Football is big business around the world, but especially in the United Kingdom, which is the self-proclaimed ‘home of football’.
While thousands of fans may pack stadiums on a weekly basis to watch the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and so on, the passion for the sport can be seen in the attendances at lower levels – the Championship has the highest average attendance of any second-tier league in the world, and in fact, it is far ahead of many top-flight leagues, while you will find thousands of fans at matches further down the pyramid as well.
This passion for the sport translates into financial value as well, with sponsorship deals for the top teams running into the hundreds of millions of pounds annually. Thus, it is quite interesting to take a look at some of the biggest sponsorship deals in English football to understand just how lucrative the sport is in the country.
Chevrolet – Manchester United
Chevrolet, the American car maker, signed a deal with Manchester United in 2014 to appear on the front of its shirts for a whopping £64 million per year – and at a total value of £371 million, this has been one of the biggest shirt sponsorship deals in world football, let alone the UK. The deal has ended this year, with United embarking on a new partnership with TeamViewer, which will pay them £47 million per season for five seasons – this is a drop of more than 25%, but is understandable given the backdrop of the COVID-19 crisis and its financial impact.
Betway – West Ham United
This is one of the most interesting deals since it involves a betting company. Betway’s shirt sponsorship deal with West Ham is rumoured to be around £10 million per year since 2015, making it one of the most valuable sponsorship deals involving a betting company.
bet365 – Stoke City
Another deal between a football club and a betting company, this one is arguably even more impressive, since not only does bet365 appear on the front of Stoke City’s shirts, they also have the naming rights to the stadium. Thus, Stoke City’s stadium has been known as the bet365 Stadium since 2016, and you can actually find a number of similar betting options and more information at https://www.platincasino.co.uk.
Emirates – Arsenal
The Dubai-based Emirates Airlines, which is the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, has been one of Arsenal’s principal’s sponsors for years now, appearing on the front of their shirts as well as having the new stadium named after them. This is a partnership since 2006, and Arsenal reportedly earn €31 million per season from this deal.
Etihad – Manchester City
Another partnership between a UAE-based airline and an English club, this deal earns Manchester City nearly €46 million per year, with the stadium being known as the Etihad Stadium as well, along with the company name appearing on the front of City’s shirts. Of course, City are owned by the Abu Dhabi royal family, so this partnership makes a lot of sense, with Etihad also based out of Abu Dhabi.
