According to Catalan paper Sport, Barça is looking into putting advertising on their shirts, with the marketing department already working with various formulas to maximize profit from the clothing of the Barça first team. The following is a translation of Sport‘s article, the original can be found here.

The old debate about the need to put advertising on the kits of the first team has returned yet again. As time passes,  the increasing financial demands become greater and the international price of FC Barcelona appreciates as never before. As acknowledged by the board, the club is looking at collecting a minimum of 25 million euros per season.

The club has been studying various ways to increase income. Because of this, marketing has gained importance and the fact is that FC Barcelona is the only major world football club not earning advertising revenue from the first team kit. Instead of making money, the club spends money. The agreement with UNICEF means that the club spends every season. Nothing has been decided, but a period of consultations has been opened to scrutinize the market and to see what options it offers.

Barça’s board of directors are looking at three options. In the first, the idea is to find a main sponsor displayed only on the front of the shirt. That is, the branding found on the shirts of most clubs. It is the most profitable option as the Barça shirt is the most popular shirt on the market today. As reflected in various studies, the club would be able to demand payment of around 25 million euros. This is two or three million more than currently generated by other clubs like Real Madrid.

The second option would be to have the advertising on the back of the shirt. Wear the sponsorship just below the number for a financial gain of about 12 million euros.

Another consideration is the third option, to advertise on the players’ shorts. This is a more modest initiative, although in the case of the shirts, Barça would bring in substantial revenue of between 6 and 12 million euros.

Agreement with UNICEF

Barça have an existing agreement with UNICEF, although the international agency already is fully aware of the studies being carried out by the club. The original intention of the board of directors is to maintain and even extend the presence of UNICEF with the Barcelona image. The club did not want to lose the enormous social significance that goes along with the agreement between UNICEF and Barça, but they are trying to make it compatible with the dividends that arrive with a corporation on the shirt.

UNICEF understands the economic demands and will accept willingly any of the solutions that are presented from the offices of the Camp Nou. The most plausible route would be to give the front of the shirt to another brand while UNICEF would be moved to a new location on the sleeves. There will be no conflict in the case that the board wishes to vary their current policy.

Sandro Rosell has already warned during the election process that all future options remain open, including a shirt sponsor, although there will be some minimum requirements. Barça, as one of the world’s best clubs, would only be willing to associate their image with a brand that was in the same situation. Barça will only yield its image to a multinational project/company that holds and could contribute further to the international values that the club currently defends and promotes.

These requirements rule out some sponsors that have been suggested in recent years, since the current board has stated that they will not use sponsors from the bunch of companies related to gambling, betting or practices that contrast somewhat with the values advocated by UNICEF. The international market is restricted, but the club is aware of possible deals that from now will be sorted and analyzed. The shirt is already on the market and has a price.