Clubs all over the world are run like businesses like all the EPL/Serie-A/La-liga teams.
Why do you think they are playing overseas in China, SEA, USA? why no longer just playing friendlies in Europe? Because the money is no longer in Europe, it's in China, the US and SEA.
They don't go to Arab countries because it's both politically unsafe and conditions are not good during the off-season which is during summer, and Arab summer is very tough for the players. And injured players are bad for business.
And let us not forget the big-money TV-revenues that they are getting. Like decides to overspend to buy the rights to the EPL, than decided to push the cost back to consumers.
And of course there are basics such as T-shirt sales, paraphernalia sales. That's why Man Utd has a megastore at old trafford that sells all sorts of Man Utd themed stuffs. Same for all the other teams, except maybe the smaller teams.
If you've been to Barcelona or Madrid and visited Nou Camp or the Santiago Bernabau, you will see that they have massive 2 storied megastores at their stadiums that sells the jerseys, tee-shirts etc. and the crowd is crazy even during off-season.
Football is now extremely commercialized. Marketing teams focuses a lot on social media to create interest groups and get more people to join and then they can sell more.
S-league is being ran like a business, but a money losing business. that's why they don't want to dump in more money.
It's like our SAF, SAF is a money losing organisation, it doesn't make money, but we still dump alot of money into it because it is a necessity. as for the S-league, it is losing money because there's not enough marketing done for it. There's no excitement, even our leaders don't go and watch it. When was the last time a minister actually visited the S-league? It's like a sports club that's created in a school just to make sure the kids don't run around making trouble.
The Thai Premier League, hired Ex-Deputy Director of development and planning of FAS, Mr. Benjamine Tan, to become their league's deputy director and director of licensing. Now, if you ask me why he left for Thailand, I will say it is because the Thai government are willing to spend money to improve their league, whereas ours do not. I will like to think that Mr. Benjamin Tan is a very capable guy, but was restricted in his job in the FAS due to lack of support from the higher ups.
The clubs making money are those already with established fan base, popularity and resource. These are build up from scratch...
They can afford to go around and command appearance fees.
Sell merchandise, there are people queuing for it.
They have income to support the signing of good and famous players.
They have enough views to get lucrative sponsors
Their league earns a lot from viewership and licenses to give them enough returns.
You can take any S League club and try the same.. and will realize the above are missing.
Little licenses receipts, little attendance from matches (tickets), no one buys merchandise, no one wants the players to appear in their event, no one wants to sponser the team, no decent players (not mentioning famous) wants to join the team.
Try to do business with that.
What you expect when CEO of S.League is an ex Army officer? Think SMRT, NOL.....
