Industrial brands grow their sporting presence

As Chelsea FC contemplates a shirt sponsorship offer from an adult website, new research from sponsorship intelligence firm caytoo shows that industrial brands are an increasingly common presence on the shirts of professional football, cricket and rugby teams in England.

What’s happening?

• Just days before the English Premier League season starts, Chelsea FC remains without a shirt sponsor; the asking price has dropped from £60m to £25m (including the women’s team) but an adult subscription website is offering £40m.
• Caytoo data show that Industrials account for 14.5% of front of shirt (FoS) sponsors (1 in every 7 deals) across 225 teams – that’s a 10% increase over the last year and a 60% increase over the last four years – overtaking Consumer Services (12.7%).
• Gambling remains a common sub-sector (9.1%), well ahead of Manufacturing/Engineering (6.8%).

Sporting differences

• Industrials is the most common sector overall as it also is in cricket and rugby. 
• In football, the Consumer Services predominates due to the Gambling sub-sector which accounts for 15.4% of football’s FoS sponsors (the highest share of any sub-sector among the three sports) compared to 4.9% in cricket and just 0.03% in rugby.
• Manufacturing/Engineering is the most common sub-sector in cricket (at 9.8%), compared to 9.1% in rugby and 3.8% in football. 
• Home/Garden retail is the most common sub-sector sponsor in rugby (10.9%) compared to 0.03% in football and none in cricket.

Why it matters

Over a third of Premier League teams continue to have a front of shirt gambling sponsor, suggesting that teams already being sponsored by gambling brands will carry on until they’re no longer legally allowed to. But Chelsea turned down a sponsorship offer from a gambling brand, since these will be banned from the 2026-27 season. 

Caytoo notes that the ban is not a factor in the 15% decline in the number of deals involving Consumer Services brands. Head of research and analysis Alex Burmaster adds: “We’re frequently asked to help find the likes of a watch, car or online delivery service sponsor but no one proactively asks for an Industrials firm. Who knows, this may change when gambling is off the table.”

Sourced from caytoo, talkSPORT