WASHINGTON, D.C. January 29, 2013 — Manchester United are not only one of the most successful soccer clubs in the world in the last 20 years, the English Premier League team is also the world’s most valuable sports team.
According to Forbes magazine, United is the first sports franchise to be valued at more than $3 billion. The club’s shares have grown recently due to sponsorship deals with China Construction Bank and Kansai of Japan and a record $559 million deal with General Motors, who will be the club’s shirt sponsor for the 2014-2015 season. The team, currently the EPL’s leaders, is also projected to increase earnings with progress in the UEFA Champions League this year and monies from the EPL’s lucrative world wide TV deals.
The Red Devils, who are controlled by the Glazer family, owners of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, publicly traded the team last August. The club’s shares have risen from $14 last year to $17 in the last few days.
According to Forbes, the second most valuable sports team in the world is the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, worth $2.1 billion.
John Haydon wrote a weekly soccer column for The Washington Times. He has covered two World Cups and written about Major League Soccer from the league’s inception in 1996.
Follow John on Twitter at @Johnahaydon
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