Chelsea kit sponsors for the past 20 years
Chelsea may have had massive investment from their owner Roman Abramovich since 2003 but they have many other sources of finances. There’s the seemingly increasing amounts of cash that comes their way via the sales of TV rights. Sponsorship deals are another way of increasing revenue and Chelsea have had many deals over the past 20 years.
Shirt and kit sponsorship are a key source of sponsorship revenue. The English Premier League is shown all over the world. That means sponsoring a kit or getting your name on a shirt is important to companies who want to spread awareness of their brand.
Between 1997 and 2001, Chelsea had a shirt sponsorship deal with Autoglass. They were followed by Fly Emirates, more at home with London rivals Arsenal these days. That deal lasted until 2005 when Samsung Mobile and then Samsung were the names on Chelsea’s shirts.
They parted ways in 2015 and were replaced by Yokohama Tyres. The two companies signed a five-year deal with Chelsea worth £200m. The final year of that deal has arrived, and negotiations have already begun over a possible extension. However, Chelsea are believed to also be looking for another deal just in case the one with Yokohama doesn’t continue.
The 2015 deal was the second biggest in the Premier League, only behind the sponsorship agreement Manchester United had with Chevrolet. United’s current deal with Chevrolet. With more and more viewers watching the Premier League, Chelsea may well feel that they are worth more than £40m a season.
In terms of kit sponsorship, Chelsea can attract the very best companies out there for lucrative sponsorship deals. Umbro were the sponsors from 1987 to 2006. When that deal ended, Adidas took over as kit sponsors. In 2010, this was extended in a deal that was worth £160m over eight years. Another £300m extension deal came in 2013 but in May 2016, it was announced the agreement would end by mutual agreement in June 2017.
The club agreed a new kit deal with Nike that began the following year. It’s worth £60m a season to Chelsea. 2017/18 saw sleeve sponsorship allowed in the Premier League. Chelsea quickly arranged a deal with the Hyundai Motor Company.
Away from the kit, shirt and sleeve, there are several other sponsorship deals at Stamford Bridge. A glance at the Partners page on the official Chelsea website shows they currently have deals with Beats by Dre, EA Sports, Carabao Energy Drink, Hublot, Levy Restaurants, Millennium Hotels, MSC Cruises, Singha and Vitality.
Chelsea also have a deal with Sure, listed as their official personal care partner. They have a betting partner too but that’s not going too well at present. 1xBet have been refused a license by the UK Gambling Commission so they may well be looking for a new partner to pump even more money into the club. This is a growing trend in the UK for bookmakers and casino operators to raise their profile and sponsor a Premier League team. Televised games draw in viewers from all over the globe and it is an ideal platform for casinos to get their name out there. This has seen an increase in the number of operators adding a casino to its Sportsbook, and with so much choice, it is always wise to look at a guide to online casinos in the uk.
With the Premier League continuing to grow in popularity, the future looks good for more and more sponsorship revenue.
