Arsenal announced today the largest ever partnership deal in Premier League history by joining forces with Puma, as of July 2014.
The deal is reportedly worth £150m across the next five years - though by the sounds of things, this is a "long-term partnership" - so if it is going to be as long as the Nike deal, this could be with us for at least the next 20 years.
Now, ultimately, this is good news. Having struggled in the recent past to improve the playing squad sufficiently due to lack of finances in that department - and currently sitting on large cash reserves - this agreement should ensure we finally have the financial firepower to compete comfortably with the rich clubs on a consistent basis.
But the multi-million pound contract, which became public knowledge before the end of last season, does not come without its question marks.
Incredibly, despite this new and unprecedented influx of cash - if you ignore over-taking oil barons - Arsenal announced last month that they were increasing their ticket prices by 3% from next season.
Their argument - or excuse, if you look at it that way - is that it will only be the third increase since we moved to the Emirates Stadium - completely ignoring the widely-known fact that we have the most expensive tickets in the league by some margin - and without the team success to somewhat justify it.
And as a fan, not least a cash-strapped student, this deeply irritates me.
I have been going to watch The Arsenal for 12 years and if there is one thing that has stopped me going, it's the money. I'm lucky if I get to go to three games a season.
I now refuse to ever spend over £50 on a game following last year's horror defeat to Blackburn Rovers, and while I hope days like that will soon be a thing of the past, the latest inflation of ticket prices feels like a giant middle finger from the Board. One would assume that the money coming in from Puma would have meant ticket revenue was less of a concern.
I may not have a great business mind, but surely, with that level of constant income, freezing the ticket prices or even, God forbid, lowering them would be basic common sense?
On Friday night, we showcased our incredible support by selling-out a fourth-round F.A. Cup tie against lower-tier opposition - something fairly remarkable in this day and age.
Interestingly, the pricing of the Coventry game was downgraded from the usual F.A. Cup tariffs. Does this not show the Board what can be achieved by a little compromise? You can bet your life that at the next-highest costs (up to £71), we would never have seen a full house to watch Coventry City on a chilly Friday evening.
You would think if Ivan Gazidis and co. had any sense - though this is the same bunch who sold our best players, year after year - they could adopt the more German approach with regards to fans and ticket prices where they have had great success showing support across the country and indeed, the continent.
The Club is no longer in any dear need for cash and all this greed needs to stop.
Let's face it: it's not as if the Board aren't loaded enough already as it is. And frankly, it's hard to see where they've deserved that over the last few years. It is about time they gave us, the fans, something back.
They may have given us Mesut Ozil, but I'm sure as hell not waiting another decade for the next big superstar.
On the pitch, the club is going in the right direction and the future looks bright. My only hope now is that the ones behind-the-scenes have the decency to follow suit.
Come On You Reds!
The deal is reportedly worth £150m across the next five years - though by the sounds of things, this is a "long-term partnership" - so if it is going to be as long as the Nike deal, this could be with us for at least the next 20 years.
Now, ultimately, this is good news. Having struggled in the recent past to improve the playing squad sufficiently due to lack of finances in that department - and currently sitting on large cash reserves - this agreement should ensure we finally have the financial firepower to compete comfortably with the rich clubs on a consistent basis.
But the multi-million pound contract, which became public knowledge before the end of last season, does not come without its question marks.
Incredibly, despite this new and unprecedented influx of cash - if you ignore over-taking oil barons - Arsenal announced last month that they were increasing their ticket prices by 3% from next season.
Their argument - or excuse, if you look at it that way - is that it will only be the third increase since we moved to the Emirates Stadium - completely ignoring the widely-known fact that we have the most expensive tickets in the league by some margin - and without the team success to somewhat justify it.
And as a fan, not least a cash-strapped student, this deeply irritates me.
I have been going to watch The Arsenal for 12 years and if there is one thing that has stopped me going, it's the money. I'm lucky if I get to go to three games a season.
I now refuse to ever spend over £50 on a game following last year's horror defeat to Blackburn Rovers, and while I hope days like that will soon be a thing of the past, the latest inflation of ticket prices feels like a giant middle finger from the Board. One would assume that the money coming in from Puma would have meant ticket revenue was less of a concern.
I may not have a great business mind, but surely, with that level of constant income, freezing the ticket prices or even, God forbid, lowering them would be basic common sense?
On Friday night, we showcased our incredible support by selling-out a fourth-round F.A. Cup tie against lower-tier opposition - something fairly remarkable in this day and age.
Interestingly, the pricing of the Coventry game was downgraded from the usual F.A. Cup tariffs. Does this not show the Board what can be achieved by a little compromise? You can bet your life that at the next-highest costs (up to £71), we would never have seen a full house to watch Coventry City on a chilly Friday evening.
You would think if Ivan Gazidis and co. had any sense - though this is the same bunch who sold our best players, year after year - they could adopt the more German approach with regards to fans and ticket prices where they have had great success showing support across the country and indeed, the continent.
The Club is no longer in any dear need for cash and all this greed needs to stop.
Let's face it: it's not as if the Board aren't loaded enough already as it is. And frankly, it's hard to see where they've deserved that over the last few years. It is about time they gave us, the fans, something back.
They may have given us Mesut Ozil, but I'm sure as hell not waiting another decade for the next big superstar.
On the pitch, the club is going in the right direction and the future looks bright. My only hope now is that the ones behind-the-scenes have the decency to follow suit.
Come On You Reds!
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