A STORM IS COMING: WHY FOOTBALL SPONSORSHIP IS AT A TURNING POINT
By Adam Raincock
The 1984 film The Terminator ends with Sarah Connor being told ‘There’s a Storm Coming’. The line is a poetic foreshadowing of what lies ahead and her response is simple ‘I know’.
Fast-forward to 2025, and you could replace Sarah Connor with any Premier League Commercial Director. The same warning applies - there’s a sponsorship storm coming.
That storm takes the form of the front-of-shirt betting sponsorship ban, due to take effect from the start of the 2026/27 season.
Right now, 11 Premier League clubs feature betting brands on their shirts, with a combined annual value estimated in the tens of millions. Like any real storm, those hit hardest will be the ones under resourced and under prepared.
This isn’t a cautionary tale for the big clubs with long-term, blue-chip partners - most of them will weather it comfortably.
Tottenham and Chelsea are the exceptions: Chelsea have struggled to find a sponsor that matches their valuation, while Tottenham’s have announced that AIA will move to training-ground rights from 2027/28. Expect Spurs to double down on their Asia-Pacific strategy and look towards the high-growth tech stocks on the Hang Seng or KOSPI before the Son Heung-min glow fades.
The real challenge lies further down the table, where a seven-figure hole will soon appear on the balance sheet, and where the scramble to find new partners is already underway.
THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM
Despite what’s coming, optimism across the rights-holder landscape remains high. A recent report from PTI Digital found that 54% of UK rights holders expect major revenue increases over the next five years. Confidence, it seems, is not in short supply.
But confidence alone won’t fill a shirt.
We’re approaching 250 days until the ban - and clubs without a plan risk unveiling a fan-pleasing but revenue-squeezing blank shirt next season.
What’s certain is that we’re moving into a buyer’s market. Brands will have more options, and clubs will need to be sharper, more creative, and more commercially agile than ever before to avoid a race to the bottom on price.
At The Space Between, we don’t sell sponsorships - but we do advise a lot of brands on what to sponsor, when to do it, and how to use sponsorship most effectively.
Our advice to clubs is simple: Prospect like a stock picker. Convert like a marketeer.
Finding new sponsors isn’t about luck - it’s about pattern recognition. The signals are out there; you just need to know where to look. Below are some of the signals to look out for. There’s a caveat here - not all Premier League clubs are created equal. The further down the table you go, the less likely it is that your shirt carries premium value, so any analysis needs to be filtered accordingly.
1.High-Growth Companies
The IMF recently predicted that Africa will have the most economies with at least 6% growth in the next year and the Premier League is the most popular league with an estimated 54%* of the population following the league.
Then you need to overlay high growth sectors onto this – renewables, healthcare, data infrastructure all feature highly on any list but you need to dig further for which companies are leading this growth. The Premier League remains one of the fastest routes to build global awareness.
2. Major Expansion
Whether it’s a new market, a new C-suite appointment (e.g.Head of Global Expansion), or an acquisition, expansion activity signals that a business is about to invest in growth - and therefore, marketing. Keep a close eye on business news for these moves. An example of this is Nium, the global payments company, who have recently recruited a Global Head of Market Expansion and know the power of sponsorship, via their ICC cricket partnership.
3. Stock Market Flotations
Companies preparing to float often use sponsorships to build awareness, legitimacy, and investor confidence. It’s a proven tactic for driving valuation and trust ahead of IPOs. We’re working with one such business right now - and this approach is becoming increasingly common. Visma is expected to be the biggest IPO in London in 2026 and they already have a cycling sponsorship – both of which are signals.
4. Sponsorship Trends
According to Caytoo, a sponsorship intelligence company, the fastest-growing sponsor categories are IT services, manufacturing and engineering, specialist professional services, and health services. You don’t need to chase the same sectors as everyone else, but you should understand where the momentum is moving.
CONVERTING THE PIPELINE
Once you’ve identified potential partners, conversion depends on insight, empathy, and creativity - the same ingredients that drive effective marketing.
1. Values Fit
This goes beyond demographics and reach. What values define the brand, and how does your club embody those?
One of the trickier challenges in the coming year will be reconciling the premium perception of the Premier League with the realities of certain clubs’ brand positioning. Swapping a gambling sponsor for a purpose-driven partner isn’t just a change of logo.
2.Solve Their Problems
To sell a sponsorship, you must first understand what problem it can solve. That means thinking like a marketeer, not a Commercial Director. What keeps that business awake at night? Are they trying to build trust in a new category, stand out in a crowded market, or reach audiences they can’t find elsewhere?
If you read a CMO interview where they mention trust, credibility, or connection, take note - those are the cues that sponsorship can deliver against. It’s one of the few marketing channels that can deliver emotion, community, and credibility all at once.
3. Go Digital First
73% of global advertising spend is now digital, and football fans spend far more time consuming football content than football matches.
Clubs that can show how their sponsorships extend beyond the stadium - into social, content, influencer, and fan ecosystems - will win. Brands want reach, data, and engagement, not just perimeter boards.
If that sounds daunting, you’re not alone - which is why we’ve built Cascade, a new tool that helps clubs and brands reach larger digital audiences with smarter creative. Because sponsorship without digital amplification is like building a cathedral in the desert.
Where to Focus Next
So where should clubs be looking?
The smart money will go after brands that:
• Operate in high-growth sectors or markets
• Have ambitious international expansion plans
• Share the same values and purpose as the club
• Face a business or brand challenge that sponsorship can genuinely help solve
When the Clouds Clear
The coming months will define how clubs adapt to one of the biggest commercial shifts in football sponsorship.
When the storm hits, some shirts will be empty, some will be undervalued, and a few will be stronger than ever.
*Global Web Index