OKX announced as Manchester City’s Official Sleeve Partner for men’s and women’s first teams in new multi-year agreement at exclusive panel at Etihad Stadium.
Ferran Soriano, Chief Executive Officer at City Football Group said: “Our football club, Manchester City, is also a global brand with more than 600 million followers around the world and it is always more challenging to engage with the ones that can’t travel to Manchester.
“For us to partner with a company that is an expert in the world of digital assets and can help us engage and connect with more fans all over the world, it’s not a commercial point it’s an strategic one, very important for us.
“It’s very exciting to announce the next phase of our partnership. We’ve known each other for a while and before we engaged in our partnership, we discussed what we could do for our fans, for OKX clients and for our communities and we are very proud to announce this very significant step in our partnership.
“We are talking about a strategic challenge here, if you think about more than 600 million followers, of which I think the percentage of them in the UK may be 2-3% so 97-98% are followers from around the world and we have to find ways to allow them to engage with the football club they love. Naturally digital assets have to play a part, to have a partner to help us on this journey to connect and engage is important.
“OKX is a perfect partner to develop and offer these opportunities for our fans. It’s not about advertising or branding, it’s about allowing our fans to engage with the club through digital assets.”
Growth of the commercial appeal of the Club
“The commercial appeal of the club has grown spectacularly. We already know that our revenues this last season are going to be over £700 million, more than €800m and close to $900m. This will be the historic British record, but could also be number one in Europe and the world. This has been developing over the last decade and it’s based on the football that we play. Marketing plays a part, but it is ultimately down to the product, you have a good football team or you don’t and we have a good football team that plays good football and wins.”
“That helps us sell more merchandise, to give you a number, in our club channels this season that has just finished we’ve sold 80% more than the previous season. But in the first weeks of this season we are selling over 80% more than the previous season again !. As an example, in the four days after the Champions League Final we sold the same that we used to sell in a month.
“It comes with winning and playing good football and then naturally more people want to watch the games, more people want to buy merchandise, more companies want to associate with us.
“It has happened before to other clubs its happening now to Manchester City. Wee play some of the best footballs in the world, people want to watch, they fall in love with us and they become fans. That brings commercial opportunities which bring more money that we then invest in better players, better facilities and a better club in general. It is a virtuous cycle.”
On the club’s success
“Hard work is behind the success of the club. I haven’t seen anyone be successful without working very hard. I see it in our football people, Pep Guardiola is so smart in the way he manages the team but I can assure you he comes to the office early and leaves late. We need to continue to work to stay where we are.
“If you look at the last ten years, Manchester City has been on a journey to get to t the top – I say at the top not to say we are number one but we are in the group of top clubs in the world.. We were at already in this place before winning the Champions League but winning it is important and symbolic.
“The question is how do we stay there. We will because we will continue to work, we will not be complacent and we have a platform from where this is possible. Obviously at the start of this decade there was a need for a lot of changes, but if you look at what we’ve done over the last few years, the level of investment in players, it’s very prudent and well thought. We’re not the top Premier League spenders of last year, or the last three years, or the last five We have a vey good platform, we know what we need,we take our time and we have developed enough intelligence. And if we don’t like a deal, we walk away, we never panic.
