Kate Pratt Theobald, director of global partnerships at Liverpool, speaks exclusively to the ECHO in New York
Liverpool is a football club deeply rooted in the local community and at the same time one of the most recognized sports brands in the world.
The world of football has changed immeasurably in the last 20 years, with clubs now large companies and brands in their own right, and legions of fans reaching every touch point in the world.
Clubs have had to respond to these changes and to the globalization of the Premier League, and their approach is vital both now and in the future. The way we use the game, engage with our clubs and how we, the fans, are funded has changed beyond recognition and this has been reflected in companies wanting to get involved and see the value proposition aligned. with teams.
Especially in recent decades, this change has accelerated, as more and more clubs have seen the direction and expanded their area of operations to best position themselves in new markets to make an impact. Liverpool has always been in a unique position. Although a club aiming to be the greatest in world football, it must remain true to its history and its responsibility to a city with a left-wing socialist heritage. How it runs its business and plans for growth are important, as are the types of companies it chooses to partner with.
Such considerations are further complicated when you consider that the way Liverpool are run under the ownership of Fenway Sports Group means that the self-sustaining business model means that from a business perspective the money flowing into the club has a direct impact. . influence what happens on the pitch and Jürgen Klopp’s ability to shape his squad in the transfer market. It’s not a strategy that has always been popular with Reds fans, but it has brought success at a time when some rivals have been willing to pay big and pile up debt to get silverware. Culture is created, it is something that cannot be acquired. This was an off-field advantage for Liverpool, and a focus on off-field strategy proved fruitful for the Reds in terms of increasing revenue and supporting success.
I have spoken to a number of staff at Liverpool over the last three years, the alignment of the business is clear in terms of objectives. This can be easy to achieve if it is locally focused and based in the city of Liverpool, but when you have employees across multiple time zones around the world, all working towards the same goal but in different markets, bringing everything together in sync is. a challenge , although the club was able to rise and meet.
Kate Pratt Theobald plays a key role in driving the club’s growth objectives as Head of Global Partnership Sales for Liverpool. Pratt Theobald, former CEO of the best-selling sports brand in the world, the New York Yankees, and former Director of Marketing Partnerships at Madison Square Garden Company, arrived in Liverpool in 2019 to lead the American Partnerships team focused on growing the club in two main market areas.
“Our owners really had the foresight to look across the pond that some of the other clubs did when they opened the New York offices and really doubled down on the Americas, both North and South America,” explained Pratt Theobald, speaking exclusively to the ECHO. in New York.
“I’ve been talking to Fenway and Liverpool for a while and the role made a lot of sense to me. It coincided with the opening of the New York office. Four years ago they said they wanted to put together a team that goes to bed thinking about Liverpool and wakes up thinking about Liverpool. What we’ve done has been really successful because we’ve hired incredible talent from that market in collaboration with our team across the pond, as well as with Fenway Sports Management, which is Fenway Sports Group’s internal business agency. We have an incredible group of people and a really great culture; we are lucky to represent a wonderful international football club. It’s been a good run and there’s still a lot to do, but we’re lucky to have the right team.
