REAL MADRID
How much money did Real Madrid make from their pre-season tour of the United States?
The LaLiga giants’ participation in the 2023 Soccer Champions Tour has been a huge success, with their stateside popularity on the rise.
“The Dallas Cowboys go to California every summer to expand their fanbase. Their marketing strategy is extremely powerful. But when was the last time they won the Super Bowl (their fourth and last victory came in 1995)?” an ‘insider’ asks AS. According to Forbes, the Cowboys are worth $8 billion, making them the most valuable sports franchise in the world, and an example for other sports teams, such as Real Madrid, to follow.
Real Madrid’s strategic agreement with Legends and Sixth Street
Los Blancos made their 22nd trip to the United States this summer as they also looked to appeal to new followers and, lets not beat around the bush, make bucketloads of cash. This latest trip stateside was organised in conjunction with investment company Legends, a premium experiences company for sports and live venue organizations, and investment firm Sixth Street.
In May 2022, Madrid announced they had entered into a strategic agreement with both, who are also involved with the Cowboys. The deal sees the Spanish giants receive €360 million (circa $394 million) “to be invested across any of the Club’s activities”. In exchange, Sixth Street has “the right to participate in the operation of certain new businesses of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium for 20 years”, from which they are due 30% of the profits. Legends, meanwhile, “contributes its experience and knowledge in the operation of large stadiums and leisure centers, allowing for the optimization of the management of the Santiago Bernabeu stadium”.
A record-breaking Clásico in Dalls
Real Madrid are expected to make just over €15 million from the four matches they played as part of the Soccer Champions Tour across the United States this summer. This year, six of Europe’s biggest and most historic clubs were involved (Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Arsenal, Juventus and AC Milan), with El Clásico in Dallas the jewel in the crown. The match at AT&T Stadium in Texas broke the attendance record for a match between clubs in North America (82,026 fans).
Los Blancos’ earnings up from 2022
In 2022, the first summer in which they had travelled across the Atlantic after the covid-19 pandemic, the LaLiga giants’ earnings were slightly lower at just over €12 million. Not only has there been an increase in the money pocketed, but also in terms of fans who went along to matches and media coverage, which was significantly ramped up this year. That can only mean US interest in Real Madrid - and indeed soccer - is on the rise.
Fan interaction at UCLA base camp
As has regularly been the case since Los Blancos travelled to the United States with José Mourinho in charge in 2010, their base camp was at the University of California in Los Angeles, where the players were seen interacting with fans on a daily basis, signing autographs and taking selfies after training. There was also the chance for the public to buy club merchandise from a pop-up store and two official events.
First of all, a meet and greet at which fans were able to mingle with their idols, followed by an impromptu open day, when supporters were unexpectedly given access to Wallis Annenberg Stadium at UCLA during Madrid’s final stateside training session. All in all, the stay was a huge success and is likely to be repeated in coming summers.
Sponsorship commitments and Real Madrid summer soccer camps
The club’s main sponsors, such as Emirates and Adidas, took advantage of the trip to Los Angeles to work on advertising campaigns with some of Madrid’s biggest names.
In addition, several players attended various summer soccer camps organised by the Real Madrid Foundation across the United States. All in all, there are 83 camps in 44 states and more than 11,000 boys and girls have the opportunity to take part in training sessions put on by official Real Madrid youth coaches.
Real Madrid and the United States: a winning formula
With Real Madrid, Sixth Street and Legends appear to have hit on a winning commercial formula, much in the same way as they have with the Dallas Cowboys, whose versatile AT&T Stadium has allowed a number of different events to be staged there, including the 2023 US Clásico.
Unlike clubs such as Paris Saint-Germain, who have spent this pre-season in Asia, Los Blancos look certain to be the main attraction at the Soccer Champions Tour in the United States for many summers to come. The club’s accountants would find it foolish to go anywhere else.