Arsenal FC and Their Various Sponsors in 2020

Here we look at the firms the Gunners have partnered up with to strengthen their financial might.

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LEAD PARTNERS

Arsenal signed a lucrative kit deal with German-based sportswear giant Adidas in 2018. They agreed on a five-year deal worth $391 million starting July 2019. The deal saw the end of Arsenal’s five-year partnership with Puma. It even saw Arsenal boast the third-biggest kit deal on the football scene ($78M pa approx.) behind Manchester United’s Adidas ($100M pa approx.) and Barcelona’s Nike deal ($200M pa approx.).

Arsenal first struck a deal with UAE’s flag carrier airline, Emirates, back in 2006. Twelve years later, in Feb 2018, they agreed to extend their partnership to at least another five years, in a deal expected to be more than $280M. The Emirates logo holds household recognition among staple football fans, with the text “Fly Emirates” (now “Emirates – Fly Better”) emblazoned across kits of many famous football clubs. The likes of AC Milan, Real Madrid, Chelsea, PSG, and Hamburger SV have had sponsorship deals with Emirates at some point in time.

Arsenal looped in Rwanda as their official tourism partner in 2018 in a three-year deal worth $40m. This deal initially brought a lot of criticism upon the Rwandan government and even accusations for investing in a foreign football club from the coffers of the country’s crucial developmental aid. However, the deal has since proved fruitful for both parties, with Rwanda even observing an 8% lift in their tourism numbers.

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OFFICIAL PARTNERS

Arsenal signed a three-year deal with a global technology company, Acronis, for an undisclosed fee. Under the terms of the agreement, the Swiss-based company becomes the Gunners’ official data backup partner, also tasked with their data security and statistics provision. In return, Arsenal granted Acronis pitch-side branding for all of Arsenal’s domestic home games and logo placement on interview backdrops, with branded merchandising in other club-oriented assets.

Financial technology company Global Kapital Group (GKFX) entered a partnership with Arsenal in 2019 as the club’s official forex trading partner.
GKFX was established in 2010 and now boasts a multi-national workforce for 1,000+ employees spread across 18 countries. The deal granted GKFX to engage Arsenal’s star players in several promotional activities and delivering rewards to their clientele.

Arsenal first signed a deal with video game developers Konami back in 2017 – a deal that they have since extended until June 22 at least.
The Japanese company is most famous for its annually released football simulation game “Pro Evolution Soccer”. The deal grants Konami exclusive image rights to use Arsenal’s players’ likenesses and have their home stadium in-game.

The Chilean winery recently extended their deal with Arsenal till 2022 – a marriage that happened back in 2016, making them their official wine partner. The agreement granted Santa Rita access to Arsenal’s legends for their promotional activities and added presence on the matchday LED boards and its social media content.

Last year Arsenal signed a three-year deal to bring in Armenian based betting company VBET as their official gaming and betting partner.
The deal, which is expected to end in 2022, grants VBET branding across Arsenal’s kits and other assets and access to club legends like Ray Parlour for promotional activities. VBET is run and operated by BetConstruct, Arsenal’s official gaming software partner.

Arsenal signed a three-year deal with Estonian cryptocurrency-based online betting platform Sportsbet.io.As per the deal, Sportsbet.io will get access to Arsenal’s men’s and women’s players for promotional activities. Arsenal coaches, on their part, will conduct football clinics in Estonia for the country’s U19’s women’s team.

LA-based streetwear designer Guillermo Andrade’s brand 424 signed a two-year deal with Arsenal last year. The deal saw 424 enter the world of professional sports for the first time as they became Arsenal’s official formal wear partner, tasked with creating suits for both the Arsenal’s men’s and women’s teams, as well the club staff.

Arsenal announced Hyde Park Developments as their first ever official partner in Egypt. The real estate company was brought in not only to solidify Arsenal’s popularity in the North African region but also with a plan to hold quarterly training camps at Hyde Park’s real estate sites across Egypt.

Arsenal signed a three-year deal with the Egyptian bank Banque du Caire in 2018. The deal allowed the Banque exclusive branding rights on their debit/credit cards and granted their clients exclusive opportunities to avail matchday benefits and watch Arsenal live.

London based Camden Town Brewery acquired exclusive rights to Arsenal’s intellectual property when they signed a three-year deal with the Gunners last year. The deal saw them become Arsenal’s official beer partner in the UK and Ireland in a partnership that would run until 2022.

Arsenal signed German-based company Ganzberg as their official beer partner in Cambodia in 2019. The three-year deal would see Arsenal aim to grow their fanbase in the country while supporting Ganzberg’s popularity.
Ganzberg not only got access for the club’s branding across their assets but also vowed to deliver annual coaching clinics in the region. Ganzberg also serves as Arsenal’s official regional fruit juice, soft drinks, and honey lemon tea drinks partner in Cambodia.

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Arsenal signed a sponsorship deal with American technological giants Intel at the start of the 2019-20 season – a deal that was recently extended to a further two years in July 2020.
The deal, that was initially worth approximately $660k per season, saw Intel take charge of technological support for Arsenal’s matchday highlights package, allowing viewers freeze match action and 360o replays.

Arsenal signed a three-year deal with Italian coffee brand Lavazza back in 2018. The deal would see the Italian brand offer its coffee (Tierra Colombia and Kafa Forest) at the Emirates and also avail exclusive rights to the Arsenal brand.

The American firm MBNA has been one of Arsenal’s oldest partners on the list, having first partnered in 2004. The club recently extended its partnership with MBNA as their official credit card partner for an undisclosed length. The deal would allow MBNA to provide their new and existing customers with match tickets, meets-and-greets and other exclusive experiences.

Arsenal signed a deal with London based electricity and gas supplier Octopus Energy back in 2016 as their official energy partner in the UK. Since then, the company has provided its solar resources to provide clean energy for the Emirates’ operation. In addition to this, the deal also offers Arsenal fans clean energy tariffs and other various benefits.

Arsenal secured a deal with the Rwandan brand Skol Brewery as their official beer partner for the region in 2018. As part of the agreement, Skol acquired Arsenal’s image rights for their bottles and on-pack promotions. They also got to offer their customers exclusive opportunities to win match tickets and merchandise.

A few weeks ago, Arsenal announced Mondelez’s Cadbury as their official snacking partner. Arsenal joins Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Spurs as another “big six” to extend a snacking partner agreement to the confectionery company. The deal will allow Arsenal fans to buy Cadbury inside the Emirates once they’re allowed to return. The partnership will also focus on supporting the Little Wonder Café, a popular matchday destination situated near the stadium which was temporarily shut down during the lockdown.

Zoom has become a household name since the lockdown, becoming a staple for communication across the planet, be it formal or otherwise. But the American communications technology company headquartered in San Jose has been Arsenal’s video communications partner since March 2019. The deal granted Zoom branding benefits at the Emirates and direct access to the club’s business community.

Written By
Anshuman Joshi