Industries tops front of shirt list despite no Premier League deal
Industries have overtaken consumer services as the chief sector for front of shirt sponsors in England’s top sports with automotive brands facing a new-found slump, according to new research released today.
Of the 225 clubs assessed – across men’s and women’s football, rugby union, rugby league and cricket – just under 15 per cent, or one in seven, saw industries on the front of shirt, and none of those are in the Premier League.
That is, though, an increase of 10 per cent on last year, according to the data collected by Caytoo.
Industries taking sporting lead
But in the coming years, as the Premier League looks to faze out gambling sponsors – which currently account for a third of club’s front of shirt advertisers – industry, or other key sectors, could see a further rise in representation.
Automotive deals account for just 7.7 per cent, with the likes of second hand car dealership Cazoo not renewing a number of deals, including in cricket.
Travel and Tourism saw the highest increase in front of shirt appearances – with four extra deals taking their total to a touch under 10 per cent – while John Pye Auctions tops the individual sponsor list, with the sales house sponsoring five clubs in and around Nottinghamshire.
“The overarching point is that a relatively unsexy sector like industrials being top of the pile is a surprise,” Alex Burmaster, Caytoo’s head of research and analysis, told Morning Wire
“The early days of the Premier League had household names as sponsors, and thing have changed in the last 30 years.
“Teams are looking for timing partners, tyre partners and an online delivery partner but no one is saying they need a construction partner or an industrials partner.
“They tend to be looking in the same places as everyone else.
“But there are lots of firms out there who could be a viable sponsor for many clubs.
“Industrials are big in front of shirt elsewhere but there isn’t one in the Premier League.”
Gambling is the most common sub-sector in football while manufacturing and engineering is the most common in cricket – rugby’s most common sub-sector is home and garden with 10.9 per cent compared to just 0.03 per cent in football and zero per cent in cricket.
Cinch is the only brand named in the top 10 who span football, rugby and cricket with their sponsorships of Crystal Palace, Northampton Saints and Northamptonshire CCC among others.
Dafabet, Huboo, Utilita, Emirates, Seat Unique, Uptonsteel, Kia and Knight Frank complete the top 10.
“It’s clear from the research that many sectors have work to do in terms of translating this lip service beyond signature global events down to domestic teams,” Burmaster added.