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Kieran Maguire tips Burnley to exploit 'great' new deal
Celebrity investors at Burnley will help the club generate additional revenue from marketing and merchandising.
That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about Burnley’s decision to partner with US celebrities.
Retired NFL star JJ Watt acquired a minority stake in Burnley in May to partner with the club’s American owners, Velocity Sports Partners.
After initially signing a kit sponsorship deal to appear on the club’s youth shirts, US YouTube group Dude Perfect also purchased a minority stake in the club this month.
A similar deal took place at Birmingham City this month, with NFL legend Tom Brady acquiring a small stake in the Championship side.
Burnley’s new celebrity investors were all in attendance for the club’s opening Premier League clash against Manchester City on Friday evening.
Maguire believes celebrity endorsement will help to grow Burnley’s popularity in America while also providing ‘great’ benefits to marketing.
“The actual level of investment by celebrity fans is going to be close to zero,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.
“What clubs such as Burnley are keen to leverage from these investment deals is the fact that they are now exposed to a much broader audience.
“That provides opportunities for greater engagement, merchandise sales and potentially some sports tourism off the back of it.
“From the club’s point of view, they are not giving away any control but they are generating effectively new advertising and marketing routes.
“The benefits from that are great and will work in favour of all parties involved.“
In other news, Aaron Ramsey undergoes Burnley medical after late Aston Villa twist – sources