Sunderland appointed a new interim CEO last week ahead of a new permanent appointment this summer
Sunderland's interim CEO Tom Burwell opened up on his role within the Bia Sports Group and with the Black Cats in an extensive interview last year, highlighting the need for the club to compete with the best in the world off the pitch as well as on it.
Burwell has become a key figure behind the scenes at Sunderland, having been appointed to the board as a non-executive director last year. Following confirmation of David Bruce's departure this summer as Chief Business Officer, Burwell has assumed added responsibilities while the club recruits a permanent CEO.
Burwell has taken on the responsibilities as part of his wider role of CEO of the Bia Sports Group, the company through which Kyril Louis-Dreyfus and Juan Sartori manage their sporting portfolio. The pair have previously invested in Rugby Sevens and Supercross, with more acquisitions expected in future.
Burwell was interviewed by the Sports Geek podcast last November, in which he explained the Bia Sports Group philosophy and the plans at Sunderland.
"The first investment was actually pre the group being set up was Sunderland football club," Burwell said.
"Sunderland was in League One at the time, having had consecutive relegations. We have owned that for four and a half, five years and very fortunately, we now find ourselves competing at the top end of the Premier League. I say top end of the Premier League because we've had a great start to the season
"What we really mean is competing in the Premier League again and again, doing everything we can to continue to be in the Premier League next year, both on and off the field. And the reason I say that is we have to be Premier League ready to compete both on the field with the best footballers in the world, but we also need to be Premier League ready off the field to compete with the best sports executives in the world for commercial eyeballs, digital eyeballs and both national and international relevance."
Burwell said the Bia Sports Group existed to invest in sports with established 'tribal fandom', who the company feel are being underserviced. He also explained Sunderland's slightly different place in the group, as an investment in one team rather than sports or leagues themselves as is the case with Bia's sport acquisitions.
The interim CEO said Sunderland had been able to compete off the pitch this season as a result of the club's history and fanbase, but that being 'really clever' with player trading remained key.
"Premier League football is a different ball game," Burwell said.
"We run our club really, really sustainably, of course and the central distribution really, really helps. You also need to be really clever with player trading and you need to drive strong revenues in the Premier League. Now, one of the great things about Sunderland is we're a big club. We've got the sixth largest stadium in England with 49,000 fans, 42,000 season ticket holders. We've come up and punched well above our weight in the commercial sponsorship space, which means that, you know, we're competitive on and off the field and that's great. And it gives us the opportunity to attempt to be competitive on the field. For some clubs who come up and might not have that fan base, that would be a lot harder."
Burwell: Fan experience is key
Burwell said fan experience was at the heart of the group's plans.
"The realities are that we as a society are more demanding on than ever with regards to what we're going to spend our money, be it entertainment, social, et cetera," he said.
"And that just because we've always supported Sunderland doesn't mean that we're always going to continue to pay our season ticket if the experience is, you know, dry and dross. So we as owner operators of IP need to sit absolutely at the forefront of service, we are a service. We are a marketing and production agency and we are servicing the eyeballs of those want to embrace and consume our sports. I probably am remaining still quite a long way from the sport and I thought that I got closer to it, but what I probably now feel is I feel like I'm closer to the fan than I've ever been. And [we have] a real commitment to whether you're a dirt bike kiddie that's been on it for seven years and is riding a 65cc or you're a 72 year old season ticket holder at Sunderland, or you're my father who's 75 years old and still on the board of England Rugby and probably think some of the things that we're saying about rugby are a little bit different to what he remembers... We've got a responsibility to service everybody. Because everybody is worth some money to us and fans should recognise and I'm really open about this, we are a business and a capital business and one that is aimed to make money - but that should never come at the expense of making sure that you have the best experience on a Saturday at 3pm."
Continue Reading