Anshuman JoshiSponsors are not only a massive revenue source in football, but also a determining factor in the aesthetic of a club’s jerseys and the legacy that may or may not follow. Here’s a list of each and every Premier League club and their principal sponsor for the 2021-22 season.
Principal Sponsor – Emirates (Fly Better)
Arsenal first struck a deal with the UAE’s flag carrier airline Emirates back in 2006. Twelve years later, in February 2018, they extended their partnership to at least another five years, in a deal expected to be in excess of £200m.
The Emirates logo holds household recognition among staple football fans, with the text “Fly Emirates” (now “Emirates – Fly Better”) emblazoned across the 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.
Principal Sponsor – Cazoo
Aston Villa added Cazoo as their new Principal Partner in a two-year deal worth £12m in June 2020. The London-based online car retailer replaced Asian betting company W88 as the front-of-shirt sponsor for the Villains’ matchday kits.
Principal Sponsor – Hollywoodbets
The South African betting firm first signed a two-year deal with the Bees as their Official Betting Partner in November 2020 in an attempt to expand into the British market. The deal granted Hollywoodbets back-of-shirt branding rights on Brentford’s matchday kits, right below the kit number.
In July 2021, Brentford extended this partnership in a new two-year agreement to make Hollywoodbets their Official Principal Partner, granting the betting firm front-of-shirt sponsorship rights for their men’s first-team and B-team matchday kits as well as all adult replica shirts.
Principal Sponsor – American Express
New York-headquartered American multinational financial services corporation American Express (or Amex) has been the biggest and long-standing partner of Brighton & Hove Albion (for over a decade). The two first came together in 2010 with a naming rights deal for the club’s stadium, that was expanded with a kit sponsorship agreement in 2013 in a deal worth £1.5m per season.
The two parties further extended their partnership in August 2019 with a 12-year extension in an enhanced deal reportedly worth north of £100m.
Amex has been a veritable contributor to the Brighton community. It has its UK headquarters located in Brighton and is one of the largest private sector employers in the region. The deal strengthens its association with the city and grants naming rights across the club’s women’s and disability squads in a bid to encourage diversity and inclusion within the community.
Principal Sponsor – Spreadex Sports
Spreadex Sports is a British company offering financial and sports spread betting and sports fixed-odds betting. It was announced as the new front-of-shirt sponsor for Burnley’s matchday kits in July 2021 in a one-year deal covering the 2021-22 season.
Principal Sponsor – 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.
Principal Sponsor – W88
The Asian Betting brand serves as Crystal Palace’s Official Shirt Sponsor since August 2020, having replaced ManBetX as the front-of-shirt sponsor on their matchday kits. The ManBetX deal (2017-2020) was reportedly worth £6.5m per year.
Principal Sponsor – Cazoo
The Toffees signed London-based online car platform Cazoo as their official main partner in June 2020. The three-year, £10m-a-year deal sees Cazoo serve as the front-of-shirt sponsor for Everton‘s matchday and training kits.
Principal Sponsor – SBOTOP
Betting company SBOTOP signed a Principal Sponsorship deal with Leeds United in August 2020 in what was considered the largest commercial deal in the club’s history, making SBOTOP the front-of-shirt sponsor on the team’s matchday kits.
Principal Sponsor – FBS
The global online trading company was announced as the new Official Principal Partner of Leicester City in a ‘record’ deal in May 2021, becoming the front-of-shirt sponsor for their matchday kits on a three-year deal, replacing King Power. City debuted the FBS-fronted kit on the final matchday of the 2020-21 Premier League season.
Principal Sponsor – Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered has been the proud Main Partner of Liverpool Football Club since 2010. The London-headquartered British multinational banking and financial services company has seen its logo front the Reds’ matchday kits for over a decade. Their current deal is worth around £40m per annum.
In May 2018, Liverpool and Standard Chartered penned an extension which saw a £10m increase over the previous annual revenue with the partnership now set to run until the end of the 2022-23 season.
Standard Chartered has enjoyed a fruitful global exposure while working with Liverpool, engaging over 37 million people across the club’s platforms, and featuring the club legends of present and past times in its promotional collaborations with the club.
Principal Sponsor – Etihad Airways
Manchester City’s decade-long deal with Etihad Airways went into its final year ahead of the 2020-21 season. Reportedly worth £67.5m per year, the deal has brought about a new outlook to the way sports sponsorship deals are made and scrutinised.
Back in 2011, Etihad became the principal sponsor of Man City, acquiring not only the front space of the club’s kits but also the right for the name of their stadium; what was then called the City of Manchester Stadium came to eponymously be called the Etihad.
The Etihad deal has undoubtedly been fundamental in the turn of fortunes Man City have had over the last decade. When the deal came into being, Man City were just being touted as the next big prospect. Ten years later, they have five Premier League titles, six League Cups, and two FA Cups, looking forever upwards. The City footballing campus has also been revamped – from the area surrounding the stadium to the new training complex.
