Future commercial interests

In a country where even the Prime Minister and the Queen take an interest in football, the topic is essential for everyone, from highborn elites to common folks. 

Bishop knew that Aldrich was the owner and head coach of Millwall, and he showed no signs of disdain. For decades, even centuries, football had been closely intertwined with the spirit of the English nation. When Charlton led his teammates to cry out in tears for their lost comrades during the Munich disaster, the whole world was moved. Tragedies like the Heysel disaster shook the nation, and Gascoigne's tears in Italy touched the hearts of every Englishman.

Bishop and Aldrich began discussing football, particularly sharing Aldrich's concerns about the future of the Premier League.

Long before the Premier League was established, the Premier League's name rights were sought after by Balk Bank, but ultimately, Carling Beer won the bid. It wasn't that Balk Bank couldn't compete financially; their funds were more than sufficient. 

At that time, Britain was undergoing a societal transformation. The Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher, had just stepped down, and English football was still reeling from the shadow of the Hillsborough disaster. The best players were heading to Italy, and there was even a saying among fans: after death, your soul would fly to Italy to witness the best players and the most exciting matches.

The Balk Bank consortium hesitated to endorse the Premier League due to concerns about its future: would it continue to stagnate or recover? This uncertainty led them to withdraw from the bidding.

In the years that followed, England's return to European competition highlighted a significant gap with the continent's top teams. The isolationism that English football experienced after the late 1980s had come at a steep price.

Liverpool was eliminated from the qualifiers, unable to compete with Portuguese giants Benfica, while Arsenal fell prey to Glasgow Rangers in the group stage. Leeds United were left behind after being knocked out by Galatasaray last season, and this year, Manchester United, the reigning champions, were even topped by the Nordic team Gothenburg, failing to progress past the group stage once again.

Despite England's return to the Champions League five years ago, they hadn't once made it to the quarter-finals.

While discussing the future developments of the Premier League, Aldrich spoke passionately about its growth model. He noted that English football was becoming increasingly Europeanized, with a notable rise in foreign players and the commercialization of clubs. The formation of the Premier League had also brought in significant broadcasting revenue.

Conversely, although Italy's league was undeniably the top one currently, its weaknesses could hinder its growth. The restrictions on transfers outside of Europe and the family-run club model limiting foreign investments were potential risks. While Italy boasted many stars, it also displayed a trend of brutal gameplay, with spectacular attacks often ending in harsh fouls. Fans in the 90s saw long injury lists filled with well-known names, yet they longed to watch these players dazzling on the pitch, not sidelined in recovery.

"If the teams representing the Premier League can't achieve good results in Europe, the world's, or rather Europe's, focus won't be on England. In that case, the value of the Premier League would be limited to its home ground, and the risks versus rewards of sponsorship would be mismatched," Bishop stated.

Aldrich nodded in agreement. "That's right. As a football powerhouse, England's influence is immense. Even if teams from smaller European nations achieve great success in the Champions League, they rarely achieve significant growth, as the local football culture sets an upper limit on success. In contrast, traditional European powerhouses like Italy, Spain, Germany, and France can create massive effects when they achieve consistent success in Europe. Especially in an age where media spreads information rapidly, Italy's football prominence proves this point. If Premier League teams could generate a similar effect, it would surpass that of Italy, as we just discussed."

Aldrich spoke confidently, and as the conversation progressed, Bishop said seriously, "I spoke to Barnett about a partnership. Balk Bank is interested in sponsoring a Premier League team. I heard Millwall is doing quite well in League One this season. If Millwall can qualify for the Premier League next season, we'd be willing to become the team's front jersey sponsor. What do you think?"

Aldrich was utterly surprised.

Balk Bank wanted to sponsor a Premier League team?

It would be fine to sponsor anyone, but it would never choose Millwall.

Millwall was notoriously known as a rough team!

Even though the team had seen a complete transformation this season, past impressions don't change overnight.

Reflecting on Bishop's words, Aldrich understood that this was likely a friendly collaboration between Balk Bank and the Hall family. In their strategy to Europeanize and even globalize the consortium, allies were essential. The Hall family, having risen in London, was recognized as a significant international capital player with Barnett making successful inroads in North America and investments in Southeast Asia, both yielding good returns. It made sense that Balk Bank would have its eye on the Hall family, who held British citizenship.

Aldrich smiled and asked, "Sponsorship fee?"

"Three years, one million pounds per year."

"No, we'll sign for one year at a time. This summer, we can agree to one million pounds or eight hundred thousand pounds. If you want to continue sponsoring next summer, we can renegotiate the sponsorship fee then."

Considering Millwall's reputation, Aldrich wouldn't even be interested if they offered five hundred thousand pounds a year for front sponsorship. Now, very few clubs in the Premier League could secure sponsorship deals in the millions.

Bishop smiled slightly. "Okay, if Millwall competes in the Premier League next season, we'll sponsor one million pounds in the summer. Can I ask, why not agree to a three-year deal?"

"It's simple. I have full confidence in my team, and our commercial value will grow quickly in the near future. If we sign for three years at once, Millwall will be at a loss. As you pointed out, Premier League teams that participate in European competitions bring significant economic benefits."

"Haha, you're just like your brother, always so confident. I admire that," Bishop replied.

Aldrich and Bishop shook hands formally and finished their conversation happily.

Just as Aldrich waved goodbye to Bishop, Barnett arrived with another man.

"Aldrich, this is Mr. Worm-Heisenberg, the marketing director of Puma Germany. Andrew introduced him to discuss next season's jersey sponsorship contract with you. I won't interfere," Barnett said cheerfully, introducing Heisenberg before leaving.

Aldrich shook hands with the debonair German man, nodding and smiling as he spoke, "Nice to meet you."

Worm-Heisenberg casually struck up a conversation with Aldrich. After some small talk, he got straight to the point, suggesting an annual sponsorship fee of eighty thousand pounds for an exclusive five-year contract as Millwall's jersey sponsor.

Aldrich firmly refused, "Impossible! I know that no sponsors would want to invest heavily in Millwall right now, but I won't sell out our future interests. Mr. Heisenberg, here's my proposal: a one-year contract. We can sign for eighty thousand pounds this summer, and then we can renegotiate next summer. This way, if Millwall's commercial value increases or we get relegated, we can both secure our interests, right?"

Heisenberg appeared displeased. He expected a small team like Millwall to welcome a big company's sponsorship with open arms.

Aldrich nonchalantly said, "Mr. Heisenberg, do you know how many times our jersey sales this season have outstripped last year's? I can honestly tell you: thirteen times! Why? Because my team has many players who have become stars in the eyes of fans, quickly becoming the brightest figures on the pitch. I suspect that if it weren't for your interest in Schneider, you probably wouldn't even pay attention to Millwall, would you?"

Heisenberg reluctantly nodded.

Schneider, hailing from Germany, rapidly grew into a player with great star potential. After talking with his agent, Andrew recommended him to discuss the jersey sponsorship with Aldrich, claiming it would be a win-win collaboration.

"My team has many players from different countries with immense potential. They will likely become key members of their national teams and shine on the biggest stage of the World Cup. You might think I'm dreaming, but that's fine. Even if we can't reach an agreement today, I don't mind. I value connections, and by building a solid foundation for cooperation today, even if your company has competitors in the future, I will prioritize choosing friends under the same conditions."

"Worm-Heisenberg is feeling a bit uncertain; he can only express that he needs to consider it further."

Aldrich smiled and saw him off.