– It is a gift for Norwegian football that we have role models and some of the world’s biggest superstars in the world’s biggest sport. Over time, it provides opportunities that will benefit all of Norwegian sport, says Runar Pahr Andresen to news. He became commercial director of the Norwegian Football Association in 2019, the same year Erling Braut Haaland made his national team debut for Norway. Since then, the arrows have pointed in one direction. Figures news has obtained from the NFF’s official annual reports from 2017 to 2022 speak for themselves. Both ticket revenue and sponsorship money have seen a sharp increase in recent years. In 2017, the NFF earned 8.4 million from ticket revenue, while in 2022 it will be 26.9 million in income from the same item. This corresponds to a 220 percent increase. In terms of sponsorship agreements and collaboration agreements, the NFF earned NOK 133 million from this in 2017, while in 2022 NOK 173 million was booked. This corresponds to an increase of over 30 per cent. – Something very special. Pahr Andresen emphasizes that it is not just Haaland who contributes to this, and points out that Norway, for example, had three Champions League winners in 2023 in Jærbuen, Caroline Graham Hansen and Ingrid Syrstad Engen. – But there is of course something very special about global superstars like Haaland and Ødegaard. It is clear that it is extra attractive to come to a match when some of the world’s best footballers are playing with the flag on their chest, he says. POPULAR: Erling Braut Haaland has become a household name in football-mad Norway. Here from a training session in Lillestrøm. Photo: Frederik Ringnes / NTB Pahr Andresen believes it is easy to see the development also in practice, and points to the Cyprus matches in 2018 and 2023 as examples. – CR7 can be replaced by E9 Both counting games with points in the pot, but in 2018 only around 5,000 spectators came, while this year over 23,000 turned up. – CR7 (Cristiano Ronaldo) as a global phenomenon can quickly be replaced by our E9 (Haaland) in the next few years. It is of course a gift to Norwegian football that we must manage wisely, says the NFF’s commercial director. He is already reaping the benefits of the superstars Norwegian football has produced, but it will take some time before the financial effects really become apparent. The NFF has a number of sponsorship agreements that run over several years, and were negotiated before the Haaland era. – This increased value is naturally reflected when we renegotiate our agreements and/or enter into new agreements, emphasizes Pahr Andresen. – Are players queuing up? He states that in recent years, all the national team partners of the NFF have joined, and that they have received strong and reputable sponsors on both the women’s and men’s side. And there could be several new and lucrative agreements: – Actors are queuing up to get a place as a sponsor of the national teams, he says. The increased commercial value is needed. In total, the NFF was almost NOK 40 million in the red last year, the union itself stated in its annual report from 2022. Trond Blindheim teaches market communication and consumer behavior at Kristiania University College in Oslo. He points to two things: – One is sponsorship income and the other is ticket sales, says Blindheim to news. When interest increases, more people watch the matches. Then there are also more people who see the advertisement both in the stadium and on TV. – The aim of the sponsorship can often be to create motivation and internal excitement among employees. Being associated with a winning team is very important, says Blindheim to news. He also points out that the union can renegotiate agreements and demand more from its partners. – The contracts will probably be renewed at a considerably higher price, now that the interest is of the high-flying kind, says Blindheim. The players share the money The NFF director emphasizes that they are very conscious when it comes to having clear agreements and not overloading the most popular players. – This is regulated in agreements that safeguard the players’ rights and duties – and Norwegian national team players are generally motivated to contribute to creating values that also benefit the next generation of footballers, he says. The NFF states that a marketing agreement has been entered into with the players on the A men’s national team, which regulates rights for the use of national team players in a marketing context. Everything the NFF earns from assignments with national team players goes into a player pool, and is distributed among the players according to the number of national team meetings they have attended. In 2022, this sum was NOK 7.4 million. Solbakken with Haaland sting National team manager Ståle Solbakken says that there is good cooperation between the NFF’s sporting and commercial departments, and that it is Are Hokstad (administrative coordinator A-national team men) who has the main responsibility for ensuring that the PR assignments do not become too burdensome for the biggest stars. – Erling must be allowed to relax, train, eat and drink well, and be ready for both sessions and matches. But then surely the marketing department will want him involved in things, and I have seen him stand up for both one and the other. Among other things, a new version of “Alt for Norge”, and I have seen more enthusiastic choirs, says Solbakken with a smile to news. – Do you set guidelines for how much Haaland will be used? – I look at him… As a rule, things have gone well, but in cases of doubt I am called in. But Are usually manages it with a very fine balance, says Solbakken. On Tuesday, the Norwegian people can again look forward to seeing the country’s biggest football stars in action at the national arena when Georgia comes to visit. The match was already sold out on Saturday. Pulls on the smiley face after an election question 00:56 Hangeland is the national team’s expert on tattoos and hair loss 00:54 What did you think of this free kick variation? 00:34 Have to throw away lubrication and equipment worth several million after fluoride ban 00:52 Show more
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