Football club shirts are the premium spot for marketing in England. The Premier League is the biggest national league in the world, boast an audience that spans across 634 million homes. There is not an Englishman around who is not aware of what teams are playing in the League, even if they don’t watch the games themselves.
Brands have naturally taken advantage of the League’s popularity in their own way. They have entered into deals with many of the most well-known clubs from the EPL. Football clubs in the country now proudly display their marketer’s logo on the front of their shirts or on their home turf arena. But most brands know that the shirt’s front is what it is all about.
Online Sportsbooks on the Front
The growing success of the sports betting industry is deeply tied to football. The sport does have four billion fans around the world after all. England claims to be the country that codified the modern rules for the game that we all know and love today. The country has a huge percentage of football fans because of that. There is a lot of betting enthusiasts that come from England because of these reasons. Those factors have set the ground work for a successful collaboration between clubs and sportsbooks.
The last two years have been especially good for the relationship between online bookmakers and football clubs. We can understand the reason for this recent spike. Sports gambling websites like Neobet are quickly overtaking land-based betting shops. There is a lot of benefits to working with these platforms in the modern era. Sports clubs in England may agree, as eight of the twenty EPL teams partnered with a sportsbook last year.
The number went up in the current year if you can believe. Right now there are eleven clubs that display a sports betting brand on the front of the shirt. That means that over half of the players in the league are now wearing a piece of clothing that promotes a sports betting platform. Clearly there is a profitable relationship to speak of. But it unfortunately seems that the relationship will not last into next year. The EPL is enforcing a self-imposed ban on front of shirt marketing when it comes to online sportsbooks starting with early January.
Brands May Follow the Example
The domination of the iGaming market in English football shirt sponsorships may be curbed next year. The self-imposed ban was initially thought of two years ago. But it won’t be until January 2026 that it goes into effect. The clubs in the English Premier League have had ample time to step into business with alternative brands that they may display on their chests proudly. It does not surprise us to learn that many companies are jumping at the opportunity to craft a deal with some of the most famous clubs in the world.
Arsenal has perhaps the most well-known club/brand collaboration. The London-based team has carried the Emirates Airline name and logo on their chest for years now. It may surprise some that an airline company would be interested in football sponsorships. But considering that untold thousands of people travel to see Arsenal play every year, the collaboration makes perfect sense. The same could apply to Manchester City’s partnership with Etihad Airlines.
Food and bevarege companies have also seen a lot of success in the English Premier League. Beer sponsorships dominated the late 20th century English Premier League. It wasn’t until recently that beer companies lost the sponsorship war to the gambling sector. But there is a strong possibility that we see a comeback next year. That is unless energy drinks don’t take their spot instead. Red Bull is the biggest sponsor in football from the beverages category right now after all.
Ideas that we May See in The Future
What would the future of shirt sponsorships look like in the UK? There have been a few ideas floating around the web, mostly thought of by amateur marketers. A rather popular concept is the idea that companies can share shirt space. The thought seems to be a triple win. Both companies would get a lot of attention and the clubs that they work with would get funding from both sides. But it doesn’t seem like such an arrangement would ever take place. Most companies would be reticent about sharing space with competitors or unaffiliated brands.
There will almost certainly be an increase in collaboration with American brands as well. There is a lot to be said about the American sports and gambling industry. But one thing that is indisputable is that the Premier League is growing in popularity in the country. Americans have historically not been too fond of football. But the recent triumphs of the FIFA World Cup have spurred many of England’s neighbors across the pond to give the sport a chance. They love it as it turns out, so it is only a matter of time before American brands turn to the EPL for collaboration.
Final Thoughts on the Subject
Shirt sponsorship has played a significant role in the history of the Premier League and in football in general. But the domination of online sports betting apps has led many to reassess how the industry should handle this surge in popularity. New laws and restrictions have been put into place to curb the rise of iGaming sponsors. The Premier League for their part has stated that they will do all in their power to promote a safe and responsible approach to football betting.
But this does leave many football clubs without a shirt partner. Where they look to from here on may define future trends in football-oriented marketing. It would not be difficult to imagine some of the top sports teams turning to the world of energy drinks. A lot of these caffeine-powered beverages have attained sports-based team ups before after all. We may see the logo of Monster Energy grace the shirts of some of our favorite players in the years to come.
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