Newcastle United’s commercial income have improved year on year, but the Magpies still have a lot of work to do to close the gap with the established order.
Peter Silverstone has revealed that Newcastle United have to work ‘hard’ to persuade potential commercial partners to come on board – even if there has been ‘increasing interest’ in the club.
Newcastle’s commercial revenues increased by 66% to £43.9 million last season, but this sum is still well behind the established order. Manchester United, for example, earned £302.9 million during the same year, more than Newcastle’s total revenue, and the Red Devils have a remarkable 28 global partnerships stated on their website.
Newcastle, on the other hand, began from a lower base after years of commercial stagnation under Ashley, and the club has effectively built retail and licensing, e-commerce, and partnership teams from the ground up. When Silverstone was appointed chief commercial officer in 2022, he inherited a workforce of about 40 individuals, and while that number grew to around 65 at the start of the season, it is still a long cry from the 150-200 staff members the Scot formerly worked with at Arsenal.
Newcastle have gained some notable kit partners, including supplier Adidas, front-of-shirt sponsor Sela, and sleeve sponsor Noon, while the club’s secondary sponsorships have expanded by more than 90% thanks to deals with Fenwick, BetMGM, InPost, and others. However, in a meeting with the fan advisory group at St James’ Park, Silverstone acknowledged the need to ‘expand this again year after year’ as Newcastle strive to increase their purchasing power.
“We still have to work hard to persuade potential partners and there is a lot of ‘outbound’ activity to speak with brands, but clearly there has been increased interest in the last two years,” he added. “But we have a lot of work to do on secondary partnerships and growing globally is key.”
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