55% of PL clubs with a shirt gambling sponsor for 24/25... How Greedy 😢
Another gambling obsessed season awaits... what lessons can the Premier League can take from Wimbledon and Forest Green Rovers FC? 🎾🌳🤔
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The 2024/25 season is upon us. 11 out of 20 teams will have a gambling front-of-shirt (FoS) sponsor. The long-awaited front-of-shirt gambling ban kicks into play from the 26/27 season. But before it does, clubs are cashing in for The Last Dance.
Even with the ban, gambling brands will still be able to feature via shirt sleeve and LED board assets. The gambling brands lose FoS inventory. But I’d assume they focus on increasing spending on LED mins and sleeve assets post-26/27.
This exposure gambling brands receive in the Premier League is problematic. It normalises gambling for children. It impacts the poorest communities. Also has detrimental effects on players.
Is it valid for clubs to claim Gen Z/Gen Alpha are hard to reach? Clubs biggest sponsorship assets belong to brands who can’t engage these demographics. YouTube content activations with players and betting brands have to be age restricted. Further restricting a young fan’s engagement with their club.
The double standards are also mad. Clubs are taking millions in sponsorship from gambling brands. Promoting gambling across their assets to influence audiences. But once a player is influenced enough to go and place a bet, they’re vilified.
I digress, the influx of gambling deals screams short-termism. Clubs realise unknown gambling brands need exposure for validation. These brands are willing to pay big money for last minute over-inflated valuations.
Aside from the gambling greed, some clubs also have too many sponsors. Making it almost impossible to serve and activate these sponsors well. Naturally this leads to a few disgruntled brands at the end of the season. By which point they only have a media value report and a poorly planned activation to show for their investment.
This week’s insight inspired by The Long Play’s video on Wimbledon. Shoutout Jordan Macauley. 👑 The video looks at the business of Wimbledon and why it is number 1 for revenue compared to it’s grand slam peers.
As Jordan states, Wimbledon’s clean-cut image is by design. Compare this with the likes of the Australian Open and the US Open. KIA and J.P. Morgan logos are hard to miss. In contrast, Wimbledon’s sponsors are limited in number and on-court exposure.
In a letter to Forbes, Mick Desmond the Wimbledon Commercial Director, stated:
“…the consideration we give to limiting the number of partners to ensure we are able to maximise each relationship on its own terms.
Our objective, therefore, is not to maximise revenue in the short term, but to build relationships for the long-term that will future-proof the championships and our partners for years to come”
Wimbledon are committed to sacrificing short-term financial gains to maintain long-term values. Now imagine if more Premier League clubs adopted this approach…
Although Wimbledon and the Premier League are different products serving different demographics. There are examples to prove this focus on long-term values is profitable in football as well.
Forest Green Rovers FC are one of these clubs. In 2010 Dale Vince, a green energy industrialist, invested in the club. Then set about making sustainability a long-term focus.
The club became the world’s first vegan club. In 2018 they became the first football club in the world to be carbon neutral. And in 2020, Hector Bellerin also became the 2nd largest share-holder in the club. A natural fit in values between player and club.
Since embarking on this journey of sustainability, the club has had clarity in its values. The club are an attractive proposition for brands aligned in their sustainable approach. Partners include the likes of Oatly and Quorn.
Whilst the club haven’t been as successful on-pitch in recent times. The long-term focus on sustainability allowed partnership revenue to grow fivefold in three years. Which is an impressive feat for any team in the lower tiers of the English football pyramid.
Now back to the Premier League. I hope the incoming FoS gambling ban in 25/26 prompts more clubs to focus on a message thats important to them.
One that allows them to align themselves with long-term and intentional brand relationships. To tell stories the next generation of fans want.
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