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Chelsea v Sydney FC: the formula behind the Blues expanding empire

THEY are the sixth richest club in football, with a growing fan base of over 500 million. So, is it the almighty dollar driving Chelsea or something else?

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 25: Didier Drogba and John Terry hold up the Premier League trophy and League Cup trophy as they exit the stadium during the Chelsea FC Premier League Victory Parade on May 25, 2015 in London, England, (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 25: Didier Drogba and John Terry hold up the Premier League trophy and League Cup trophy as they exit the stadium during the Chelsea FC Premier League Victory Parade on May 25, 2015 in London, England, (Photo by Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)

SPURS make way for Chelsea on Sunday when the English Premier League champions step off their private chartered flight in Sydney ahead of Tuesday night’s friendly against Sydney FC.

After a long season, the Blues flew in comfort from London to Sydney via Thailand — a regular, scheduled airline just doesn’t offer enough flatbeds.

There was a time not long ago when the two London-based clubs were on equal footing, but that all changed after Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich revamped Chelsea’s ambitions in 2003.

Over $1.5-million was spent on new players, Jose Mourinho took over at the helm and it wasn’t long before trophies began filling up the cabinet at Stamford Bridge.

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Chelsea fans greet their heroes at Don Muang Airport in Bangkok.
Chelsea fans greet their heroes at Don Muang Airport in Bangkok.

Yes, money does buy success, and an increase in fans is the knock-on effect.

“If you go back 12 or 13 years we had about 30-million fans globally,” Adrian New, Chelsea’s boss of the Asia-Pacific region said.

“Our latest numbers, to be very specific, are 509-million on a global basis and 250-million of those are in Asia. That’s all been driven on the back of winning the Premiership four times, winning the Champions League — we’ve won 15 trophies in the last 11 seasons, so that success drives your fan base.”

Chelsea is valued at $1.3-billion, making them the sixth richest club in world football. In terms of global popularity though, they still have some ground to make up if they hope to catch rivals Manchester United. The Red Devils are believed to be the most supported club in the world and they take advantage of that global appeal by travelling regularly.

But New doesn’t necessarily believe Manchester United lead the way.

“The Manchester United model, and they’ve done it very successfully, is to have as many partners as they can off the pitch and to leverage that as best they can,” he said.

“Our model is slightly different. We’re not that interested in chasing 60 or 70 different partnership opportunities, we’re happy with our smaller partners and working closely with them.

“We’re very lucky that we’re wholly owned by Roman Abramovich and every dollar the club makes goes straight into running the club. The philosophy is what happens on the pitch is the most important thing for us, it’s not all about how much money can we make. Yes, maximise the revenues as much as possible, but all of it is designed to ensure Jose has the players at his disposal that he needs to become champions.”

Chelsea FC proudly display their status at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea FC proudly display their status at Stamford Bridge.

Balancing the commercial needs of the club with the players’ welfare is a challenge, but New says the club’s stars certainly didn’t have to be “dragged screaming” to Sydney. They are treating the tour as a celebration and an opportunity to reward their fans for their loyal support.

“It’s an opportunity for them to have a week together and to enjoy some of their success and at the same time play in front of a different set of fans in a different stadium,” New said.

“Most of them have never been to Sydney before, so it’s going to be fantastic.

“I don’t expect us playing in Sydney will turn neutral fans into Chelsea fans or will turn Spurs fans into Chelsea fans. The reason I want to play in Sydney is to reward our fans that have faithfully supported our club over the years, getting up in the middle of the night to watch our games, because that’s what do when you’re a fan and coming into town is the club saying thank you.”

Originally published as Chelsea v Sydney FC: the formula behind the Blues expanding empire

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Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/sport/football/chelsea-v-sydney-fc-the-formula-behind-the-blues-expanding-empire/news-story/1e8837981ef01ee1ac3995fa14d08863