Podcast episode on American owners (no replies)
Interview there with Mark Ashton, CEO of Ipswich. It's a good listen - he speaks about why their American owners invested in Ipswich, how they have boosted the club commercially and prioritise investing in club infrastructure to do more, etc. I specifically remember him saying they're doing things like:
- leaving iFollow to build their own revenue,
- investing in the pitch so they can hold concerts on it
- Getting shirt sales from 10,000 shirts a year to 50,000 after the three years and selling 21,000 season tickets.
- Capitalising on links with Ed Sheeran - through him they can market to millions more. Reminded me of what the club might do with Peaky Blinders.
He speaks about them being one of the richest clubs in the championship by owner wealth (they're essentially owned as an investment from a US pension fund, not a hedge fund). I imagine we're probably there or thereabouts too now.
The bloke has a west midlands accent, used to be on the board at WBA.