United ramp up

             

  United have achieved that by targetting both regional and global sponsorships, mixing up the recent £120million eight-year partnership with AON for, amongst other things, naming rights to the Carrington training ground, with smaller deals with companies such as gloops, who last week became the Red Devils' first social gaming partner.I don't believe we will ever get to that level, partly because of the number of deals that are pursued on a regional basis.Yet, as Woodward points out, defeat in the last 16 of this season's Champions League caused barely a flicker of change in interest compared to 2011, when United were beaten in the final by Barcelona.Yet, far from reaching the end of their commercial drive, it appears United are only just beginning.We are still going after a huge number of global categories. The opportunity remains huge because we only have 13 or 14 in place.It is a fascinating approach to the business of maximising income, even if it seems to have little to do with the original ideal of football being a community-based enterprise.With one office already open in Hong Kong and another set for the United States to tap into the number of companies who want to make in-roads into the Far East market, where United retain such popularity, the scope for expansion is enormous.At some point the global growth will slow down and be replaced by even more accelerated growth in regional. But that is a long way out.The number of categories we can go after to do deals can go up to a comfortable 94," said United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward, who will replace David Gill as chief executive in the summer.