14 DAY TRIAL // How does a rich football club get even richer? It signs deals in which it lends its good name to a number of different products and collects a whole lot of money for that. While we, the customers, get access to all kind of branded goods, from bicycles to, obviously, football gear (or soccer gear if you're North American).
News came today that Arsenal Football Club, aka the Gunners, having just been eliminated from the Champions League have sought to limit their sorrow by making a deal with Mad Catz regarding the sale of gaming gear branded with the football club's logo and colors. Arsenal has been around since 1886 and has 13 First Division and Premier League titles and ten FA Cups under its belt. In the 2005-2006 season of the Champions League, the Gunners became the first team based in London to reach the final. They currently represent one of the richest clubs in the world, being able to dish out 100 million or more in cash every season for the purchase of new players.
Mad Catz will be producing game controllers, faceplates, "Console Skinz" and carrying cases for the game consoles PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS and Nintendo Wii. The licensing deal provides Mad Catz with the rights to distribute the limited edition hardware throughout Europe. No word on who is the distributor in the United States or whether the customized equipment will reach North America.
Darren Richardson, who is Chief Executive Officer of Mad Catz, said that: "Arsenal is one of the world's premier sporting franchises with a global fan base and the addition of this brand to our robust license portfolio should help strengthen the penetration of Mad Catz' products in key European markets. We look forward to providing European retailers and customers with a range of Arsenal-branded videogame accessories."
Mad Catz also produces accessories based on the NFL, MLB and NBA. You can also get Assassin's Creed, Gears of War or Halo 3 branded gear from them.