Football bringing in the money

KUALA LUMPUR: It is more than just watching 22 men chasing after a ball. Football also brings in money. The visit of three Barclays Premier League football teams — Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea — here triggered an increase in football jersey sales, including the Malaysian football jersey, and occupancy rates in hotels. That does not even take into account ticket sales and small traders setting up shop outside the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. Arora Concept store owner Richard <a href="http://www.pradashoes-discount.com/gucci-gucci-belt-bag-c-65_68.html"><strong>handbags online</strong></a> Benedict, 28, could not stop smiling when he told the New Straits Times that many people dropped by his store to buy football jerseys even before the first of the teams, Arsenal, arrived in Malaysia last week. “Since morning, people started to swarm into the store to buy sports merchandise and jerseys,” he said. When Topper Sports Sdn Bhd promoter Rita Akub was asked how sales were at the store, all she did was point to an empty rack where the Malaysian football jersey used to be displayed. “Malaysian jerseys are selling like hot cakes and the Liverpool jerseys are very popular among buyers. “For now, we have no more Malaysian <a href="http://www.pradashoes-discount.com/chanel-shoulder-bags-2010-white-11238550-p-6917.html"><strong>chanel vintage bag</strong></a> jerseys because stocks are limited.” Perfect Sports promoter Noral Aizam Mohd Shafie echoed Rita’s words, saying Liverpool’s popularity showed based on the strong sales it had registered. “Liverpool jerseys were the ones that sold a lot. Many people swing by to buy their favourite team’s jerseys at the last minute.” Hotel operators in the Klang Valley were also seeing high occupancy rates, of between 70 and 100 per cent. All rooms at Cititel Mid Valley Hotel were fully booked. “I have seen football fans walking around the lobby wearing their favourite team’s jerseys,” said a hotel spokesman. Other hotels, including Dynasty Hotel and Vistana Hotel, were also enjoying more than 70 per cent occupancy rates. Without any doubt, the popularity of the BPL team could rake in millions in commercial revenue alone. Take Manchester United for example. With more than 190 million fans in Asia alone, out of nearly 300 million globally, Reuters reported recently that the club’s turnover in the three months through March firmed one per cent from a year earlier to STG75.2 million (RM362.67 million), led by a surge in commercial revenue. The football club has commercial ties with several mobile <a href="http://www.pradashoes-discount.com/burberry-check-print-hobo-in-supernova-black-p-6875.html"><strong>burberry diaper bag</strong></a> phone operators, with Turkish Airlines and Thailand’s Singha Beer, among others. Its commercial director Richard Arnold was reported recently as saying the club had seen a rapid expansion of its Manchester United Cafe Bars in India; and in China, sales of sporting apparel has been an “overwhelming success”. Meanwhile, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents president Datuk Mohd Khalid Harun said it was ready to work with <a href="http://www.yixing688.com/Shownews.asp?id=116"><strong>Experts say Clemens likely to go on trial again (AP)</strong></a> relevant organisers in selling tickets for future matches involving BPL teams in Malaysia. “We have a strong networking system through our 2,500 members. I can definitely see our involvement will be a great boost to the ticket sales in the future. The spillover effect to other sectors will be huge, too.” Khalid said Matta had been approached by Malaysia Airlines to get onboard in promoting this year’s ticket sales. “Unfortunately, the invitation was made a bit late, as we received it one week before the kick-off of the first match. “Still, we can see a bright future in working with airlines especially to promote sports tourism in our country.” Read more:Â*Football bringing in the money http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/9...#ixzz1SyKUXla3 By Azura Abas, Atiqa Hazellah and Alang Bendahara news@nst.com.my &nbsp;