Newcastle United playing in Australia? It is only a matter of time. CEO Darren Eales has already joked with Eddie Howe that the commercial boost from such a tour could enable the Newcastle boss to sign the additional player he wants next summer as the club look to boost revenues to comply with Financial Fair Play.
With Peter Silverstone now on board as chief commercial officer, far-flung voyages will certainly be on the cards if the Scot's time at Arsenal is anything to go by. David Adams reported into Silverstone as Arsenal's senior commercial manager and planned pre-season tours in the US and Asia as well as exhibition games and commercial activity in the Middle East. As far as Adams is concerned, Silverstone will 'know the value' of Newcastle 'very quickly' when it comes to breaking into the international market.
"Peter knows it all starts with the Geordies and the Newcastle fans domestically but there's a big opportunity, particularly if the club moves forward on the pitch in performance terms and can rise up the Premier League," Adams told ChronicleLive. "The importance of building that fantastic Newcastle brand overseas will be a big focus for him.
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"He's the best person in the industry to look at that international market. He's got great experience from his time before Arsenal as well putting on exhibition matches around the world and strategically aligning those with rich fanbases overseas.
"Newcastle will have one of the best in the business for that. That will play into his strengths. He's really well-connected with the promoters around the world and really well-connected with the top clubs. Piecing those together and putting on some showpiece events for Newcastle overseas will be a big focus."
You can see why it will be a big focus. It was not just on the field that Newcastle fell behind in the Ashley era, after all, but off it, too.
Although Newcastle were set to take part in the Ohio Cup last summer, before the US tournament was cancelled, the reality is that the Magpies have only played pre-season games on another continent in just four of the last 14 summers when other sides have visited Asia, North America and Oceania far more frequently.
Closer to home, even Brentford had more administration staff and commercial employees (84) than stripped down Newcastle when the club's owners bought the club a year or so ago. For context, Silverstone managed more than 150 people at Arsenal.
Is it any wonder Silverstone is all in and plans to move his young family up to Tyneside? This is going to be a big job but, at the same time, the new recruit has spoken of how he is 'convinced' success will come at Newcastle 'if 'everyone is pointing in the same direction and working together to achieve common goals and ambitions'.
Silverstone is well-placed to comment on that from a commercial perspective. As well as a background in law and banking, Silverstone has almost 20 years of experience in the game and former colleague Adams confirmed he has 'contacts in most of the biggest brands in the world'.
Silverstone has not only previously worked at Arsenal but, also, on the other side of the negotiating table with OneFootball, Pitch International and Kentaro. However, it is Silverstone's spell at the Emirates which will have no doubt piqued Newcastle's interest following an extensive recruitment process.
Silverstone joined Arsenal as business development director in 2015 before becoming a key member of the club's executive team three years later as commercial director and, then, latterly chief commercial officer. Silverstone was responsible for all commercial departments at the Emirates, including partnership development and brand marketing, and helped strike a number of agreements. This included a deal with Adidas worth £60m - which was double Arsenal's previous contract with kit suppliers Puma.
Silverstone also oversaw the signing and extension of Arsenal's sleeve partnership with Visit Rwanda and the agreement with Amazon for the 'All Or Nothing' documentary, and helped to maintain benchmark pricing on secondary partnerships, too. This enabled Arsenal to get the best possible deal with a range of partners, including Intel (technology), Camden Town Brewery (beer), Octopus Energy (renewable energy), Cadbury (snacking), 424 (formalwear) and Lavazza (coffee).
The temptation, commercially, can be to do quick and easy deals but Silverstone ensured Arsenal's commercial department had an 'act with class' mantra in mind with each partnership. This included existing agreements, such as the club's long-running partnership with Fly Emirates.
A survey by Statista, a German company specializing in market and consumer data, found that Arsenal's Emirates partnership was the most recognised shirt sponsorship in the Premier League. The airline has essentially become part of the club as a whole - even sponsoring the stadium - and remains the longest-running shirt sponsorship deal in the top-flight.
That does not happen by accident, of course. It is another reason why Michael Leavey, who worked as Arsenal's executive director for media, marketing and customer relationship management, feels Newcastle have got the 'right person' in Silverstone. The new recruit, according to Leavey, is someone who 'really understands football, sport and where value comes from' as the Magpies search for a new lasting kit sponsor from 2023 and, potentially, a stadium partner in the years to come, too.
"Peter was heavily involved with that," Leavey told ChronicleLive. "From the outside looking in, it looks like, 'Oh that's a straightforward deal. Emirates just wanted Arsenal forever' but each time it comes up for renewal, a lot of work goes into it.
"The meticulousness that Peter brings to those sorts of negotiations is unbelievable. He's forensic and that's exactly where you need to be to make sure you are getting all the value possible from those deals.
"You don't get a chance to do those deals every year and every time they come up, you need to be able to demonstrate to the business that you've got absolute value from them. That is Peter's strong suit.
"He will get the maximum value, which will be fantastic for Newcastle, because that's where the money comes to invest in the playing side and the infrastructure of the club and everything that goes with it."
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