Everton's new owners have a portfolio of investments that could prove helpful to the Toffees in growing the brand
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Prospective Everton owner Dan Friedkin and the club's new stadium
Everton owner Dan Friedkin and the club's new stadium
This week has seen a new era ushered in at Everton with The Friedkin Group (TFG) taking full control of the club from Farhad Moshiri. TFG received the required regulatory approval earlier this month.
The in-tray for the new owners, with TFG chief Dan Friedkin and new executive chairman Marc Watts leading from the front, will be pretty heavy in the opening weeks as the American group take the reins at a club that has been mired in chaos and financial uncertainty for the best part of four years.
Tidying up the balance sheet will be key, and much work has already been done around that in terms of reaching agreements with creditors such as Rights and Media Funding Limited and A-CAP, the US lenders who provided the long-doomed 777 Partners bid with the club’s working capital earlier in the year.
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It won’t be an easy task, but if Premier League safety can be attained for next season, and TFG are coming in at a time where they can be impactful in that respect, then the club can look forward to a fresh start, in a world-class stadium, under new ownership, and fans can start to leave behind the tumult that Moshiri’s reign brought.
TFG’s acquisition of Everton will mean that half of Premier League teams have either directly or indirect ownership from the United States, with American money continuing to see the Premier League as undervalued, where access to one of the world’s most watched sporting leagues can be achieved for a fraction of the price of doing the same in the NFL, NBA or MLB.
Being under American ownership, and at a time when the US are coming on to football in a major way ahead of the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico, Everton will likely intensify their efforts to cut through across the Atlantic and grow their market share, and with TFG chief Dan Friedkin’s other investments including a Hollywood production company, they may have access to tools that can help tell the Toffees story stateside and bring on board new fans, which will only aid commercial growth.
Among the portfolio of TFG companies are 30WEST, an independent film production company; Neon, an independent US film distribution company; and the Imperative Entertainment studio which develops, produces, and finances original and branded entertainment with a focus on film, television, documentaries and podcasts.
“I think one of the most exciting things for me if I was an Everton fan, aside from the obvious fact that they’ve been taken over and have a bit of a new dawn, is the portfolio of The Friedkin Group and how it might be able to help the club seriously kick on,” said Neil Joyce, CEO of CLV Group, a sports, media and entertainment company that helps clients unlock new opportunities in different territories through proprietary data.
“Look at some of the things they are into. They have companies in their portfolio which can help Everton tell a story. They are into TV, films, documentaries and podcasts, and as we’ve seen with the Welcome to Wrexham success, having a compelling narrative and a story to tell is hugely important when it comes to appealing to the US market.
“Digital products, virtual experiences and content are all key to unlocking US growth opportunities. Our data found that there are 200,000 Everton fans in the US now, with 25% of those heavy digital content subscribers. If you can find a way to tap into that you can unlock huge revenue potential.
“There are 83m soccer fans in the US, and 36.5m of those are undecided and have no team to which they are attached. You don’t have to be Manchester United, Liverpool or Arsenal to appeal to the US market, you have to have a story to tell, and the ability to tell it.
“Everton have had Dixie Dean, the Howard Kendall years and all that came with that. More recently they have a US connection with major US soccer stars like Tim Howard and Landon Donovan. Things like that can make a difference.”
Joyce also believes that the new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock on the banks of the River Mersey offers Everton a golden chance to become a globally recognised venue for sport and entertainment, believing that they should use Tottenham Hotspur’s approach to their stadium as a blueprint.
“Everton could follow the Spurs model,” he said.
“Make it a live, living and breathing sports event venue. Host other sports like Spurs have done with the NFL, collaborate on merchandise, bring in some of the biggest acts in the music world to perform at a phenomenal venue.
“This all helps when it comes to brand recognition, not to mention adding more ways to earn revenue from the stadium itself away from just hosting Everton games.”
The FIFA Club World Cup is on US soil next summer, while the year after will see the World Cup itself take place in the US, Canada and Mexico. North America is on to football in a way never seen before, and Joyce believes that there is a window of opportunity to make a mark for clubs like Everton that won’t be open forever.
“There have been some false starts when it comes to the US and soccer,” said Joyce.
“There are 83m soccer fans, but not all of those will follow a team, they just like following the sport. But there are a lot of undecided fans and it is a race for clubs to be able to make their mark.
“Investing in the market can be transformative to a football club. We are in a moment in time and clubs have to understand that. The US needs a strategic plan and owners who know that the returns might not come straightaway. But I think that the Friedkin Group will know that, and I think it promises to be exciting times for Everton.”