Manchester City's brand and marketing
officer David Pullan says the club are determined to achieve parity
with the best clubs in the world.
The Citizens are looking to develop their global fan
base and want to become the club of choice for football supporters
worldwide undecided about which colours to wear.
Pullan said: "There is a vast international audience for the
Premier League and lot of those viewers probably have not formed an
allegiance to one club.
"There are the obvious choices but there is plenty of room for
the non-obvious choices.
"We have a compelling story to tell about the kind of club we
are, the kind of values we have and the kind of relationship we
have with this city."
The landscape at Eastlands has changed remarkably following the
takeover by the Abu Dhabi United Group last year.
That was emphasised on Tuesday with the £12million arrival of
established England midfielder Gareth Barry from Aston Villa.
Behind the scenes there is considerable activity as well with
City forming a 10-year partnership with Umbro.
Pullan is excited about the future and says he is not concerned
about living and competing alongside Manchester United.
He said: "I do not really think about it. One of my former
bosses used to say 'Worry about the things you can affect'. That is
a very good mantra to live by.
"I cannot affect what they do and how they operate and I not
going to worry. We will do what is right for our club and our
supporters.
"Hopefully in the long term that will bring us to a level of
success that is comparable to the best sporting clubs in the world.
That is our ambition."
Part of the deal with Umbro is that they will supply home, away
and third City kits for the 2009-10 season.
Pullan added: "They are a company with very deep roots in the
city. It is very much consistent with our club and how we feel
about our role in Manchester. We share an agenda.
"Both of us have been acquired by much bigger organisations with
deep pockets and big ambitions. We have a similar desire and
aspirations to grow and become more successful.
"We have a commitment to building a successful and sustainable
club for the future and a big part of that is around
innovation."
Umbro spokesman Martin Prothero said: "This is an exciting
opportunity for both Umbro and Manchester City to build on their
collective heritage and create truly iconic football brands."