The finances of the deal have always been under major scrutiny. Most recently, the Man City owners faced the infamous legal battle against UEFA who accused them of illegally putting money into the club’s coffers, with their fingers pointed to the Etihad sponsorship. While City manage to swat away the allegation, it doesn’t change the fact that the Etihad deal remains shrouded in controversy.
Principal Sponsor – TeamViewer
The Göppingen-headquartered German tech company was announced as Manchester United’s new Principal Partner in March 2021. Starting with the 2021-22 season, TeamViewer is replacing Chevrolet as the front-of-shit sponsor on Man United’s matchday kits.
The deal, covering both the men’s and women’s sides of the club, is currently set to run until the end of the 2025-26 season and is reportedly worth £235m.
Principal Sponsor – FUN88
Chinese sports betting firm Fun88 has been Newcastle United’s principal kit sponsor since 2017 – a deal that has seen Fun88’s logo emblazoned at the front of their matchday and training kits. The two last renewed their partnership in a ‘long-term’ agreement in July 2020 in a deal reportedly worth £6.5m annually.
Principal Sponsor – Lotus Cars
The Norwich-headquartered British automotive company was announced as the principal shirt sponsor of Norwich City in June 2021.
Lotus swooped in to replace BK8 Sports, an Asian betting operator with whom Norwich had struck up the shirt sponsorship deal earlier in the month but chose to terminate it three days later because of the company’s problematic marketing content.
The Lotus deal covers both of Norwich’s men’s and women’s teams and their academy setups and is set to see the Lotus Cars logo feature on the front of the teams’ matchday and training kits.
Lotus Cars already has a long-standing relationship with the club. Not only did the company sponsor the team’s away jersey between 2003 and 2006, it also currently sponsors their training centre and academy.
Principal Sponsor – Sportsbet.io
Cryptocurrency-based online sports betting portal Sportsbet.io was announced as Southampton’s principal sponsor ahead of the 2020-21 season, in August 2020, after their previous deal with Chinese brand LD Sports was cut short.
Described as a sports content, marketing and entertainment platform in China, LD Sports signed a club-record three-year deal £7.5m annually with the Saints in May 2019. It is reported that LD decided to walk away from the deal amidst rising political tensions between China and the UK.
The Sportsbet.io front-of-shit sponsorship was extended in April 2021 in a three-year deal to run until the end of the 2023-24 season, with the club holding the option for their performance-based addons to be paid in Bitcoin.
Principal Sponsor – AIA
Tottenham Hotspur and Hong Kong-based life insurance company AIA Group have enjoyed a long, fruitful partnership. The two first signed a deal back in 2013 which saw AIA become the principal sponsor for the club’s cup matches, with its logo appearing on the front of Spurs’ matchday kits for their cup games.
In 2014, the two expanded their partnership in a new five-year deal that saw AIA became the club’s principal sponsor for their kits for all competitions. This deal was later extended in 2017 to run until 2022, and in July 2019, the two refurbished their partnership with an eight-year, £40m-a-year extension.
AIA’s visibility across Spurs’ channels have made the insurance company a household presence across the footballing scene. Officially, AIA is Spurs’ Global Principal Partner.
Principal Sponsor – Stake.com
The Curaçao-headquartered online crypto casino and sports betting platform was announced as Watford’s principal shirt sponsor in July 2021 on a three-year deal reportedly worth £5m per year, with potential of becoming a club-record deal depending on Watford’s performances in the 2021-22 season. According to the club, Stake.com will be paying for the sponsorship in cryptocurrency.
Brokered by US-based agency Rhino Sports Marketing, the deal grants Stake.com both front-of-shirt and sleeve sponsorship rights on all three matchday kits of the Hornets. The two parties are also set to work on several fan engagement activations over the course of the partnership.
While the Stake.com logo features on the front of Watford’s matchday shirts, their matchday kit’s left sleeve features the logo of Dogecoin.
Principal Sponsor – Betway
The global online bookmaker has been West Ham’s Principal Partner since February 2015. The deal, initially set to be worth around £20m over the first three years, was extended first in 2016, then for a further six years in May 2019, with the annual revenue bumped up to £10m.
Betway’s association with West Ham over the last six years has been a fruitful one, with the former partaking in a lot of fan engagement initiatives – the Betway Academy, Betway Fan Taxi and West Ham Supermarket Sweep, to name a few. However, all’s not rosy for the two parties, as in 2020 Betway was handed a record £11.6m fine for a series of social responsibility and money laundering failings.
Principal Sponsor – ManBetX
In June 2019, Wolves announced online sports betting brand ManBetX as their new principal partner after they decided to terminate their previous £5m-a-year deal with Asian betting company W88. As per the deal, ManBetX serves as the front-of-shirt sponsor for Wolves’ first team, U23s and adult disability teams’ matchday kits.
