The Industries Involved in Football Shirt Sponsorship
Since its inception in the early 90s, the Premier League has transformed itself into a global product. As revenue increases year on year, so do the number of revenue streams. Newer streams include partnerships such as ‘official noodle partner’ but it is still shirt sponsorship that remains the money maker for clubs. This global reach and increased money in the sport has translated to exorbitant sponsorship deals but what industries provide the most sponsors?
Gambling
The gambling industry has never been more synonymous with football than in the past decade. Betting companies lend their name to television programmes, and stadiums are omnipresent on matchdays. These club partnerships advertise to fans a multitude of different gambling options and online casino promotions, such as free spins or cash giveaways. With 40% of clubs displaying gambling companies on club shirts, it is clear they see football as a useful vehicle to increase their online customer base. Overall, there are 17 gambling companies with some sort of partnership with clubs in the top league.
Financial services
Companies from the financial services sector currently sponsor six teams in England’s top division. This mixture of banks, insurance and trading companies include the multinational institutions American Express and Standard Chartered, who sponsor the shirts of Brighton and Liverpool respectively. The Brighton sponsorship deal is worth over £100 million and includes naming rights for the AmEx stadium.
Moreover, AIA sponsors Tottenham and pays around £40 million a year for this privilege. Their local rivals, Leicester City see an additional £10 million added to their revenue through their partnership with FBS, an online trading company. Not only can we see the benefits for clubs, but fans can also take advantage of the partnership. Midlands club Wolves partnered with AstroPay for the 2022 – 2023 season and offer their fans the chance to apply for a Wolves-branded debit card.
Airlines
Airlines provide the principal sponsorship for two of England’s bigger clubs; Arsenal and Manchester City. Arsenal has been sponsored by Emirates for nearly twenty years, while Etihad has been involved with Manchester City since 2009. Both companies have naming rights for the stadiums of their respective clubs. The Athletic reported that the overall Etihad sponsorship deal is worth £67 million to Manchester City every year.
With so much money invested in these partnerships, companies want a significant return on investment. While this is hard to measure, Brand Finance reported that Emirates found that for their sponsorship of Arsenal, there was a 39% recall rate from consumers. With an estimated 71 million trips made overseas from the UK, it is obvious why airlines put so much money into ensuring their names are front and centre of football club shirts.
Recently, sleeve sponsorship has been introduced in the Premier League and offers further revenue opportunities for clubs. These deals pale in comparison and offer smaller companies a piece of the advertising pie. But for now, it is larger gambling companies and financial institutions who dominate the all-important shirt sponsorship market in the richest league in the world.
Image: Unsplash – photo by Sangga Rima Roman Selia
