Liverpool will consider selling the naming rights to the club’s new training ground in Kirkby, according to Billy Hogan.
Set for completion in 2020, the new complex will house the senior team and youth teams all in one place.
Construction work will begin around October to expand and redevelop the current Academy into the new, purpose built training ground.
Selling naming rights to the updated facilities is one way the club can earn extra revenue from this expense.
Speaking the Liverpool Echo, Hogan said:
The new training ground is a different opportunity. It’s not just the first team, it’s the Academy as well. So what’s the right partner for a training ground?
For the right partner, if it makes sense, then that’s something we’ll certainly look at. There are wider opportunities around the new training ground which we’ll look at. If it’s not a headline naming rights then more subtle relationships could make more sense within a training ground environment.
Should a deal be struck with a prospective partner, it won’t be the first time a football club has signed something similar.
Manchester United and AON have a training ground deal, which includes naming rights and training kit sponsorship, worth around £15m per season.
Opinion
This is yet another example of Fenway Sports Group maximising revenue from all aspects of the club. Since purchasing the Reds, the commercial side of football has been addressed successfully and it’s fair to say the club can now compete on that front with the world’s biggest.
As fans, a simple naming deal like this has little effect to anyone, but increases the club’s financial power – something all fans won’t be against. It also provides state-of-the-art conditions for the players – an obvious win.
As with the Main Stand naming rights, however, the club need to not only actually find a partner, but also find the right partner for this kind of relationship.
There is of course the worry that the struggle to find a Main Stand naming rights holder is replicated with the new training ground. The club will want to avoid that.
