CMC Markets is the first reported company looking to take advantage of the incoming Premier League ban on front-of-shirt sponsorships of gambling firms by targeting deals with both Everton and Fulham.
Everton FC is reportedly on the verge of replacing front-of-shirt sponsor Stake with financial services group CMC Markets.
The Premier League club is in advanced negotiations with CMC, according to Sky News sources, for a front-of-shirt sponsorship agreement that could net Everton £50m across a three-year deal.
Contracts have yet to be finalised as Sky News notes other suitors have an interest in becoming Everton’s front-of-shirt sponsor for next season’s Premier League campaign. CMC are also interested in securing a sponsorship deal with Fulham FC too.
Deals with both Premier League clubs could still yet collapse as other suitors have monitored Everton and Fulham’s front-of-shirt sponsorship deals, with Stake and SBOBET respectively, as they both expire at the end of the current 2025/26 season.
However, the report detailed that one football insider believes CMC could come to an agreement with Everton and Fulham “within weeks”.
The insider also revealed CMC views both Premier League clubs as ideal sponsorship partners in a bid to boost its brand and increase its demographic in London (Fulham) and the North-West (Everton).
Insider Sport has reached out to Everton and Fulham for comment.
Who is CMC Markets?
CMC Markets was founded in 1989 by Lord Peter Cruddas, who was appointed by the House of Lords in the UK in 2021.
A London Stock Exchange-listed company, CMC is considered one of the first world retail foreign exchange trading platforms, expanding to provide financial technology infrastructure for companies, such as Revolut, providing platforms and liquidity to buy and sell financial instruments.
CMC offers spread betting in the UK and Ireland. This is derivative trading that allows users to speculate and effectively bet on the financial market movement if assets are expected to rise or fall in price. The spread is calculated by the broker’s offer and the seller’s bidding prices.
One of the company’s more recent offerings is CMC Invest. This offers users access to investment ISAs and SIPPs, as well as commission-free share dealing services, such as investing in stocks and ETFs without owning the underlying asset.
CMC is based in London but has several global offices in Madrid, Milan and Frankfurt in Europe, as well as Singapore, Sydney, Toronto and Dubai.
The potential front-of-shirt sponsorship deals with Everton and Fulham will not be CMC’s first foray into sports sponsorship.
CMC has been a long-term sponsor of the Super Rugby Pacific New Zealand team The Blues. The two organisations recently extended the sponsorship for another three years in August 2025.
CMC is also the presenting partner of the 2026 Team GB Alpine Championships team, as well as a partner of the Red Bull Hardline mountain biking team.
The Premier League’s global appeal would offer not only greater exposure for CMC across the UK, but across the other 187 countries the league is broadcasted in.
New gambling ban already taking an effect
As both Everton (Stake) and Fulham (SBOBET) both currently have gambling companies as their front-of-shirt sponsor, they will be removed from next season onwards as the gambling front-of-shirt ban comes into effect.
In April 2023, Premier League clubs voted to ban all front-of-shirt sponsors brandishing a gambling/betting firm. However, this does not extend to sleeve sponsorships.
There are currently eight Premier League clubs with a gambling front-of-shirt sponsor which have historically been one of the most consistent sponsors of football teams, often viewed as more lucrative in revenue and beneficial for both parties due to gambling companies offering betting services for Premier League fixtures.
With up to eight Premier League clubs in search of a new front-of-shirt sponsor this summer, albeit if they remain in the league next season, a void has been created for several industries to capitalise on.
With CMC’s interest in Everton and Fulham, financial services and fintechs may gain market share of Premier League front-of-shirt sponsorships. The UK has birthed two of the largest neobanks in the world, Revolut and Monzo, with both recently agreeing sponsorship deals with Manchester City and Coventry City, with the latter on course to gain promotion to the Premier League next season.
Speaking to Insider Sport, as part of a roundtable discussion with other industry leaders, Daniel Apostolos, Senior Account Director at The PHA Group, predicted fintech companies, as well as crypto firms, to take on the void left by gambling companies.
“Financial services, crypto, and blockchain companies have already made huge strides last season, 14 of 20 clubs had some form of crypto sponsorship,” he said.
“Travel, tourism, and hospitality brands, which had five sleeve partnerships last year, could also accelerate plans to become a dominant force.
