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Premier League clubs agree to remove gambling partners from front of shirts

18 of the 20 current Premier League clubs have agreed to withdraw gambling sponsorship from the front of their club’s matchday shirts. The other 2 clubs are abstaining on the decision. This agreement makes the Premier League the first professional sports league in the UK to take such a measure voluntarily in order to reduce gambling advertising.

The agreement is not that obvious as it seems. Currently, a lot of Premier League teams play with gambling companies visible on the front of their matchday shirts. Teams like Bournemouth, Brentford, Everton, Fulham and West Ham will have to find new front shirt sponsorship deals before the end of the 2025/2026 season.

It is said that the Premier League clubs agreed to ban gambling sponsorship on the front of their matchday shirts to avoid government legislation. With this voluntarily agreed deal, clubs will still have the opportunity to put gambling sponsorships on their sleeves.

Mid-to-lower tier Premier League clubs expect the value of their main shirt partnerships to drop by between 33% and 50% after the agreed ban. Although they believe that much of the lost revenue will be recouped by a more than doubling of shirt sleeve sponsorship revenue. 

With this restriction, the Premier League follows, voluntarily, in the footsteps of the Serie A, La Liga, Eredivisie and the Pro League.

Sources: SportsProMedia, Premier League, Pixabay