Ian Birtley speaks to #HTTV for the first time
- Commercial Director Ian Birtley speaks to #HTTV
- Birtley delighted with early commercial deals
- Watch the full interview below on #HTTV
Huddersfield Town’s new Commercial Director Ian Birtley spoke about his role for the first time!
Ian joined the Club in February 2021 with vast experience of the commercial landscape in football, particularly at Sky Bet Championship level.
During his opening two months, he has agreed two lucrative commercial deals! SportsBroker signed a significant deal for the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign, before Utilita signed a three-year deal to become principal shirt partner!
After securing a bumper partnership with Utilita, Ian explained how happy he was with the deal.
“First and foremost, I’m delighted in the short period of time I’ve been here, to get the agreement with Utilita over the line. Not just because of the financial benefits for the Club, but it’s a great brand, it’s got a real strong community focus.
“I’ve picked up during my eight weeks that I’ve been here, the emphasis the Club has in the community and its relationship with its fans, so having a partner that’s going to engage with the supporters and give something back to the community is a delight for us.
“With the pandemic and the challenges it’s brought to every club or business, a lot of clubs are going to be in the same in the summer, so for us to get our business done and to agree a partnership of this level in such a short period of time is testament to us, our process and the Club.
“I think we’re a really good fit for them."
As aforementioned, Ian has been with the Club for around two-months now and he explained his outlook on Town commercially and what his early focus has been on.
“It’s always hard coming into a new environment, not just a football club, especially with the challenge of working remotely, from home, and every now and again being able to come to the Stadium.
“One thing I wanted to establish very quickly was the size of the Club, the size of our reach, the size of our fanbase, and then how that aligns with brands outside the region; that was an area I identified very quickly.
“We do a tremendous job as a football club engaging with previous campaigns, like the Huddersfield Hundred, that creates a platform for local business. What I don’t want to do is alienate local businesses, we will still provide platform for them to be here and share an experience with us on a match day.
“Having those two years in the Premier League and the size of the Club, I don’t think we were propositioning ourselves in the right way to national brands around what a football partnership could do that them; that’s what my strength has been at the previous clubs I’ve worked with.”
You can watch his first full interview below on #HTTV!
