Who – the protagonist
Manchester United Football Club – one of the game’s most successful clubs’.
What?
Founded in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR - Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, the club was renamed as Manchester United in 1902.
Manchester United has won 66 major trophies in its history, including a record 13 Premier League titles and three European Cups (now called the UEFA Champions League (UCL)).
In 2021, the club’s brand value was worth approximately $1.3 billion, with only those of Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona valued higher.
But times have been hard on the pitch since the legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. No Premier League or UCL titles have been won - the competitions the biggest teams aspire to be successful in.
Why?
The world of football was stunned in 2021, when Manchester United and 11 other English, Italian and Spanish clubs signed up to the breakaway European Super League (ESL).
Ditching the UCL - seen as the pinnacle of club football - for the ESL would mean the 15 founding teams (three had yet to be announced) would no longer have to worry about qualifying via their respective domestic leagues.
As COVID-19 hit and drained virtually all revenue from the sport, the 12 clubs were lured in by the immediate $400 million for ESL participation. For context, 2020 UCL champions Bayern Munich earned $100 million, and that was for winning the competition.
The ESL was met by a furious public outcry from supporters, leagues, and governing bodies due to the perceived power grab by the 12 clubs and their lack of regard for on-pitch meritocracy.
Thousands of Manchester United supporters invaded the Old Trafford pitch during a Premier League match, damaging stadium facilities, and injuring security staff and police. Many supporters also planned to boycott the club’s commercial partners. It was believed that United missed out on a £200 million kit deal with The Hut Group due to the fan protests.
When?
The ESL had been rumoured for many years, as the top clubs wanted to be in control of their own competition rather than being bound to UEFA, European football’s governing body, who ran the UCL.
The news of the ESL broke on 18 April 2021, when football was being played without fans in stadiums due to COVID-19.
Where?
Manchester United are based in the English city of Manchester, but like many successful clubs, they are a global brand, with millions of supporters around the world.
Key quote
“By bringing together the world’s greatest clubs and players to play each other throughout the season, the Super League will open a new chapter for European football, ensuring world-class competition and facilities, and increased financial support for the wider football pyramid.”
Joel Glazer, Co-Chairman of Manchester United FC and Vice-Chairman of the European Super League.
What next?
A lack of sporting success and dwindling finances due to COVID-19 made the ESL very tempting for United.
On the other hand, football’s stakeholders were ready to turn their back on the founding ESL members, with the future of the sport in the balance.
Manchester United wondered what strategies the club should implement to protect its brand.
Spotting an opportunity
Xuan Huy said: “This case was set in the UK in April 2021 amid remarkable challenges in the football industry, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the announcement of the European Super League.
“In particular, the European Super League came as a shock to the entire global football industry, and many other parties involved.
“These circumstances provided a good opportunity to use topics such as branding in the digital era, managing digital communications, analysing consumer markets, and managing brand crisis, to shed light on the incidence.”
Perfect timing
Xuan Huy continued: “One of the biggest highlights when I wrote the case was the timing of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused significant changes to industries around the world, such as the football industry.
“I could set the case in April 2021, when the impacts of the pandemic were clearly visible to everyone in the industry, like empty stadiums and multiple rounds of lockdowns in the UK.”
Encouraging discussion
He added: “I taught the case in the Strategic Brand Management module (Postgraduate) at the University of Sussex. Approximately 10% of the students had a good understanding of the football industry. To facilitate the discussion of the case, I encouraged those football supporters to share their own experiences.
“In addition, the instructor should also provide all students with a basic understanding of the industry.”
Positive student feedback
He commented: “Although only a few students had a good understanding of the football industry before the session, the feedback from the students at the end was very positive.
“It was also interesting to discuss the football industry from the perspective of strategic brand management. Some students are very passionate about football and enjoy talking about their favourite teams, making the discussion very lively and interesting.
“The instructor should also set the tone of the discussion at the beginning of the class by explaining that the session will cover the football industry and marketing (business). By doing this it encourages students to discuss the issues from both the perspective of a football supporter and a marketing professional.”
Case writing tips
Xuan Huy explained: “My tip for writing a good case is to read plenty of good cases and learn from the top case writers in the world. Personally, I enjoy reading the most recent cases about a wide range of industries.”
Xuan concluded: “Writing a case is such a fascinating activity as writers can build on their understanding of the existing body of knowledge, to analyse a new incidence and ongoing business challenges.”
