, and Chelsea has an impressive record for scoring the most points in a season.

The FA Cup was founded in 1871 as a knockout (single elimination) tournament with many levels of football talent, literally hundreds of teams compete. Chelsea has won five titles in the FA Cup.

The Football League Cup was founded in 1960. It has the best teams in a knockout (single elimination) tournament; less than 100 of the best-of-the-best are invited. Chelsea has won four titles.

Chelsea has been English Champions three times.

Expect to see passionate football fans in London. Hotels in London will be very familiar with who’s who in the football world. If you want to find a hotel London that is close to the action, check out your options.

A hotel in London might be in enemy territory, so if you are a Chelsea fan, don’t get caught in Arsenal territory. Find one of the many hotels in London that are near to the Chelsea stadium and have non-stop television coverage of all of the games.

Eoin has written for many publications in his native south Wales and further afield. He currently lives in London’s trendy Docklands with his partner. Both are regular faces in West End theatre audiences.

Madrid is the capital city of Spain and also the largest city in that country. This is among one of the most popular cities of the world and especially in Europe. Madrid presents within itself a unique blend of the old and the historic past of the country beautifully in coordination with the ultra modern present times.

This is also one of the most important centers of learning, education, political and economic matters of the country. You will have several sightseeing options among the various places that you can visit. The Royal Palace of Madrid, the Teatro Real and the several museums are some of the places to name a few.

Spanish Football

The game enjoys a rare popularity in this part of the world and Spain can be a top runner for an example. Besides being the home of several well known and established powerful football clubs in the world there is an entire population of crazy fans. There are regular matches held across cities and towns that have a football club. And these events and tournaments ca safely count on the patronization of the fans of the place.

Madrid Football Club

This is also home to one of the most formidable football clubs of the world – the Real Madrid Club. There are scheduled matches between teams that are held at different times of the week especially on weekends. There are several tournaments too that are held here at the football stadiums at different times of the year. If you are an enthusiast and a fan then you may as well refer to the Real Madrid official website for more information.

Madrid Football Tickets

There are tickets available in advance for the matches held at the stadiums of Madrid. These are available from the ticket counters at specified points as well as from the website. You can also gather the rates and means of booking them from the website as well.

Valencia Football Club

There is a great deal of popularity and craze for the club that is known as Valencia FC. It also holds an equal number of different tournaments and matches throughout the year. Valencia club is located in the province of Valencia in Spain and is also marked with an equally ardent populace of the game’ fans.

If you are here and willing to go for a match you can conveniently book them and have Valencia tickets delivered to you even if the address is your hotel room. There is an extraordinary facility for the purchase and delivery of tickets that can be seen all over Spain and especially in Madrid and Valencia. It is a singular proof of the respect and adulation the game and the players at all ranks commands among the people of the country.

There are many ways to enjoy a stag party in Spain. However the experience of being a part of a football stadium that’s packed to capacity with a frenzied crowd of football fans can be an experience of a lifetime. And an important memory for that special weekend party too.

For more information on madrid football tickets, check out the info available online; these will help you learn to find the valencia football tickets!

The English Premier League has become somewhat of a spectacle in recent times. Thanks to intense media coverage and vast quantities of money paid to the league for broadcasting rights it has surpassed every other league in Europe. The biggest names in the world are lured over to the Premiership with the promise of money, glory and success. If you look at the Champions League competition over the last couple of seasons it has been dominated by the English teams. This shows the strength of the English sides and the power of the Premier League. As with all leagues the Premiership has a select group of teams that are a cut above the rest and one of the sides representing the cream of the Premier League is Liverpool FC.

Liverpool are one of the most decorated teams in England posing 18 league titles, 6 European titles and have many other trophies to their name. The 1980′s were dominated by Liverpool. But unfortunately they have not won their domestic league title since. In 2005 Liverpool won the UEFA Champions League title coming back from a 3-0 deficit to win on penalties against AC Milan and since then have really made this competition their own. The likes of Manchester United and Chelsea have outgrown Liverpool and it has been a while since they have gone anywhere near the Premier League trophy. In 2006 the current owner of Liverpool football club David Moores decided it was time to move on. He wanted to sell the club to someone that had capital to invest in the club on both players and a new stadium. After much thought and negotiation he agreed to sell to two American businessmen, Tom Hicks and George Gillette.

