LONDON: Arsenal has been named the most valuable football club brand in the English Premier League (EPL), according to a report by London-based agency Brand Finance.
The Gunners jumped from eighth to third place in this year’s report, just behind Barcelona in second place and Real Madrid at the top.
Arsenal’s brand value increased 28 percent from 1.001 billion pounds to 1.352 billion pounds, overtaking Bayern Munich in fourth place, Liverpool (seventh), Manchester City (sixth), Manchester United (eighth) and Paris Saint-Germain (fifth).
Arsenal are also among seven clubs in the top 10 to receive an AAA+ rating, in contrast to Borussia Dortmund in 10th place, Manchester City and PSG. Chelsea in eighth place are the only other London club in the top 20.
Brand Finance’s head of sports services, Scott Moore, said the report illustrated the widening gap between football’s elite clubs and the rest.
“This Football 50 Report shows just how wide the gap is between football’s elite and the rest of the world.
“The combined brand value of 23.9 billion euros, with the strongest growth we have recorded over the 15 years of this assessment, shows that success on the pitch translates directly into commercial strength off the pitch.
“Real Madrid’s position at the top for the third year in a row reflects continued excellence, but what is most interesting is the depth of the competition from clubs like Arsenal and Aston Villa showing that sporting success, when combined with smart brand building, can change positions quickly.”
“The hierarchy of European football is not static.
“The biggest brands continue to widen the gap, but ambitious clubs are proving that continued sporting success can accelerate their journey to global influence.”
“The biggest football clubs are not just competing with each other, they are competing for attention, loyalty and commercial growth on a global scale, and this year’s figures show they are outperforming entire leagues in other sports,” he said.
Arsenal, owned by Stan Kroenke, is considered one of the biggest success stories of the year after reaching the highest position in the club’s history.
The success of winning the EPL and reaching the Champions League (UCL) final is said to have contributed to commercial momentum at record levels.