Spreadex, Sunderland AFC’s front-of-shirt sponsor, has committed to offering adult home shirts to supporters without its front-of-shirt branding.
The decision to allow fans to purchase 2024/25 adult home shirts without front-of-shirt branding comes after a series of collaborative discussions involving Spreadex, a UK-based financial trading and sports betting firm.
Spreadex, which has been the club’s principal partner since 2022, has stated that it recognises that for some people, gambling can become a problem. The firm added that it is committed to providing safe and responsible gambling within a regulated environment.
Gambling sponsorship in football is a hot topic at the moment, with the Premier League awaiting a self-imposed ban on gambling companies holding front-of-shirt sponsorships in the league starting from season 2026/27.
Although this ban will not affect Sunderland, there is certainly pressure on clubs across the UK to protect younger, more impressionable, fans.
Interestingly, many Premier League clubs have not taken the same cautious approach as Sunderland, with several announcing record-breaking sponsorships with companies in the gambling sector this year.
Recently, Wolverhampton Wanderers doubled down on gambling sponsorship. The club announced a deal with LeoVegas Group to make BetMGM UK the club’s official European betting partner.
This came just weeks after the club agreed a deal with DEBET to become Wolves’ new front-of-shirt sponsor, which was described as the “biggest in the club’s history”.
Andy MacKenzie, Head of Marketing at Spreadex, commented: “We have a fantastic relationship with the club and were only too happy to work on making some replica kits available to fans without our logo on the front. We appreciate some supporters may want the choice of having non-branded shirts to buy and are delighted to have been able to help make this happen.
“We look forward to continuing our support for the club and fans with this initiative and in growing the partnership with continued competitions and giveaways to supporters throughout the season.”
