Football stocks to watch

Football stocks are the shares of companies that are involved in the football industry. These include football clubs, sponsorships and TV companies who broadcast the games. Learn about various factors that can affect the price of football stocks and read about how you can trade on some of the biggest and most exciting companies involved in ‘the beautiful game’ with our award winning Next Generation trading platform*.

An overview of the football industry

Football is a huge industry that is comprised of some of the largest and most valuable sports clubs in the world. With enormous broadcasting contracts and global fan bases, football clubs are continuously increasing in value. Brands such as Nike, Adidas and Puma have sponsorship deals with clubs and national teams. In order to gain the rights to broadcast football competitions, TV companies such as BT and Sky may agree to six-figure contracts with the organisations.

Outside of business, football clubs also attract national and global fanbases. For this reason, investing in football clubs through the share market is a popular occurrence among die-hard football fans. This may provide football fans with a sense of ownership over their favourite team or players, and it could also be an efficient investment if the club is successful.

What factors affect the price of football stocks?

Supply and demand are ultimate drivers of price.
Team financials. Some teams have a lot of debt to pay. For example, Juventus’ debt increased from €280 million in 2017 to €384 million in 2018, which some say is due to the high wages the club pays.
Game results. If a team has seen a particularly good season, its share price could likely increase.
Sale or signing of players. Buzz around a potential new signing can help to boost investor sentiment, whereas the sale of players often has an adverse effect.
Scandals. Controversial events that involve players, managers or associated acts can cause share prices to plummet.
Sponsorships. New sponsorships from well-known brands can indicate that the club will be receiving more money, in turn improving its financials.

Football club shares to watch

Spread betting or trading CFDs on the stocks of football clubs is a good way for fans of the game to gain exposure to the club. This allows you to take advantage of stock price fluctuations without directly taking ownership of the share. Open a live account to trade on any of the below listed football stocks.

Manchester United (MANU)

Manchester United is one of the most valuable sports clubs in the world. Founded in 1878, the club’s home stadium, Old Trafford, holds a capacity of more than 70,000 seats. The Manchester-based club play its domestic football in the Premier League and consistently competes in top-flight European competitions. Over the years, it has become one of the most dominant clubs in football, winning multiple league titles and enjoying European success, especially in the era of their most successful manager, Sir Alex Ferguson. The club left the London Stock Exchange in 2005 after being privately bought by another company, and in 2012, its shares were re-listed on the New York Stock Exchange.

Juventus (JUVE)

Juventus is one of the largest and most valuable football clubs both domestically and worldwide. The Turin-based club was founded in 1897 and has gone on to become one of the most successful clubs in Italian football. Known as "La Vecchia Signora" (The Old Lady), Juventus has enjoyed immense success in Italy in its history and has established itself as a consistent competitor in elite European competitions. The club has a rich history filled with tradition and since the 1990s, it has been considered as one of the wealthiest clubs in the world. It was in 2001 that the Italian giants started listing its shares on the Borsa Italiana.

Borussia Dortmund (BVB)

Borussia Dortmund is a German football club that competes in the country’s top-tier league, named the Bundesliga. Founded in 1909, the club has experienced significant success in its history, which includes winning multiple league titles, domestic cups and a UEFA Champions League. It experienced financial issues and a dip in form and in the 1980s; however, it recovered spectacularly in the 1990s by achieving great success both domestically and on the European stage. Dortmund plays its home games in the in the 80,000-capacity Westfalenstadion stadium, and it has gained a reputation for developing young footballing talent. It was in the year 2000 that the club listed its shares on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. It is now considered to be a prominent German stock.

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Football sponsorship stocks

It is also possible to trade on the stocks of companies that sponsor football clubs and major footballing events and competitions. Below are examples of well-known and valuable companies that manufacture, promote, and sponsor football club kits and merchandise. Some of these companies also have sponsorship contracts with individual professional footballers.

