Simran SinghaniaThe English Football League (EFL) — comprising the second (Championship), third (League One) and fourth (League Two) tiers of professional football in England — and Leeds-based British gambling company Sky Bet have extended their sponsorship agreement for another five years.
According to the renewed agreement, Sky Bet will continue to serve as the league’s three divisions’ title sponsor through the 2028–29 season.
In addition to adding £6 million to a community fund throughout the course of the contract to support projects in the neighbourhoods surrounding the 72 EFL clubs, the arrangement also represents a 50% increase in payments over Sky Bet’s prior agreement with the EFL, which was signed back in 2013.
Additionally, Sky Bet has agreed to refrain from openly marketing itself or its products to young fans, and the EFL has promised to support the company’s safer gambling efforts and promote safer gambling campaigns.
Furthermore, the official Manager, Player, and Goal of the Month awards, as well as the season-long “Golden Boot” and “Golden Glove” trophies of the three tiers, will also be presented by Sky Bet.
Steve Birch, Sky Bet, Chief Commercial Officer, commented:
“I’m extremely proud of Sky Bet’s ongoing partnership with the EFL and delighted to have reached today’s agreement. Football is central to who we are and it’s great to be able to support the game and provide investment for Clubs across the Pyramid. I’m particularly delighted that we can go one step further today with the announcement of our Sky Bet EFL Community Fund, seeking to make a real difference for people across England and Wales.
“As the recent Sky Bet Play-Off Finals demonstrated, the EFL is going from strength to strength with packed grounds and millions watching games here in the UK and around the world. We are absolutely committed to Safer Gambling, and I’m delighted that our partnership with the EFL shows how responsible betting and gaming operators, and sporting organisations can work together to promote safer gambling and tackle the issue of gambling harm.”
Trevor Birch, Chief Executive of the EFL, said:
“For over a decade, Sky Bet has been a valuable partner for EFL Clubs, offering sustained investment to help Clubs navigate a volatile financial landscape and ensure fans can enjoy fantastic footballing entertainment in every corner of the country. We have consistently seen our partnership evolve to move with the times and with community at the heart of the EFL, a new community investment fund is perfectly aligned and will help strengthen the partnership’s commitment to social responsibility.
“The Government’s recent Gambling White Paper highlighted the social responsibility measures that have accompanied our partnership with Sky Bet as being an example of good practice for the wider sports sector to learn from and we will look to deepen our commitment to the promotion of safer gambling as part of this extension. On behalf of our Clubs we thank Sky Bet for its ongoing support to English football and we look forward to seeing our much-loved competition develop yet further with the additional certainty this investment provides.”
