The 3 Biggest Sponsorship Deals In Premier League History
It’s no secret that money rules the football world, but not many people know exactly where that money comes from.
While wealthy backers with blank cheques are a common way for teams to have access to millions of pounds, another way is through large sponsorship deals with major brands.
These brands include major clothing retailers like Adidas, streaming platforms like Spotify, and even online casino sites. In fact, online casinos are a major player in the football sponsorship world, so you’ll likely have seen a few of these brands before, but always use a bet UK review site before signing up for one.
No matter what industry is behind the sponsorship deal, the amounts of money that are given to clubs for exposure have been exponentially growing since the Premier League era began, and we’re here to take a look at the biggest ones.
#1 Manchester City – Etihad Airways – £68m per year
It’s no surprise that number one on our list involves Manchester City. Since being taken over by members of the ruling family of Abu Dhabi, City have been one of the league’s biggest spenders and have transformed themselves from mid-table regulars to the major powerhouse of British football.
While in the early days they were able to take large amounts of investment from their owners, the introduction of Financial Fair Play meant they had to come by their money in other ways. The biggest one is through their shirt sponsor, Etihad Airways, who have been the shirt’s sponsor since ownership of Manchester City changed hands in 2009.
While the exact details of the deal are unclear, it’s reported that after a recent renegotiation in 2020, the sponsorship brings in nearly £68,000,000 per year for the club, making it top of our list.
#2 Liverpool – Standard Chartered – £50m per year
Next on our list is Manchester City’s main title rival for the past couple of years – Liverpool. In 2022, they signed an extension with their kit sponsor Standard Chartered, a multinational bank earning roughly $14 billion in revenue annually!
The current deal gives the club £50,000,000 per year and is set to last until the end of the 2027 season. However, the company has been partnered with Liverpool since 2010, so it’s likely we’ll see an extension before the deal runs out, with an even bigger amount of money changing hands!
#3 Manchester United – TeamViewer – £48m per year
Rounding out our list of top three sponsorship deals is another team from the north-west of England, Manchester United, with their kit sponsor, TeamViewer. Manchester United have always been at the forefront of major money-making deals in the Premier League, so it’s no surprise that they’re featured on this list.
However, they’re not as high as they would be in previous seasons, as they’ve taken a big financial hit after switching from Chevrolet. The sponsorship deal with the major American car manufacturer was worth a reported £64m per year; but after the effects of Covid-19 and the poor performance by the team on the pitch, a deal could not be struck, and Manchester United partnered with TeamViewer in 2021 for a reported £48,000,000 per year.
This deal will last until the end of the 2026 season, and Manchester United will be hoping that better performances on the pitch will lead to better numbers in their accounting department.
With the speed that money is flowing into football, particularly the Premier League, it won’t take long until these numbers are commonplace amongst the smaller teams. With sponsorship deals for teams like Chelsea and Arsenal ending in the next couple of years, we can expect another bump in these numbers. At the rate things are moving, it seems inevitable that by the time these three deals are renegotiated, we could see a deal worth over £100m! Let’s just hope the bubble doesn’t burst before then.