Hicks and Gillette promised to make the purchase of Liverpool FC with their own money and no debt would be involved. They were all for current manager Rafa Benitez and said that they would allow him to look after the team decisions. A new stadium was to be built directly after the takeover but this has been put on hold due to the current economic situation. Since the takeover the club has plundered further into debt and the relationship between Hicks and Gillette and manager Rafa Benitez has become somewhat strained. This became most apparent during the Gareth Barry saga that went on over the summer of 2008 where Benitez implied that he was allowed no control over his team. The fans as you would expect have taken sides with their manager. Hicks and Gillette have been falling out with each other of late which can only hinder the team’s performance. The two have extra police protection on rare visits to the ground due to the fans discontent.

But things are looking up for Liverpool. Over the last few seasons they have brought in some top signings during the transfer windows. After a successful start could this be the season where Liverpool football club relive their glory years? Only time will tell.

Visit http://www.soccerengine.net for all of the information you need on Liverpool Football Club and have your say.Soccer Engine will also provide weekly predictions / betting tips on all of the big games and information on where to find the best odds. We also provide links to see Premier League matches live on your PC every week and selected matches from around the world.

Arsenal : Extraordinary Images of an Amazing Club

This is the first attempt to tell the story of the 121-year-history of the Arsenal Football Club through the greatest and most iconic Arsenal photography ever published.

From the earliest days at Woolwich and Plumstead, through the heady highs of Herbert Chapman and George Allison, to the colourful 1980s and the successful Arsene Wenger era, these images capture the emotions, stories, faces, fans and day-to-day existence of this incredible Club. Rarely seen photography provides an alternative view of many of the key events in the Club’s history and shows you sides of the Club that you never knew existed.

Rebels For The Cause : The Alternative History of Arsenal FC

Rebels for the Cause will surprise every Arsenal fan by revealing how much more there was to discover about the club.

Jon Spurling has written a book that both entertains and informs. Starting with Arsenal’s founding fathers, each chapter carefully pulls together the facts and faces throughout the club’s history, cleverly exploring it’s more colorful characters while subtly detailing the context of the club and football’s changing place in society.

Thought provoking, and sometimes shocking a smile is never far away from the reader’s face. It also exposes the roots of resentment for the club in both the media and other football fans.
For Arsenal fans this is simply a must read. For the rest, you hardly need any more justification for finding fault with the red and white half of north London.

The Official Illustrated History of Arsenal 1886-2007

This official history charts Arsenal’s story from its inception in 1886 right up to the first full season at the impressive Emirates Stadium.

It details how Dial Square became Woolwich Arsenal, the move to Highbury, Herbert Chapman’s inspirational leadership, the famous Double of 1971, the exciting title race of 1989, the second Double of 1998, the unbeaten season of 2003/04 and the move to their current home.

There is a complete statistical record of European and domestic games and in-depth features on North London derbies, the stars of the 1930s, Arsenal internationals, the team of 1971 and the modern French connection.

The Official Arsenal Annual 2008

Every Arsenal fan will find something to cheer about in “The Official Arsenal FC Annual 2008″. For Arsenal, 2007 promises to be yet another monumental year, with the move to Emirates Stadium completed, the Gunners going well in the Champions League, chasing down Manchester United and Chelsea in the Premiership and reaching the last four of the Carling Cup.

In addition to events off the field with new signings and old friends departing, the 2007-08 season is certain be full of excitement and interest. In addition to a review of 2006-07, there are player profiles and interviews, reviews, reports, fun, games, puzzles, in fact all a Junior Gunner could ever want in 64 pages!

Arsenal Stadium History

In May 2006 Arsenal played its last game at Highbury before moving to the new state-of-the-art Emirates Stadium. It was an emotional farewell to a ground that had witnessed some incredible games and which Arsenal fans had come to love as their second home.

Relive those Highbury memories in this lavishly illustrated book that charts the stadium’s story from the move to North London, the building of the stands and Chapman’s many innovations. It brings to life the stories from the Second World War and the fifties when the team returned to winning ways. Reacquaint yourself with the characters that bought the first double to Highbury in 1971; the celebrations in’ 89; the success of the Wenger revolution and the final season at this unique ground.

It features rare and previously unpublished photography; exclusive interviews with ex- and current players; key members of staff and fans; and full statistics of every match in Highbury’s history.

