Budweiser Spends $39 Million on FA Cup; nearly the same on entire US game

It was announced Thursday that St Louis-based (now Belgium-owned) Anheuser-Busch has signed a three-year deal with the English FA to sponsor the association’s newly named ‘FA Cup with Budweiser.’ The deal was announced at £8million per year, or the equivalent of $39 million US dollars to for the entire package.

The new look of the FA Cup trophy

It is a not exactly a shocking deal when you consider the sponsorship money that is thrown around the world’s major sports.

In soccer, Heineken recently renewed its UEFA Champions League deal through 2014/15 reportedly for between $28.5 to $57 million total, or per season depending on the source. On top of that, Heineken even signed a three-year deal with ESPNSoccernet, though terms were not released. In addition, the Coors Brewers sponsorship of the Carling Cup through 2012 is valued at $9 million a year for $27 million overall. 

So why is the, ironically named for this situation, ‘King of Beers’ replacing E.ON (a German utility company)? Well, it is to expand the global reach of the FA Cup, according to FA General Secretary Alex Horne, who is pleased that the tournament will reach new heights in world-wide marketing compared to E.ON’s primarily local efforts in the UK.

In addition to the marketing there are a couple of programs included in the deal. One is the now standard ‘responsible drinking’ campaign for fans and the other is a community program that will assist teams playing in the early rounds with acquiring equipment.

That second part is absolutely something this sport could dearly use right here in the birthplace of Anheuser-Busch. Could you imagine someone signing on with US Soccer as the ‘Builder of American Soccer,’ helping grow the club game in the United States through the US Open Cup and the grassroots level.

For just 10 percent of the value of the deal for the FA Cup or lesser known Carling Cup, A-B or some other sponsor could have a dramatic affect on the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. The prize money could be significantly raised to increase the importance for MLS clubs to win the tournament, and, more importantly, the travel costs incurred by USSF to assist primarily the lower division clubs would likely be completely covered.