Arsenal top of the pile in London for brand value, according to Brand Finance’s Football 50 list
Arsenal top the charts when it comes to the club with the most valuable brand in London, according to Brand Finance’s Football 50 list, published today.
A familiar plot line to their campaign failed to prevent Arsenal boasting a 22 per cent increase in brand value to $858m (£593m) compared to the 2015 ranking, while the Gunners also possess a very high score in the brand strength index.
Such returns have seen Premier League runners-up Arsenal assume sixth place in the list, up from seventh in 2015, and overtake London rivals Chelsea, who dropped from fifth to eighth, in the process.
Dethroned Premier League champions Chelsea endured a chastening on-field season, although their commercial power, which includes a £60 million-a-year kit deal with Nike effective from the 2017/18 season, continues to grow. Their brand value slipped two per cent to $776m (£536m).
For the second season running, Tottenham prop up the top 10, but witnessed a 23 per cent rise to $441m (£305m).
Manchester United, meanwhile, retained their status as the club with the most valuable brand in world football despite failing to qualify for next season’s Champions League and a campaign which culminated in the axing of manager Louis van Gaal.
A first FA Cup success in more than a decade and forecasts of continuing revenue increases were enough for the Old Trafford club to withstand a concerted challenge from Champions League winners Real Madrid.
For the second successive year, United’s brand value has remained above the billion dollar threshold, making the 20-time top-flight winners the only team to have achieved such a feat twice.
La Liga champions Barcelona, United’s neighbours Manchester City and Bundesliga winners Bayern Munich complete the top five, while 17 English clubs and one Welsh, Swansea City, are in the top 50.
The fastest growing brand of 2016 belongs to Leicester City, whose fairytale Premier League title win has been matched by it’s commercial prominence. An unprecedented 132 per cent rise in brand value to $237m (£164m) has seen the Foxes soar to 16th place, up from 42nd in 2015.