Mike Yardwood designs tutorial websites, guides, reviews and help guides centered on sporting subjects, for a large selection of Arsenal Football Club resources, books, DVDs, memorabilia, accessories and more visit :http://astore.amazon.co.uk/arsenal-fc-megastore-21

It was a positive night fro Hull City Football Club in their home fixture in the reserves league on Wednesday night. Hosting near neighbours Scunthorpe United at Ferriby’s Church Road ground, the Tigers’ second string ran out comfortable 3-0 winners. But that wasn’t the only pleasing point of the evening. Now you can find out why, with a round up of the latest news coming out of Hull City Football Club.

On Wednesday evening the reserves ran out 3-0 winners over Scunthorpe United with a smattering of first team stars on display in a mixture of youth and experience taking up the mantle for the Tigers. Included in affairs for City was Kamil Zayatte who played a stellar role in the centre of midfield for an hour along with Ian Ashbee and both are expected to be added to the squad for the short trip to Barnsley at the weekend.

However, the two main talking point of the evening was seeing Arsenal loan signing keeper Vito Mannone provide a vocal and assured presence between the sticks – despite a relatively comfortable night – and triallist Liam Rosenior take up the right back berth for City. Both players offered plenty of promise and the latter went a long way to securing a more permanent deal at Hull City Football Club after leaving Ipswich Town.

Elsewhere though – away from last night’s reserves exploits – two players look destined to extend their stays at the club. Firstly, loan signing Rowan Vine – who arrived from Queens Park Rangers for an initial one month loan spell – looks set to remain at City. The two clubs are supposedly in talks with a view to the striker staying with Hull City Football Club for a little while longer.

Finally, City stalwart Nick Barmby is hoping his performances can earn another year on his deal at the club. The 36 year old has a contract that is due to expire at the end of the season, but the locally born star is hoping to get a new deal with Hull City Football Club so he continue playing for his home town team. At the present, Barmby is already embedded into the coaching staff, but hopes to continue pulling on his boots for the Tigers for another year.

Should the former England international receive his wish, it would see the Hull man extend his stay at the club to an unprecedented six consecutive years.

If you’re searching for all the top stories surrounding Hull City Football Club you can guarantee they are covered by City Independent on a daily basis, including all the big match coverage you will ever need on the Tigers.First for breaking news and exclusive stories on the Tigers, City Independent continue to lead the way, providing the best independent coverage on Hull City. To find out more about Hull City Football Club and City Independent visit http://www.squidoo.com/hull-city-football-club and catch a real flavour of what this fanzine is all about.

In the ’80s and ’90s, Manchester City Football Club was not one of the Premier League’s top teams. Their 1976 League Cup victory stands as one of the most recent expressions of their competitive potential. However, business transactions behind-the-scenes often dictate much of what transpires on the field. Manchester City was not blessed with the necessary capital to spend on the best players in the past.

In September 2008, these fortunes have significantly changed; Abu Dhabi United Group purchased the team in a late Sunday evening deal. Now owned by this private equity firm from United Arab Emirates, Manchester City has emerged as the richest football club in the world. With this new financial backing, the team sought great players, with impressive bids submitted to secure top talent. Expensive transfers brought players like Gareth Barry, Robinho, and Carlos Tevez to the club.

The excitement of a winning sports club will no doubt prove very fiscally rewarding for Manchester in coming years. Manchester hotels will burst with tourists and sports fans who want to see this team in action. Pubs and restaurants near the City of Manchester Stadium will boom. The value of property in the area will also rise due to the the additional potential for commerce. Healthy tourism is great for the long term viability of a city.

While Manchester already has a known reputation as a great city to start a business, this new-found tourist attraction will encourage accelerated growth. Tourism revenue often represents the flow of new money into a city. This steady flow of money will fill the coffers of the pubs and hotels Manchester City fans frequent.

For those who are interested in experiencing the wealthiest football club in the world, now is the best time to plan a trip to Manchester. While this trend is still new, it will remain affordable to stay in Manchester hotels near the stadium. More tourism will mean fewer vacancies. As time passes, it will become more difficult to book the hotels Manchester hosts.

Manchester residents will all benefit from the football excitement. Nothing better promotes economic growth in a city than a winning football club. Wealthy owners will be able to bring in the quality players that this team needs in order to remain a winning dynasty. Manchester City’s new position as the richest football club in the world will be great for the city’s future.