Nike (NKE)

In the early 1990s, Nike made a strong entrance into the world of football as it began making endorsement deals with world-renowned superstars, such as Eric Cantona and Romário. The brand continued to sponsor some of the top footballers in the world in exchange for promotion of its products. This includes former and current global superstars, such as Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronaldo. Over the years, Nike has struck extremely lucrative deals with clubs in order to manufacture and sponsor their official football kits. Examples include Barcelona, Manchester United and the England national team. The company also designs and manufactures football boots and kit uniforms for a wide range of teams around the world.

Adidas (ADSG)

Adidas sponsors five ‘elite’ football clubs, including Manchester United, Real Madrid and Arsenal. You can also buy sponsored kits on their website for more than 40 different teams. The company came to prominence in the 1954 after the German national football team won the World Cup while wearing sponsored Adidas kit. This made the brand a household name on football pitches across the world, and the revolutionary lightweight boots with screw-in studs attracted a lot of attention. Since then, Adidas has provided a long list of footballers with branded kit and equipment, including David Beckham and Lionel Messi.

Puma (PUMG)

Puma first came to prominence in 1950 after several members of the West Germany national football team wore Puma’s first football boots, the ATOM. This led to a win against Switzerland and the brand continued working with national coaches afterwards to develop more athlete-approved equipment. The brand began to sponsor footballers such as Pelé, Eusebio and Thierry Henry, and more recently, world class players such as Neymar. In 2019, Puma signed the biggest football deal in its history for a long-term partnership with the City Football Group, becoming an official partner of various clubs, including Manchester City and Girona FC.

How to trade on football stocks in the UK

Investing in football stocks involves the traditional method of share dealing, which involves purchasing shares of companies within the industry and holding them for a long period of time with the hope of making a profit.

Alternatively, you can trade on the underlying price movements of football club shares through spread betting or CFD trading. Spread betting is a tax-efficient** way of speculating on the price movements without taking ownership of the asset, whereas CFDs allow traders to buy or sell a number of units for an instrument, with the difference in price being exchanged at the end of the contract. Follow the below steps to get started.

Register for a trading account.
Research the stock market to find the right one for you. Use our news and insights tools to analyse the football industry in greater depth.
Determine your strategy. Decide your entry and exit points and depending on how the instrument’s price fluctuates, you may decide to ‘go long’ and buy, or ‘go short’ and sell.
Manage your risk. Before placing your trade, make sure you have understood and followed risk-management guidelines.
Determine your position size and place the trade. Apply any risk-management orders, such as stop-loss orders, and confirm your trade.
Monitor your position and close your trade. If you’re making a profit on your position, you may wish to consider sticking to your trading plan and close out when the target price is reached.

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FAQ

Can you buy shares in football players?

While it isn’t possible to buy shares in individual footballer players, you can still invest in or trade on the price movements of underlying football clubs that they may be a part of, including Juventus and Manchester United, so open a trading account to get started.

Are football stocks a good investment?

Football stocks are a popular investment for both football fans and analytical investors alike. However, they are not guaranteed to be a good investment, so you should always perform company analysis on their financials before opening a decision.

Which football clubs are publicly traded?

Some examples of football clubs that are publicly available to trade on the stock market include Manchester United, Arsenal, Rangers, Borussia Dortmund and Juventus. Browse our Product Library on the platform to search for more football shares.

Do football stocks pay dividends?

Some football stocks, namely Manchester United, have paid a consistent dividend to shareholders over the years of being public. However, football club stocks don’t have the same intention as other publicly listed companies to return profits to shareholders in the form of dividends, so these are usually of a very low percentage. Learn more about dividend-yielding stocks.

How can I trade football stocks?

You can gain exposure to the football industry by trading on the price movements of publicly traded football clubs or sponsorship stocks, such as Puma, Adidas and Nike. Learn some stock trading strategies before opening an account.

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**This does not consider the commission charges. When trading shares via CFDs, a commission cost is incurred; read our article on CFD commissions for more information.