Club owner Roman Abramovich’s rapid ‘fire’ method bore fruit once again as the sacking of Frank Lampard – club legend – last season to bring in Thomas Tuchel saw the Blues finish fourth in the Premier League, reach the FA Cup final, and win a certain UEFA Champions League. With a proper pre-season and added investment to the squad, the team will be gunning to achieve more glory this season.
Following are the companies and organisations that are enjoying a strong branding presence across Chelsea’s physical and digital assets.
Also Read – Chelsea Sponsors 2022-23
PRINCIPAL PARTNERS
Nike
Chelsea signed a long-term deal with Nike in October 2016 as their official kit supplier from the 2017-18 season, ending their eleven-year partnership with Adidas.
The deal, reportedly worth north of US$1bn over 15 years, was Nike’s biggest deal with a Premier League club at the time, before it signed an even more lucrative deal with Liverpool in January 2020.
Three
The Reading-headquartered British telecom company was roped in by Chelsea in an initial three-year deal as one of their principal partners in January 2020 which has seen Three’s “3” logo emblazoned on the front of Chelsea’s matchday kits since Project Restart.
The deal came at the back of the previous principal sponsor, Yokohama Tyres, taking on a lower-tier partnership with the club.
The current deal with Three ropes in an amount comparable to the £40m in revenue which Chelsea were collecting every year from their previous principal sponsorship deal with Yokohama Tyres.
The deal also sees Three oversee 5G signals enabled within Stamford Bridge.
trivago
The Amsterdam-headquartered Dutch global accommodation search platform was announced as the Official Training Wear Partner of the club in May 2021, covering the senior and academy teams of both sides – men’s and women’s. trivago’s logo replaces that of Carabao, the Thai energy drink brand, on the front of Chelsea’s training kits, bibs and coaching staff’s tracksuits.
Apart from branding rights, the deal also includes collaboration over exclusive experience opportunities like player meets, coaching sessions from Chelsea’s trainers, and access to the exclusive trivago suite at Stamford Bridge.
OFFICIAL PARTNERS
Cadbury
Chelsea signed a deal with Mondel?z International, owner of the confectionary brand Cadbury, in August 2020, making Cadbury the club’s official chocolate partner.
The deal sees Cadbury provide support to entrepreneurs and small businesses with the help of Chelsea Foundation’s ‘Edge of the Box Club’ via seminars that cover topics like brand marketing and sales, providing necessary training and connections to help the businesses build their brand.
EA Sports
The company behind the famous football simulation video game series FIFA has maintained an exclusive official partnership with the Blues since 2008. EA holds rights to feature Chelsea’s licensing, that includes real-life likeness of players, kits and stadium, in its annual FIFA release. The two also create co-branded social media content.
Fiserv
The Brookfield, Wisconsin-headquartered American fintech and financial services company serves as an official partner to the club since September 2019 in a £1m-a-year deal.
The deal sees Fiserv provide unique experience to its clients on matchdays, as well as offer the children from a local hospice an opportunity to serve as club mascots as part of its community programme called ‘Fiserv Gives Back’.
GO Markets
The Melbourne, Victoria-headquartered Australian Retail Forex and Contracts for Differences (CFDs) broker serves as the Official Online Trading Partner to the club since October 2020.
Hublot
The Nyon-headquartered Swiss luxury watchmaker serves as Chelsea’s official timekeeper and official watch partner since August 2015. Branding rights aside, the deal sees numerous Hublot clocks installed throughout Stamford Bridge.
In November 2021, Chelsea extended their partnership with Hublot in a multi-year deal.
Hyundai
The Seoul-headquartered South Korean carmaker serves as Chelsea’s official global automotive partner since May 2018 in a deal reportedly worth £50m. The four-year deal has seen Hyundai serve as the official sleeve sponsor for Chelsea’s matchday kits since the 2018-19 season. Branding rights aside, the deal also entails global collaborative initiatives.
Levy Restaurants
Levy UK has been Chelsea’s official catering partner since August 2014, a deal that was extended in May 2019 to run until 2023.
The deal sees Levy provide catering services on matchdays at Stamford Bridge as well as at other Chelsea venues, like their training facility in Cobham, the on-site music venue Under the Bridge, the Chelsea Health Club & Spa and Frankie’s Sports Bar & Grill.
MSC Cruises
The Geneva-headquartered global cruise line serves as Chelsea’s official global cruise partner since January 2019, a deal that provides the global cruise line access to more clientele and Chelsea’s ambassadors. The deal kicked off in 2019 just a few months before the launch of MSC Bellissima, which was launched in March that year and had Chelsea memorabilia on board with the club’s representatives in attendance for the naming ceremony.
Parimatch
The Limassol-headquartered sports betting company was announced as an Official Partner of the club in August 2021 on a three-year deal. Apart from branding rights, the deal is set to see Parimatch offer Chelsea fans opportunities to “win prizes and exclusive matchday experiences”.
Singha
Singha has been Chelsea’s official beer partner since 2010 and last extended its partnership with the club in July 2019 to run until 2022. Aside from branding rights, the Thai brewery holds pouring rights inside Stamford Bridge and also engages in Chelsea’s expansion into the South East Asia market.
Sure
Chelsea have been partners with deodorant brand Sure since 2017, a deal that was further extended in August 2018. Sure’s parent company, Unilever, also enjoys a strong association with Chelsea, as the two parties focus on grassroots football initiatives in Africa.
Vitality Health Insurance
Chelsea signed a deal with the London-headquartered private medical insurance specialist to become their official health insurance partner in July 2018.
The deal sees Vitality provide club-themed offers and merchandise to its members as well as unique fan experiences to the Chelsea supporters. The deal covers both men’s and women’s sides of the club.
Yokohama Tyres
The Japanese tyre manufacturer was announced as Chelsea’s principal sponsor in February 2015 in a deal reportedly worth £200m that saw the company serve as the front-of-shirt sponsor for Chelsea’s matchday kits from the 2015-16 season to the 2019-20 one, until Project Restart.
With the arrival of Three, Yokohama decided to end its lead partnership with Chelsea, but has retained a lower-tier sponsorship to continue as their official global tyre partner.
Zapp
The UK-based 24/7 grocery delivery startup was announced as the club’s official European on-demand convenience and grocery delivery partner in July 2021 on an initial two-year deal.
Covering the club’s men’s, women’s and academy setups, the deal is set to see the two parties work on co-branded promotional campaigns – “from player activity to exclusive fan opportunities and Zapp football moments”.
CHARITY PARTNERS
Plan International
Plan International is a humanitarian organisation that strives to help children in poverty across the globe. The Woking-based organisation is Chelsea’s global charity partner since September 2015, and together they offer opportunities to underprivileged children like football camps, as well as raise awareness against issues like child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation.
Soccer Aid
Soccer Aid is an annual British charity event. Every year, a football match is played between teams England and Rest of the World, where footballing legends and other celebrities from different walks of life feature in their respective teams. Since its inception in 2006, the charity has raised around US$50m in aid for UNICEF.
Soccer Aid and Chelsea came together in 2019 when the annual charity event was played at Chelsea’s home ground, Stamford Bridge, and featured a long list of Chelsea’s stars of the past – John Terry, Joe Cole, Glen Johnson, Katie Chapman, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and Ricardo Carvalho.
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