Is Sunderland's back five here to stay after Chelsea win?
Sunderland will earn over £100 million in broadcast revenue this season - but the financial impact of promotion is even greater overall
The boost to Sunderland's revenue streams sparked by promotion to the Premier League have been detailed in an interview with the club's Chief Business Officer.
David Bruce, who joined the club from a role in the MLS in 2023 and has since been been promoted to his current role, discussed Sunderland's growth in an interview with US outlet Sport Business Journal. The report highlights how Sunderland's revenues are growing aside from the significant boost from broadcast rights, which will earn the club in excess of £100 million this season alone.
The report reveals that Sunderland's commercial revenues have more than quadrupled, from around £4 million to £18 million. The club signed a number of new partnerships this season, including with front-of-shirt sponsor W88. With betting sponsors set to be phased out from the front of Premier League shirts next season, Sunderland will need to agree a new partnership should they stay in the top tier. A number of other commercial partnerships were agreed this summer, and Bruce has previously expressed his belief that beating relegation will lead to more significant deals as more businesses flock to a more established top-tier club.
The report also states that Sunderland's revenues from premium offerings have jumped to around £8 million from around £3 million, after the club invested a sum of approximately £10 million into the ground this summer. And retail has also enjoyed a major boost, with the report stating that sales have tripled to around £10 million. This is perhaps no great surprise - the notes from a recent meeting of the supporter collective reveal that the club has already sold 75% more home kits than last season, while sales of the club's away kit have jumped by 127%.
In the interview, Bruce revealed why he made the decision to return to the north east as a lifelong fan of the club.
“Across the business, people told me not to do the thing you love most,” Bruce said.
"My emotional side was just slamming my logical side. I didn’t want to retire someday and regret not having done this. I couldn’t leave MLS for anything other than trying to get my club in the Premier League. I’ve got family here and all my childhood friends, but they got more pints with me when I was based in New York, because this job is all-consuming.”
Bruce also spoke in the interview of how he tried to bring the 'service' culture from American sports to Wearside: "We had too much ‘open the doors at 3 p.m. and everyone will come.’ When I got here, we didn’t have anyone responsible for all of our fan-facing functions. We’ve since tried to instill that our simplest KPI [key performance indicator] is making a fan smile.”
Since his arrival in 2023, Bruce has driven a number of new long-term partnerships at the club. As well as long-term arrangements with hummel and fanatics, Sunderland's stadium concourse operation was overhauled this summer as a result of a new partnership with Delaware North.
The club's accounts for the 2024/25 season, which resulted in promotion to the Premier League, are due to be released next year. The accounts for the current campaign, which will outline the club's revenue streams more accurately, will follow a year later.
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Bruce hints Sunderland have room to invest in January transfer window if required
At the aformentioned supporter collective meeting, Bruce was asked by fans if the club was able to spend in January if required, and whether the summer spend had any impact on the club's position in regards to the Premier League's Profit & Sustainability regulations. Bruce replied that it did not, and added that while the level of spending undoubtedly came with some risk, the club were confident with their current position.
"IH [Ian High, Red & White Army] asked if the Club’s summer transfer business would limit further investment in January, should it be required. DB replied that the Club is prepared for every eventuality," the notes read.
"DB confirmed there are no current concerns relating to PSR. DB confirmed that the Club is working with long-term strategies across multiple scenarios for effective future budgeting and planning. Following a summer of unprecedented investment in the Club’s history, DB renewed the Club’s commitment to long-term financial sustainability. DB acknowledged the risks associated with any result-driven environment but expressed confidence in the Club’s operating model."
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