Sam Sundermeyer
In the modern world of football, a new competitor has emerged to become one of the dominating forces in the game. It is not team, nor a player, but the sponsors that are featured on the front of the jerseys, in the names of the stadiums, and anything else their name will fit on.
Many fans know some of the big ones that are out there: Samsung, Carlsberg, bwin.com, and Pirellli. These companies sponsor some of the biggest teams in England, Spain, and Italy, but what do they really do? What is the purpose for sponsors in football, and how have they affected the game over the years? Do they help the team, or does the team help them? It is time to find out.
The English F.A. and UEFA, along with many other foreign domestic leagues, had long resisted the appeal of sponsors, but when the 1980’s rolled around, their attitude changed. The first big case of sponsorship entering English football was in 1982, when the league officials paired up with the Milk Marketing Board to rename the English League Cup, the Milk Cup. Since then, competitions and leagues such as Ireland’s Premier League, Austria’s Bundesliga, and Italy’s Coppa Italia tournament have been sponsored as well.
The sponsorship of leagues often is not as much about money as it is about creating public awareness for a product or a cause. In 2006, English energy company E.ON signed a three year deal to become the new sponsor of the F.A. Cup, along with the F.A. Women’s Cup and Youth Cup. The main goal of this deal is to create environmental and energy awareness among football clubs and fans, while promoting the game worldwide. However, E.ON has recently come under heavy fire as it was discovered that the company has spent over £32 million on sponsoring the F.A. Cup, but only £4.4 million to decrease energy costs for their customers over 60.
Karl Brookes, a spokesperson from independent watchdog Energywatch, criticised E.ON by saying, “When people realise they spend considerably more on sponsoring this (The F.A. Cup) rather than warming the homes of some of their most vulnerable consumers, some might say it’s not brilliant marketing and even a bit of an own goal by E.ON." Other controversies involving sponsors have included the sponsorship of Rangers F.C. and Celtic F.C. by the alcoholic drink Carling, which is brewed by Coors. Youth Rangers and Celtic kits are now sold without the Carling logo, and there has been a movement to permanently ban alcohol based sponsors entirely from football. A few other teams currently sponsored by alcohol companies include Everton and Liverpool of the English Premier League.
Looking at the sponsorship of individual teams, the competition is fierce to say the least. In 2006, English football side Manchester United signed the richest per year sponsorship deal in U.K. history with American insurance agency AIG. The deal is valued at £14 million per year over four years, and has helped Manchester United acquire international stars such as Carlos Tevez, Anderson, and Nani. Since the signing of the deal, United have seen a return to form by winning the Premier League title in 2007, and reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League for the past two seasons. The overall richest deal in the Premier League belongs to Arsenal, who signed an eight year, £100 million deal with Dubai-based airline Emirates that began in 2006.
Not to be outdone, Italian side Juventus signed an international record five year €110 million sponsorship deal with Libyan-based oil company Tamoil in 2005. However, due to Juventus’ match fixing scandal during the 2005-2006 season, the deal was nullified, and in 2007, Juventus signed a three year, €33 million deal with Italian automobile company Fiat.
Over the years, sponsorship deals have gone beyond just putting the company name on the jersey. The aforementioned Arsenal deal also details that Arsenal’s home ground be named Emirates Stadium, and that the Emirates be referred to as the official airline of the team. Chelsea’s deal with Adidas states that in return for having Adidas products and marketing the London-based club’s kit, Adidas will pay Chelsea £12 million a year. Deals like this allow clubs to become “attached” to certain brands, like when electrical company Sharp sponsored Manchester United for 18 years from 1982 to 2000, forever establishing a link to the club.
Although they are rare, there are a handful of clubs that have never featured sponsors on their jersey. Spanish clubs Athletic de Bilbao and FC Barcelona are among these clubs, saying that their jerseys are “too sacred” to be corporately labeled. However in 2006, Barcelona penned one of the most unique sponsorship deals in football history with charity organization UNICEF. Barcelona agreed to feature the UNICEF logo on all of their jerseys, free of charge. This in effect makes Barcelona the sponsor to UNICEF, as the Spanish side is one of the most internationally exposed clubs with games televised all over the globe. The five year deal calls for UNICEF to be the exclusive jersey sponsor of the team, while Barcelona will donate €1.2 million a year to the international aid group.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta, commenting on the partnership, said, "It’s an historic agreement which shows the world that our club is more than just a club. It’s an initiative with soul. It means winning the ‘Champions League’ on a social level.
Other leagues, like MLS in America, formally banned individual team sponsorship for a number of years, but prior to the 2007 season, the league lifted the ban. Now eight of the league’s 14 teams are sponsored, but the league bans liquor and gambling based sponsors.
As the amount of sponsors in the world of football increase, so does the money. Over the past three seasons, the world’s richest club, Spain’s Real Madrid have seen their income increase over €76 million to €351 million at the end of the 2006/2007 season.
Many people believe that with this increase of money comes the decrease of competitive play worldwide. With scandals involving highly paid clubs such as Juventus, compared to the charitable, free sponsoring by Barcelona, it is still impossible to say whether sponsorship is having a positive or negative impact in football. However, one thing is for certain. The name on the front is not going anywhere anytime soon.