The case
Who – the protagonist
Manchester United Football Club – one of the game’s most successful clubs’.
What?
Founded in 1878 as Newton Heath LYR - Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, the club was renamed as Manchester United in 1902.
Manchester United has won 66 major trophies in its history, including a record 13 Premier League titles and three European Cups (now called the UEFA Champions League (UCL)).
In 2021, the club’s brand value was worth approximately $1.3 billion, with only those of Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona valued higher.
But times have been hard on the pitch since the legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. No Premier League or UCL titles have been won - the competitions the biggest teams aspire to be successful in.
Why?
The world of football was stunned in 2021, when Manchester United and 11 other English, Italian and Spanish clubs signed up to the breakaway European Super League (ESL).
Ditching the UCL - seen as the pinnacle of club football - for the ESL would mean the 15 founding teams (three had yet to be announced) would no longer have to worry about qualifying via their respective domestic leagues.
As COVID-19 hit and drained virtually all revenue from the sport, the 12 clubs were lured in by the immediate $400 million for ESL participation. For context, 2020 UCL champions Bayern Munich earned $100 million, and that was for winning the competition.
The ESL was met by a furious public outcry from supporters, leagues, and governing bodies due to the perceived power grab by the 12 clubs and their lack of regard for on-pitch meritocracy.
Thousands of Manchester United supporters invaded the Old Trafford pitch during a Premier League match, damaging stadium facilities, and injuring security staff and police. Many supporters also planned to boycott the club’s commercial partners. It was believed that United missed out on a £200 million kit deal with The Hut Group due to the fan protests.
When?
The ESL had been rumoured for many years, as the top clubs wanted to be in control of their own competition rather than being bound to UEFA, European football’s governing body, who ran the UCL.
The news of the ESL broke on 18 April 2021, when football was being played without fans in stadiums due to COVID-19.
Where?
Manchester United are based in the English city of Manchester, but like many successful clubs, they are a global brand, with millions of supporters around the world.
Key quote
“By bringing together the world’s greatest clubs and players to play each other throughout the season, the Super League will open a new chapter for European football, ensuring world-class competition and facilities, and increased financial support for the wider football pyramid.”
Joel Glazer, Co-Chairman of Manchester United FC and Vice-Chairman of the European Super League.
What next?
A lack of sporting success and dwindling finances due to COVID-19 made the ESL very tempting for United.
On the other hand, football’s stakeholders were ready to turn their back on the founding ESL members, with the future of the sport in the balance.
Manchester United wondered what strategies the club should implement to protect its brand.
Author perspective
Spotting an opportunity
Xuan Huy said: “This case was set in the UK in April 2021 amid remarkable challenges in the football industry, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the announcement of the European Super League.
“In particular, the European Super League came as a shock to the entire global football industry, and many other parties involved.
“These circumstances provided a good opportunity to use topics such as branding in the digital era, managing digital communications, analysing consumer markets, and managing brand crisis, to shed light on the incidence.”
Perfect timing
Xuan Huy continued: “One of the biggest highlights when I wrote the case was the timing of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused significant changes to industries around the world, such as the football industry.
“I could set the case in April 2021, when the impacts of the pandemic were clearly visible to everyone in the industry, like empty stadiums and multiple rounds of lockdowns in the UK.”
Encouraging discussion
He added: “I taught the case in the Strategic Brand Management module (Postgraduate) at the University of Sussex. Approximately 10% of the students had a good understanding of the football industry. To facilitate the discussion of the case, I encouraged those football supporters to share their own experiences.
“In addition, the instructor should also provide all students with a basic understanding of the industry.”
Positive student feedback
He commented: “Although only a few students had a good understanding of the football industry before the session, the feedback from the students at the end was very positive.
“It was also interesting to discuss the football industry from the perspective of strategic brand management. Some students are very passionate about football and enjoy talking about their favourite teams, making the discussion very lively and interesting.
“The instructor should also set the tone of the discussion at the beginning of the class by explaining that the session will cover the football industry and marketing (business). By doing this it encourages students to discuss the issues from both the perspective of a football supporter and a marketing professional.”
Case writing tips
Xuan Huy explained: “My tip for writing a good case is to read plenty of good cases and learn from the top case writers in the world. Personally, I enjoy reading the most recent cases about a wide range of industries.”
Xuan concluded: “Writing a case is such a fascinating activity as writers can build on their understanding of the existing body of knowledge, to analyse a new incidence and ongoing business challenges.”
