The Novelty of the 2017/2018 EPL Season
This change has been in the making for almost a year but now it’s a reality. From this season, football clubs in the English Premier League will be allowed extra advertising space to sell. This time it will be on their sleeve. The area which was used to be covered by the Premier League logo is now up for sale and can bring back up to £10m per team per year. But let’s have a look at how things were and the details of this new advertising regulation.
The Main Sponsor
Until last season, EPL teams were only allowed to place sponsor logos on the front and back of the jerseys and the back of the shorts as well as a single logo on each sock. The major sponsor area was at the front of the jerseys and was limited to 200 square centimetres with other areas being considerably smaller in size. Certain main jersey sponsors have made sure they’re the only ones advertising on those kits – we’ll see in a bit how that clashes with the new sleeve regulation. In any case, shirt sponsorship is a huge success – it has trebled in the last seven years.
The Sleeve Sponsor Permit
This season, there are a few changes including front sponsor area being increased with 25 per cent up to 250. Moreover, for the first time ever, teams can put sponsor logos on jersey sleeves. It’s really a trick up their sleeve, which at the same time decreases the influence of Premier League title sponsor, which for the last 15 years has been Barclays, and gives the clubs the chance to make more profit from jersey sponsorships. The essential change in the FA regulations for 2017/18 is an added part on Sponsor Designations, announcing that ‘One single area not exceeding 100 square centimetres on the sleeve of the shirt, between the shoulder seam and the elbow (provided Affiliated Association or Competition Rules so permit)’ is now permitted.
Premier League Teams with Deals
Long before the start of the season, teams began announcing their sleeve sponsors. It has been an exciting story to watch unfold – for fans and clubs alike that is still going on strong if not for other reason, at least for the fact that not all teams have secured deals yet. There were curious stories, such as Manchester United being in negotiations with dating app Tinder. We’ll now review some interesting cases, such as the first deal, the most lucrative one and the teams without sponsors.
The First Club
The first football club to announce their sleeve sponsor was Manchester City. Though there were rumours about other teams beating them to it and getting better paid, the blues from Manchester managed to be the first to complete their deal. They announced their sleeve sponsor – Nexen Tire of South Korea as early as mid-March, while other teams are still on the lookout for the right fit.
The Most Expensive Deal
Allegedly, the sleeve space is worth around 20 per cent of the main shirt deal. That means that Manchester United, for instance, could make up to £10m per year because the Red Devils receive annually £47m from Chevrolet to wear their logo on their jersey. Indeed, the winner of the sleeve sponsorship game at the moment receives an additional £10m a year from their sponsor. But the name’s not Man U, it’s Manchester City.
Teams That Can’t Have Sleeve Sponsors
About half the teams in the Premier League have already sold their sleeve space and many others plan to offer it as part of a package deal together with their main sponsor advertising spot. However, there are at least two teams which won’t be able to have a piece of the pie. Those teams will miss out on this opportunity for now because their main shirt sponsors insist on exclusive rights, which means that there can be no other company logos on the jerseys.
Mansion & AFC Bournemouth
Mansion and Bournemouth have been partners for a while now. Actually, since Bournemouth were promoted to the Premier League in 2015. Bournemouth have been doing surprisingly well in the premier division of English football, while Mansion have had an interest in football from the start.
Mansion’s Interest in Sports
Soon after their launch in 2004 and about the time they acquired Casino.com, Mansion signed their first football sponsorship deal – it was with Tottenham Hotspur FC. They stayed with the Londoners till 2010. Their second attempt at monetising the huge popularity of EPL was during the 2015/2016 season when they proudly adorned the jerseys of two Premier League teams. The first one was Crystal Palace FC and the other one was AFC Bournemouth.
Bournemouth in EPL
Why AFC Bournemouth? While many others focus on Liverpool and their Western Union sleeve sponsorship deal, we take a look at the relative newcomer to the Premier League. And there’s a good reason for that. Bournemouth play well. They have exceeded expectation in the first two seasons – they ended up 9th in the 2016/17 season – and though they have had only losses so far, the new season is just starting out. Moreover, they have teamed up with a reputable partner – Mansion Ltd. The main sponsor of AFC Bournemouth – the name you’ll see on the front of their jerseys – is M88, which is an online casino of Mansion. The football club from South England, nicknamed the Cherries, signed a two-year with M88 ahead of this season. And from so much talk about teams and so on, we are inspired and we want to show you the best sports betting sites in the UK.
