The Premier League’s voluntary ban on gambling brands from front-of-shirt advertising has triggered a major commercial reshuffling across all 20 top-flight clubs this season.
The 20 clubs agreed collectively to remove betting and casino companies from the most coveted advertising space in English football, creating a significant revenue gap that needed filling fast.
Finance has emerged as the dominant sector, with six clubs now carrying financial services brands on their shirts, making it the most represented industry across the division.
Brighton and Hove Albion and Tottenham Hotspur continue long-standing arrangements with American Express and AIA respectively, though Spurs will part ways with AIA at the end of the current season.
Liverpool’s deal with Standard Chartered also continues, while newly-promoted Coventry have carried over their Championship sponsor into the top flight for the first time.
Digital bank Monzo makes its Premier League front-of-shirt debut this season, marking a significant moment for the challenger banking brand’s sports marketing ambitions.
Everton signed with CMC Markets, a firm that had also been in discussions with Fulham, while Nottingham Forest announced a deal with Space X-linked firm Marex, reported to be worth £25 million.
Tech and web companies have claimed five front-of-shirt slots, with Manchester United continuing its lucrative arrangement with Snapdragon and Brentford upgrading an existing partnership with job vacancy site Indeed.
Fulham have turned to data firm ClickHouse, Crystal Palace will display tech infrastructure firm Temporal’s branding, and newly-promoted Ipswich have replaced Ed Sheeran’s branding with Halo.
Airlines remain a small but high-profile presence, with Emirates extending its long-running deal with Arsenal in an arrangement that will see the Dubai carrier on the club’s shirts for over 20 years.
Etihad continues on Manchester City’s shirts, with both Emirates and Etihad deals also including stadium naming rights in London and Manchester respectively.
Newly-promoted Hull City have partnered with Corendon Airlines, a Turkish budget leisure carrier that aligns with the club’s Turkish owner, media mogul Acun Ilicali.
Leeds United feature Red Bull on their shirts following the energy drinks giant’s investment in the club, while Newcastle United carry drinks brand Knox in what remains a marginal sector for the division.
Visit Rwanda has moved from an Arsenal sleeve deal to a first front-of-shirt partnership with Aston Villa, while health brand Vitality has upgraded to front-of-shirt status in a move mirroring Brentford’s approach with Indeed.
Sunderland are reportedly finalising a deal with Visit Ghana, and Chelsea remain without a full-time shirt sponsor having trialled AI firm IFS last season.
Harvey Taylor, head of strategy and consulting at global sports and entertainment agency Mongoose, said that “sponsorship is becoming a bigger lever for competitive advantage, creating an opportunity to shift from asset-led to solution-led partnerships.”
Taylor added: “Sponsors can help fund content, improve matchdays, create access or support initiatives that clubs might otherwise struggle to deliver.”
He concluded: “Clubs that understand sponsorship as a strategic asset, rather than simply a revenue line, will have an advantage. Better partnerships can improve fan engagement, stronger engagement can increase commercial value, and that commercial strength can ultimately support competitiveness on the pitch.”