England’s players stand just one game away from greatness.
Victory in Berlin tomorrow night would also instantly make them the most marketable sportsmen in the country and see them earn lucrative bonuses from their sponsors.
“It’s the Holy Grail to win a major tournament,” Steve Martin, founding partner of MSQ Sport and Entertainment, told The Athletic. “The fact English football has been telling a history lesson since 1966 does get incredibly dull after a while.
Advertisement
“Any sporting achievement where you’re constantly looking over your shoulder into history and not moving forward is never as appealing, so this is a huge opportunity. It would go into folklore. From a player, manager or team perspective, these are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities that don’t happen by chance. They would see endurance in their careers forever if they win on Sunday.”
Martin pointed out how players from England’s 1966 football team, most notably Geoff Hurst, as well as England’s 2003 Rugby World Cup winners, had all enjoyed longevity in their careers because of their tournament wins.
Tim Crow, former head of international sports marketing agency Synergy, agreed there would be a benefit for the whole squad, but added how the ones that make a decisive contribution would be the big winners — think another Ollie Watkins moment but in the final.
Winning Euro 2024 would open up new markets and boost demand from brands and sponsors. “The whole thing becomes more attractive,” Martin said. “What brands and sponsors like to be around is success and storylines. You can mirror that with what the Lionesses did and how commercially successful they have become on the back of their Euro victory in 2022. They are the trailblazers for this new era.”
Martin said there would be interest from sponsors wanting to renew contracts, as well as new ones looking to muscle in. Players would also typically have extra incentives or bonuses written into their sports marketing contracts if they achieve certain things.
Misha Sher, global head of sport, entertainment and culture at Essence Mediacom, said another important factor from a brand perspective was how likeable and relatable the team is.
“It’s a really good time for the FA because for so many years, people had this love/hate relationship with the national team,” he said. “But this team really connect with the public, so there’s so much positivity and momentum for the FA to capitalise on.
Advertisement
“The FA can demonstrate to their existing partners that to continue with the England team, they will have to pay more. And they will have a lot more interest in the market to be part of the FA and England because they can show just how successful the team has been.”
Crow agreed. “For the England brand, it does take them to a different level,” he said. “The Southgate era has been very good for the brand when it comes to sponsorship and everything else.
“There really are only two sorts of players in the sponsorship marketplace, you’ve got people who are price setters and those who are price takers. This takes the England brand even further into the price-setter category, no question about that. Win or lose on Sunday, they are in a very good place.”
England’s road to Berlin has also thrown up viral moments that highlight the power and broad appeal of the national team.
“I can’t think of anything that stops the country in this way,” Rich Johnson, a sports marketing strategist, explained. “The video of The Killers choreographing the live stream of the full-time whistle against the Netherlands then launching into Mr Brightside, Jimmy Carr stopping his show so the crowd could watch the penalties against Switzerland, James Corden not starting his play until the penalties were finished in the same game, and Louis Tomlinson from One Direction setting up a TV at Glastonbury for festival-goers to watch the Slovakia game. Those moments all became viral content by themselves. It’s unprecedented.
“The players have cut through a culture in one of the most impactful ways we’ve seen in a long time. That obviously gets completely elevated if they win on Sunday.”
In terms of prize money at Euro 2024, there’s a participating fee of €9.25million (£7.7m) and then a match bonus of €1m (£840,000) for every group stage win and €500,000 (£420,000) for a draw. To qualify for the round of 16, teams get €1.5m (£1.2m), then €2.5m (£2.1m) for making the last eight, and reaching the semi-final nets €4m (£3.3m). Runners-up get €5m (£4.2m) and winners receive an extra payment of €8m (£6.7m).
Advertisement
As such, the FA has already made €19.25m (£16.1m) with more money to come after the final, whatever the outcome.
From that fund, the FA keeps 60 per cent of the prize money, while the remaining 40 per cent is paid to the players in bonuses. Manager Gareth Southgate would also be in line for a hefty bonus on top of his yearly salary of around £3m.
The players get match fees of £2,000 for each appearance, which are donated to charity. They also receive appearance fees for commercial commitments for their time with official FA sponsors. These are now handled by the Professional Footballers’ Association after the England squad split from Terry Byrne, who also acted as Gareth Southgate’s former agent.
If they do it on Sunday, they will become historic, one of only a few English teams that will have such recognition for the rest of their lives. The Lionesses have it. England’s 2003 rugby team have it. The men’s 1966 football team have it. Could the England men’s team of 2024 be next?
(Top photo: England’s Harry Kane signing autographs in Blankenhain on Friday; Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
