Scots game can make conquests just like Vikings
United chief believes clubs can cash in like NFL team
MARK OGREN watched fearfully as many Scottish clubs were financially floored and left close to the wall by Covid.
He then looked in utter amazement as his local American football team, Minnesota Vikings, announced a 14 per cent increase in their value over the same period.
It might be quite literally a whole different ball game but the Dundee United owner believes Scottish football can learn and benefit from looking further afield.
Ogren bought the Tannadice club with the vision of lifting them out of the doldrums and making them a major powerhouse in Scottish football again.
He’s invested millions in improving the club’s infrastructure and building a team that won the Championship and held their own in the Premiership.
Ogren then had to put even more money up as last season was played behind closed doors and clubs struggled to balance the books with massive falls in revenues and the additional costs of Covid.
Yet, Ogren’s local NFL team endured many of the same issues but still came out the other side worth even more than they did going into it all.
Ogren decided to get together with fellow American owners Ron Gordon at Hibs and Tim Keyes at Dundee, plus Atlantabased Aberdeen chairman Dave Cormack and Hearts, to look at ways they could grow not only their own clubs but Scottish football as a whole.
They have commissioned Deloitte to carry out a detailed examination of our national game, to see where more money and value could be added to it.
Ogren said: “There are far too many clubs in Scottish football that are on the edge financially.
“Covid almost put quite a few clubs over the edge and that shouldn’t be.
“We should have more financial stability for all our clubs.
“I think it is everybody’s opinion that there is not enough revenue coming in.
“You can’t just keep going with the old adage that we are just doing it this way because this is the way it has always been done.
“I mean in the States, the value of sporting teams continues to go up and up.
“During Covid, the National Football League team I follow, Minnesota Vikings, came out and said it was up 14 per cent in their value.
“I don’t think that we are really moving the needle on the value of the clubs here because there isn’t enough revenue just now.”
Growing the Scottish football brand and exposure remain key, and financially, could take the game on to a whole new level.
The business tycoon added: “I feel that we should be more commercial and revenue driven.
“Our league is one of the highest supported in Europe in terms of per head of population.
“I feel we should be making the most of that and capitalising on that a lot more.
“The media and everybody should be talking things up because we have got a great product.
“It is our national game and we all need to sell it a lot better.”
Ogren believes every single aspect from sponsorship to branding and broadcasting, should be looked at to boost the overall value of the game.
He claimed: “I think we can be far more imaginative, in terms of how many and when games are broadcast.
“I think we can still help to develop revenue on that front as well.”
Ogren is also well aware that although Scottish football looks for new markets the bread and butter remains the supporters.
He acknowledged more needs to be done to entice them through the turnstiles in even greater numbers
Ogren said: “There’s an opportunity to provide more entertainment around a match.
“Fans come in five minutes before the match and leave five minutes after it. Why can’t we get them in early and put some extra things on after the game?”
A taboo in Scottish football has been alcohol.
Ogren would love the authorities to reconsider their alcohol ban and give clubs the opportunity, like teams in England, to build up additional, much-needed revenues.
He admitted: “I would like to see alcohol served at matches.
“I know people will be reading this and saying ‘Does Mr Ogren not understand why we can’t have alcohol at these matches?’.
“That happened 40 years ago. People have to take responsibility for themselves. Give us a chance to show we can do it better.
“I truly believe we can and yes, there might be some isolated incidents but we will deal with them.
“If clubs can’t control their grounds on game day then something should happen, but we should give everybody another chance.
“I think everybody could have a bit more fun and it would also allow clubs to be a bit more financially viable. Everybody would get more out of it.”
If that happens then it wouldn’t just be Ogren but Scottish football that would be raising a glass.