Odds Against Football

"La Liga clubs face sponsorship scramble with betting ban set for October

New royal decree could wipe out €80m in commercial revenue

• Shirt sponsorship, stadia branding and almost all marketing set to be outlawed
• Spain’s minister for consumer affairs says it is "reckless" that clubs have"

https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/la-liga-betting-ban-sponsors-betis-betway-garzon

The above are horrible headlines which take me back to a conversation I had with various colleagues at the Scottish FA. That conversation was centred on the question 'what happens when gambling advertising in sport gets banned?'  Now, per the above article on SportMedia the Spanish government is set to introduce new legislation which effectively cuts the legs off manyclubs, with sponsorship and LED advertising dominated by the gambling industry. France looks set to follow and that will bring huge pressure on other governments to do the same. My long held view is that it's only a matter of time until it's a blanket ban similar to tobacco advertising because the collateral damage of gambling is so vast. 

As it happens, in what little free time I have at the moment, I am working on a sequel of sorts to my dissertation, focusing on the need to innovate and change or die, with particular relevance to Scottish football. The gambling in football issue is a big part of that work. As is the need to change the product in general because, outside of the elite, football is an undesirable product for many brands for a variety of reasons (also a major part of my follow up document) and has become reliant, for the most part, on gambling and alcohol. This was also a point of discussion many times at Hampden with my point being that most clubs are so resistant to change - typically because it requires investment and offers no guarantees - it would take something catastrophic for that change to occur, something along the lines of another big name club going into administration or, worse, liquidation. 

Well, a catastrophe has occurred, only it was named Covid-19, and it shone a brutally bright light on the reality that for the majority of clubs (and associations, and sports in general) there is no contingency for such a situation, where matchday income vanishes and there's no cash in the bank to tide them over through an extended period of inactivity. This is entirely preventable but can't be seen because of short-termism and myopia. Now, we face the prospect of the perfect storm of a second wave of Covid-19 AND a ban on arguably the single biggest industry supporter of football at the same time. Clubs will fold. And yes, you guessed it, this is a major part of my dissertation sequel. But the reality is there's no point wasting time in writing a 15,000 word essay on what clubs need to do to not just protect themselves but to adapt, evolve. grow and #ChangeTheGame for the better - sustainably better - when the threat is hanging right over us. The changes need to happen now.

Whilst sponsorship is the area most of the contact I'm having with clubs and brands is focused on, because it's the most obvious one, RSX Sports was established to really help clubs and associations adapt and evolve to create new and sustainable revenue streams and to become a more attractive proposition to better brands who will invest higher amounts in commercial partnerships. Adapt or die. Evolve or die. Change or die. That's the stark reality for all but the elite - and even they will be hurting. But there are umpteen ways to fix this problem and they are all doable, it just takes an open mind, some creativity and being prepared to take a gamble. Pun intended.

DM me, call me on 07932732299 or email [email protected] to start the conversation about protecting and growing your club.

#ChangeTheGame