By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
May 21 – The UEFA Champions League Final in Madrid tomorrow between Bayern Munich and Inter Milan will be worth more than €120 million (£104 million/$150 million) to the winners, €10 million (£8 million/$12 million)) more than 2009, a new study commissioned by MasterCard has claimed.
The research, conducted on behalf of the official sponsor of the Champions League, also predicts the match is set to be worth upwards of €351.5 million (£305.7 million/$440.3 million) across the European economy.
The MasterCard Heart of Sports Commerce report predicts a total increase of €41.5 million (£36.1 million/$51.9 million) on the economic impact of the last year’s competition, when Barcelona beat Manchester United in the Final in Rome.
The news is particularly significant as no English or Spanish clubs - widely recognised as the economic powerhouses of European football - are represented in the Final for the first time in five years, the research claims.
The study, developed by Coventry University’s Professor Simon Chadwick, one of the world’s leading sport business experts, estimates that the Spanish capital, Madrid, will benefit from a windfall of €50 million (£43 million/$62 million) - €5 million (£4 million)/$6 million) more than last year – while even the losing club is set to pocket more than €70 million (£61 million/$88 million) from the event.
Chadwick said: “The value of the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final is set to break all previous records – giving either FC Bayern München or FC Internazionale Milano the opportunity to scoop more than €120 million (£104 million/$150 million) by winning Europe’s premier club competition.
“It’s clear that football is booming, despite neither an English or Spanish club featuring in the Final for the first time in five years.
“The 2010 UEFA Champions League Final is set to break new ground in terms of its massive economic impact.”
Paul Meulendijk, the vice-president and head of sponsorship at MasterCard Europe, said: “The €351.5 million (£305.7 million/$440.3 million) boom that the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final could generate is testament to the incredible passion that fans - right across the world - have for this event.
“As a sponsor of this competition since 1994, MasterCard is proud to bring the fans closer to the game and the game closer to the fans, and facilitate access through all promotions and activities that we and our customers are putting in place.
“As such, watching history in the making really will be priceless.”
The MasterCard report predicts a €50 million (£43 million/$62 million) economic boost for the Spanish capital as a direct result of hosting the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final.
This figure includes a short-term spending increase in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and across Madrid in bars, clubs, shops, hotels, city attractions and bookmakers.
But it is supplemented by the economic legacy the Spanish capital will receive, including increased tourism and the prospect of hosting future sporting mega-events.
Madrid’s €50 million (£43 million/$62 million) windfall eclipses the premium of €45 million (£39 million/$56 million) which Rome enjoyed as host in 2009.
The rise is largely due to the rescheduling of the UEFA Champions League Final from midweek to a Saturday - when people can travel more easily and have more time to consume sport.
The qualification of non-Spanish/non-English teams has increased the uncertainty of the result and interest in the Final, leading to more than 120,000 people descending on the city for the match.
The wider European economy will also enjoy a predicted windfall of €94 million (£82 million/$118 million) as a result of the Champions League Final.
The MasterCard report predicts that fans that spend significant sums travelling from across the continent to witness the spectacle - in particular from Germany and Italy - will be a significant contributor to this sum.
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