Football Shirt Sponsorship
Years ago, many of the top football clubs had shirts that were sponsored by drinks companies.
I’m just watching Manchester United and Everton on the television. United are sponsored by Aon, who are an insurance company, although they are a lot more than that! Everton on the other hand are sponsored by Chang, which is a beer company. To me, a brewer is someone who makes real ale, and I doubt that the Thai company who makes it observe the same principles as say Adnams or the Germans. I don’t think that you would call Chang a significant player in the UK drinks market. It’s certainly something that I as a coeliac couldn’t drink safely. The tie-up between Everton and Chang also has some interesting links to post-tsunami projects, so it could be seen as being benficial to both partners. It certainly doesn’t promote excessive drinking.
So are any other clubs in the English Premier League sponored by drinks companies. Carlsberg used to sponasor Liverpool and in fact the Premier League, but I don’t think they do anymore. Obviously, advertising at football in England doesn’t make sense to them now.
So who sponsor the shirts of the other teams? The complete list is here.
- Arsenal – Emirates – airline
- Aston Villa – FxPro – financial trading
- Birmingham – F & C Investments – finance
- Blackburn Rovers – Crown Paints – paint
- Blackpool – Wonga – finance
- Bolton – 188Bet – gambling
- Chelsea – Samsung – electronics
- Everton – Chang – alcoholic beverages
- Fulham – FxPro – financial trading
- Liverpool – Standard Chartered – finance
- Manchester City – Etihad – airline
- Manchester United – AON – finance
- Newcastle United – Northern Rock – finance
- Stoke City – Britannia Building Society – finance
- Sunderland – Tombola – gambling
- Tottenham Hotspur – Autonomy – technology and Investec – finance
- West Bromwich Albion – Homeserve – emergency repair experts
- West Ham – SBOBET – gambling
- Wigan Athletic – 188Bet – gambling
- Wolverhampton Wanderers – Sportingbet – gambling
If you look at many of these companies, it is unlikely I would ever deal with them. Perhaps the only ones I might use are the airlines and perhaps one or two of the finance companies. As to the betting companies, I wouldn’t use any as if I have a bet it’s on Betfair. But the only company, which anyone could possibly have any serious objection to is Wonga, which is a very high interest rate lender, that I would never touch with a bargepole. Unless of course, they were to pay me serious money for consultancy, which is unlikely.
With the exception of Everton and their deal with Chang, there are no sponsorships from alcoholic beverage companies. I think this is a good thing.
Surely though, the sponsorship of Stoke City by the Britannia Building Society is the most interesting, in that no-one can have objection to a well-run building society can they? Especially, as it is one of the longest running deals in English football.
When it comes to the nPower Championship, I can’t remember seeing a drinks company on a shirt this season.
So what about the Scottish Premier League
- Aberdeen – Team Recruitment – recruitment
- Celtic – Tennents – alcoholic beverages
- Dundee United – Calor – energy
- Hamilto – Reid Furniture – furniture
- Hearts – UKIO – finance
- Hibernian – Crabbie’s – alcoholic beverages
- Inverness – Orion Group – recruitment
- Kilmarknock – Verve – motor dealer
- Motherwell – Commsworld – communications
- Rangers – Tennetts – alcoholic beverages
- St. Johnstone – Taylor Wimpey – house builder
- St. Mirren – Carbrini – sportswear
One or two of these might have changed, but two stand out. Both Glasgow teams are sponsored by the same alcohol company.
Surely with their history of alcohol-fuelled violence at the matches and domestic violence afterwards, this is a very good idea.
Especially, as alcohol can’t be advertised on television and all Old Firm matches are televised.
In fact, I would support a total ban of the shirt sponsorship by alcohol companies throughout Europe.
The Anonymous Widower 
I certainly object to Wonga, and not only as shirt sponsorship, the whole concept of pay day loans at crazy interest rates, my daughter says one or two her friends use it most months to stretch their money and dont seem to realise it is an expensive way of borrowing.
I personally object to all advertising of gambling in any from. The shirt sponsorship doesnt actually bother me as much as the TV advertising and ads in women’s magazines, since I am not sure anyone actually pays attention to shirt sponsorship. There are a lot of women gambling now with online poker and some of the online bingo as well who have never gambled before, and who are gambling large sums of money. If they went to Gala or similar, they would take the money they could afford to spend and when it was gone it would be gone, but online they just keep playing. Gambling is insidious. I know peoples whose lives have been wrecked their own or someone elses uncontrollable gambling. But the government are pushing it IMHO so they get the revenue they were getting from tobacco from gambling tax instead!
Sorry – rant over. I am just really anti-gambling.
Comment by liz | April 23, 2011 |
Gambling has its place. Unfortunately, on-line poker, casinos and fruit machines aren’t it. One of C’s last cases was a divorce where she acted for then husband of a woman who’d gambled away £250,000 on on-line fruit machines. Luckily it was her money from a business she’d sold or something like that, so he got custody of the kids and the house. When he heard C had died, I got a card from him, expressing sympathy and thanks to C. Luckily his wife’s debts, were mainly to credit card companies and I don’t think he had to contribute.
Years ago, one of my sons was rather bored, so he thought he’d play some on-line oker with money he could afford to lose. The trouble was it was an offshore company and he had more than doubled his money. It took him about six months to get the money paid into his bank account.
So even if you win, it could be the start of your troubles.
My last bet was £4 on Pamela Stephenson and that nearly came in 50-1, as I reported here. But then I’m old enough to have seen her dance on stage and TV in the 1970s.
That probably illustrates Rule One of gambling and that is only ever bet when you know the market and you think that bookies have got the odds far too high.
On my shelf above my books is a framed betting slip where I put £10 each way on Terimon to win the Derby in 1989 at odds of 500-1. It paid me a return of £1010 as he came second.
But then I’d seen the last bit of work done by the horse before the race.
Knowledge is everything!
Comment by AnonW | April 23, 2011 |
As you say, knowledge is everything. Compulsive gamblers are more likely to choose a horse with very long odds but only three legs and put every cent they have on it. When my girls were little I used to take them on the 2p cascades at the bowling alley, with usually about 20p worth of 2p coins. After a few visits they realised that winnings were negated if they just put them back in the machine, and then they realised they could buy something nice with the 20p. I am glad I did because the younger daughter went on holiday with a friend’s in her early teens and the friend spent all her time in the arcades. H already knew it was a waste of money, and went and sat on the beach instead.
Comment by liz | April 23, 2011 |
The two Glasgow clubs always sign a joint shirt sponsorship deal as the boycott by the other team’s supporters would have a huge effect on sales within the city (and beyond).
One thing I have noticed more is that children’s replica shirts are being produced without sponsorship nowadays. I noticed this with Forest who are sponsored by Victor Chandler.
Just out of interest, what does Marcus Evans Group do?
Comment by YellowBlood | April 24, 2011 |
I think it is right that children’s shirts don’t have sponsorship on them, although I believe some like West Ham’s advertise an appropriate charity.
Marcus Evans organise corporate hospitality, seminars and events, amongst other things. According to Wikipedia, he got into corporate hospitality early at a good time.
I still think though that alcohol and gambling should be restricted in shirt sponsorship, especially, when they are perhaps banned in other media.
Comment by AnonW | April 24, 2011 |