Premier League shirts will feature a new look this season after clubs voted to ban gambling companies from front-of-shirt sponsorship. This decision comes 20 years after gambling companies were first permitted to display their logos on jerseys.
For the past two seasons, 11 of the 20 Premier League clubs had betting firms, including online bookmakers and crypto casinos, as their main shirt sponsors. The ban has led eight clubs to seek new sponsors this summer, with Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, and Chelsea reportedly still searching.
Professor Kieran Maguire of football finance at the University of Liverpool suggested that clubs' higher expectations for commercial deals and the reduced supply of sponsors due to the ban could be factors. Chelsea, for instance, is seeking a long-term deal that reflects their status as Fifa Club World Cup champions.
Technology and AI companies are emerging as new sponsors, with Crystal Palace and Fulham switching to Temporal and ClickHouse respectively. Finance is currently the leading sector, sponsoring five of the 17 teams, including Everton's deal with CMC Markets. Other clubs have secured deals with companies in insurance, tourism, and recruitment.