Not too long ago, a great portion of football teams and leagues across the globe were backed by gambling businesses. This was usually reflected in the design of the jerseys, and stadium decorations. Gradually, the regulations around sponsorship changed, and they are no longer as liberal when it comes to promoting certain products. To that end, let's talk about some popular trends and developments that shape and will shape the future of sponsorships in the Premier League. 

Kit Sponsorships

Kit sponsorship continues to be one of the more visible forms of deals in football. In the 2024 season alone, the Premier League teams are using the services of eight leading clothing brands:

Umbro: Bournemouth, Burnley, Brentford, Luton Town, West Ham UnitedAdidas: Fulham, Manchester United, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest

Nike: Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham HotspurCastore: Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Newcastle UnitedPuma: Manchester CityMacron: Crystal PalaceHummel: EvertonErreà: Sheffield United

Currently, Umbro is in the lead as it’s sponsoring 5 teams, which is two more than the last season. Runner-ups are Adidas and Nike, each sponsoring four Premier League teams. That being said it’s not all about the quantity. Manchester City's deal with Puma stands out from the rest since they have a 10-year partnership worth £650 million.

In addition to this, Manchester City had the most valuable shirt deal earning over £67.5 million annually in the 2022/23 season. This deal was with Etihad and was £20 million more worth than the Manchester United deal with the TeamViewer.

Clearly, these are extremely valuable deals that can help clubs sign up more talent to their roster. Often they even need to compete with one another for the same player, like in the case of Desire Doue. Therefore this trend will continue, as it’s integral for the teams.

Shirt Sponsorships

Shirt sponsorships are also a big deal in Premier League football. In 2024, the sponsors of the 20 PL groups represent 8 different sectors:

Gambling: 8 clubsFinancial Services: 5 clubsAirlines: 2 clubsEnergy: 1 clubE-commerce: 1 clubTechnology: 1 clubEntertainment: 1 clubSoftware: 1 club

Even though the Premier League announced a ban on gaming logos on the front of the player's shirts from the 2026/27 season, gaming is still their main source of income. 

Women Sports

Women's sports are gaining momentum, and they’ve successfully passed the 1 billion dollar benchmark. What’s more, one study found that 29% of players think more favorably of popular brands that support women's sports through their deals, compared to 17% for men's sports. Additionally, the £30 million deal between the Premier League and Barclays which extends to the Women's Super League, has a high awareness level with 21.6 million people aware of this partnership. 

There’s a good chance that more deals will be lined up in the future and continue this upward trajectory. As of 2023, 7 of the top-tier Deloitte Football Money League clubs negotiated for the shirt sponsors of the women's team separately. 

New Tech Giants Might Get Into Action

Tiktok’s recent announcement as an official partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB, might seem unrelated, but who’s to say they aren’t next in line to back one of the big teams? After all, this is a tech giant that can massively increase visibility for any team or any sport for that matter. 

Online casinos are another example of entertainment or tech giants who are frequently backing soccer teams. As stated advertising terms and principles of the Premier League have been adjusted, but gambling sponsors are still present. What’s more with exclusive deals they also get rights to feature celebrity athletes on their sites which helps them build relevance. 

Casinos and sportsbooks have also found new ways to make themselves more visible to the public. They rely more on providing high-quality service and embracing modern payment tech to become more relevant. One interesting development is the rise of fast withdrawal casino sites in Ireland, where bettors can wager on casino games, bet on sports, and withdraw their funds in no time. And those weren’t exactly possible back in the day.  

AR and VR

Technological advancements like AR and VR are also revolutionizing the sports sponsorship landscape. Major brands like Coors Light and Adidas have already leveraged AR in their sponsorships. Moreover, in 2024, the Premier League announced a 4-year partnership with Rezzil which is a Manchester-based VR software developer. This will develop a VR game that puts players directly on the pitch allowing them to experience Premier League in front of their eyes.