English football club Leeds United revealed that it has entered a multi-year partnership agreement with the gambling company SBOTOP. The sports betting brand is set to become the main sponsor of the club, with its logo set to be featured on the front of the club’s shirt as of the beginning of the 2020/2021 season.
The sponsorship deal signed with SBOTOP has been the biggest commercial deal in the history of Leeds United. The football club’s Executive Director, Paul Bell, described the partnership as a landmark deal for the commercial strategy of Leeds United, as it has managed to attract new global brands to its official partners programme.
SBOTOP, which operates as part of the Celton Manx Group, is a reputable brand across the global gambling sector. Mr Bell has confirmed that the football club had been discussing the partnership with Bill Mummery and his SBOTOP/Celton Manx team for a while, as the parties were considering various strategies to work together. Mr Bell also shared that he remained very impressed with the betting company’s experience and proactive thinking so that it collaborates with the club in the best way possible.
As Leeds United’s Executive Director reminded, now that the club had managed to return to the English Premier League (EPL), the football club was placed in a position to work with its official shirt sponsor on a global scale as both partners were pursuing their goals.
Length and Value of the SBOTOP Sponsorship Deal Remain Undisclosed
For the time being, neither one of the parties has disclosed the value or the length of the agreement.
The sponsorship agreement with the English Premier League club was confirmed by the Executive Director of SBOTOP/Celton Manx, Bill Mummery, who shared the company’s satisfaction with the newly-inked agreement with Leeds United.
The betting operator has already worked in collaboration with the Premier League, and now its partnership with Leeds United has been a strategic step that allows the company to work closely with the professional football club that is entering into a new phase of their history after getting back to the EPL.
As revealed by Leeds United, the logo of SBOTOP is to be displayed on the front of the football club’s new kit that is expected to be officially unveiled later in August. The betting club’s logo is to appear as a sponsor on the official training wear of the EPL club.
After getting back to the English Premier League after 16 years, Leeds United have also confirmed that their new kits will be supplied by Adidas as of the 2020/2021 season, following a 5-year record-breaking deal.
The sponsorship deal between Leeds United and SBOTOP has come at a time when the presence of gambling companies as partners of professional sports clubs, and football clubs, in particular, has been criticised by some. Anti-gambling campaigners have been claiming that such sponsorship agreements are only normalising gambling on professional sports, which, according to them, pushes many sports fans to uncontrollable gambling addiction that could literally ruin their lives.
- Author
Daniel Williams