Roo Sadegi is a travel writer based in London’s East End, although he spends much of his time travelling around Europe’s travel hotspots.

To say the last 6 months have been turbulent for Liverpool FC would be a great understatement, current owners Gillette and Hicks have driven the company into unbearable debts and are doing all they can to sell it off and selfishly salvage some profit.

Previous manager Rafa Benitez came under huge criticism as he led the club into one of their poorest seasons in history. It seems like it all went downhill since they won the European Champions League in 2005.

New manager Roy Hodgeson had the odds stacked against him when taking over the club earlier in the year and made the controversial decision to sell some of the players to free up some cash for the club.

Even two months ago the club finally lost its deal with longstanding sponsors Carlsberg. And just when things seemed like they couldn’t get any worse, the club saw light on the horizon with takeover interest from Chinese businessman Kenny Huang. Huang had the backing of a well funded government organisation which, although controversial, could have brought some well needed funds to the club.

Chinese investment would have also meant a large Asian following and probable sponsorship deals. But in a move that disgruntled everyone, the American owners turned down the bid, despite pressure from RBS to repay debts. Huang even offered to pay off the debt as well as pay over the asking price for the club.

Now, in light of the team’s poor start to the new season, with losses to some of the lowest ranking teams, the banks are threatening to claim their debts, sending Liverpool into administration which would also cost them 10 points.

Recently, Boston Red Sox owners; New England Sports Venture group has offered 300m for the club, a deal that the current board is happy to accept but Gillette and Hicks are willing to take legal action to prevent. The current owners are adamant they will not sell the club without making a healthy profit for themselves, an opinion which has cost them several investment opportunities. If this new venture firm acquires the club, their debts will be repaid and their future could once again look bright.

Sales of Liverpool football shirts possibly in relation to the bleak future of the club.

Once again, the sports reporting outlets are buzzing around Hull City Football Club. Despite reports you may have heard and read elsewhere, the word coming from fanzine websites confirm that Hull City Football Club have new owners with the deal struck during the witching hours, following the Tigers gritty 2-2 with Leeds United at Elland Road just hours earlier.

Many established media organisations have been reporting an ‘on-off’ takeover deal is occurring at Hull City Football Club at the present. Yet, by contrast, the fanzine based publications have consistently been reporting the exact opposite. Hull City Football Club appear on the brink of a takeover. Indeed, almost all the independent sites claim Allam is eager to strike a deal quickly in an effort to seize control of the club and provide two offers to current owner Russell Bartlett that need an answer within 48 hours.

Some fanzines have alluded that Allam wants to take control of the club to begin preparations for investment and also to allow manager Nigel Pearson some much needed funds to bring in new players during the January transfer window. Allam believes if a deal could not be salvaged before the middle of the week, it would be too late help the Tigers.

Last night, while City secured a worthy point at Leeds United with a 2-2 draw gained with 10 men, club owner Russell Bartlett wasn’t in attendance at the match. Instead, Bartlett was holding a meeting with Assem Allam to conclude the finer points on a deal that was agreed in principle yesterday afternoon. The deal should see the Egyptians take a stake in the club in the region of 75% and exiting owner Russell Bartlett keep a minority shareholding.

Now it appears the fanzines are right on the button, while certain other media outlets squabbled over who was right and who was wrong with their own slant on the story, thus turning the whole affair into an unecessary ‘on-off’ saga between themselves. What has actually happened had already been sounded out by certain fanzines 48 hours earlier and has since come to fruition – a triumph for the little guys on this occasion!

Hull City Football Club are set to publish a formal statement on their official website confirming the Allam’s now hold a controlling stake in the club and Russell Bartlett will remain at the Tigers with a reduced shareholding in due course.

If you’re searching for all the top stories surrounding Hull City Football Club you can guarantee they are covered by City Independent on a daily basis, including all the big match coverage you will ever need on the Tigers.First for breaking news and exclusive stories on the Tigers, City Independent continue to lead the way, providing the best independent coverage on Hull City. And with arguably one of the busiest Hull City forums on the net, there really is no better place to fix your craving. Don’t miss out, visit the number one place on the world wide web for Tigers fans!To find out more about Hull City Football Club and City Independent visit http://www.squidoo.com/hull-city-football-club and catch a real flavour of what this fanzine is all about.