Super League chief pledges to do more
Growing ticket sales, better stadium facilities and increasing sponsorship revenues have improved the outlook for Greek top-flight soccer but the country’s Super League chief is guarding against complacency. Costas Piladakis told Reuters in an interview that the Super League had shown more improvement in its third season but warned that would only last as long as the commitment by all stakeholders was real. «I see results, definitely. But am I satisfied? Definitely not,» Piladakis, head of the top-tiered Super League, told Reuters in an interview yesterday. «We have to continue improving and maximize the effects of the changes we are pushing through,» he said. «Everyone involved must commit to this for the long run and only then can we say we are successful.» In the Super League’s third season, ticket sales are on the rise with a year-on-year increase for the first three match days of about 30 percent. An average of some 70,000 fans bought tickets for the first three match days this season compared to some 53,000 for the same period last year. Last season also saw a 10 percent increase in ticket sales compared to the first Super League season in 2006-2007. A number of unexpected big name signings, including Gilberto Silva from Arsenal and Alvaro Recoba from Inter Milan, have added much-needed glitz to a league that is trying hard to shed a corruption and violence-tainted past. Several prominent Greek players, including national team captain Angelos Basinas and central defender Sotiris Kyrgiakos, also have returned from abroad, lured by big contracts after an unprecedented summer spending spree by Greek clubs. A new breed of club presidents, younger and more business-minded, are also ushering in a new way of deal-making, modernizing operations. «If you put on a good show every week then the fans will come, and the revenues will come as well. It is that simple, and the club presidents understand that,» 42-year-old Piladakis said on the day of a new sponsorship deal with Greek gaming monopoly OPAP worth some 73 million euros. That money will not only flow to the top clubs but will go toward stadium improvements, smaller teams and fair play awards. Independently, several top-flight teams are also planning or are already building new stadiums. A further 150 million euros will flow into the league coffers from a new three-year central broadcasting rights management tender to be decided by the end of October with even more funds going to smaller teams. «We need to bridge the gap between small and big clubs and create a more competitive environment,» said Piladakis, who is also chairman of Larissa, a former championship-winning team that he led back to the top flight after years in the lower divisions. The league will also award bonuses for good refereeing this year and has installed cameras at every stadium to crack down on fan violence. Crowd trouble was one of the biggest problems in the sport, keeping families and younger fans away for decades. «We have to cure the ills of the past,» said Piladakis, a successful entrepreneur who has long worked with Richard Branson’s Virgin group. «You do this with fresh minds who see opportunities in soccer. The more we improve club revenues, the greater the interest to invest in a profitable business will be.»
