England Tops World Cup Rich List
9th May 2006England team is world's most valuable by sponsorship revenue...David Beckham leads seven England players in richest top 20 by endorsement deals
The Football Association has had its fair share of criticism in recent weeks but there is no disputing that it is the world champion when it comes to attracting sponsorship.
Exclusive new research from Marketing magazine shows that the English FA has netted more sponsorship income than any other national governing body at this year's World Cup, with annual revenue from deals totalling more than £49m.
Lucrative contracts with brands such as Nationwide, McDonald's, Pepsi, Carlsberg and Umbro put the FA more than £22m a year ahead of its nearest counterpart, the Italian FA, which brings in £27.6m in sponsorship annually, followed by France (£25.5m), Japan (£16.58m) and Brazil (£16.57m).
Even more impressive is the fact that sponsorship income only constitutes 24% of the English FA's total turnover - a significantly lower percentage than its counterparts across the world.
Not content to rest on its laurels, The FA has restructured its sponsorship packages post-2006 with the aim of garnering at least a double-digit percentage growth on its existing revenue levels. The sales process is ongoing, but utilities brand E.ON and Umbro have already signed up.
The FA is not alone in its sponsorship triumph. Additional exclusive research from Marketing into the richest footballers based on income derived from personal endorsement deals saw seven English players within the top 20 - more representatives than any other country.
Not surprisingly, England captain David Beckham tops the player rich list, raking in £12.85m last year from tie-ups with the likes of Adidas, Vodafone and Pepsi, putting him significantly ahead of Brazil striker Ronaldo (£9.12m) and France star Zinedine Zidane (£4.56m).
Other English players to make the top 20 included Michael Owen (£2.21m), Wayne Rooney (£2.07m), Steven Gerrard (£1.38m), Frank Lampard (£1.24m), John Terry (£1.24m) and Rio Ferdinand (£910,000).
The full results of both rich lists are published in Marketing magazine's World Cup Special in the 10 May issue, which includes among other articles, an exclusive interview with Michael Owen on his experiences acting as a brand ambassador.