Welcome to Insider Sport’s latest edition of the Partnership Playbook, where we bring you the details on some of the latest sports partnerships and sponsorships.
This week, Betway’s reported £20m partnership with Manchester United has reignited debate over football’s evolving betting sponsorship rules, while Alpine F1 has secured one of the most eye-catching deals with the fashion house of Gucci.
Elsewhere, the WNBA continues its commercial ascent with footwear giant Skechers joining its growing roster of partners, as diverse sponsors – from wealth management to prediction markets – seek new ways to connect with sports audiences.
Betway £20m kit deal with Manchester United draws conduct frenzy
It appears that the Premier League’s love affair with betting sponsorships will not be broken, but rather merely repositioned under a new code of conduct beginning in August 2026.
The observation follows the Daily Mail breaking the news that Betway has paid a record £20m to become the “training assets” sponsor of Manchester United in a reported multi-year collaboration.
The sponsorship has yet to be officially announced by either party, as Manchester United faces scrutiny over how it will position Betway next season under a new Premier League code of conduct in which betting brands cannot be directly visible to fans.
Cue a media circus pondering whether this will become the first point of intervention for English football’s new regulator… not Paul Ince, but David Kogan OBE.
Alpine F1 hits a new runway with Gucci
The most intriguing sponsorship of the week goes to French Formula 1 team Alpine F1, which has announced Gucci as its new title sponsor for next season.
High fashion will make its returns to the F1 paddock under the new guise of Gucci Alpine F1 Racing.
The partnership underscores the significance of title sponsorship in Formula 1, as Alpine offers Gucci a platform to build out its haute couture sportswear ambitions for F1 fans.
Attention will inevitably turn to the redesign of the Alpine car, in which the Gucci family would surely be shocked by the current plate of pink, black and blue… Che disastro!
Robinhood says bonjour to Ligue 1 with OGC Nice
Robinhood begins its European journey, not on the shores of North Yorkshire, but on the Côte d’Azur, announcing its first major football sponsorship with OGC Nice.
The $90bn Robinhood is expected to significantly amplify its European marketing efforts following the launch of its EU platform, offering cryptocurrencies and tokenised trading products through a financial services licence authorised by the Bank of Lithuania.
Nuvama backs local champion of T20 Mumbai
The India investment fund and wealth management firm Nuvama has stepped up to become principal sponsor of T20 Mumbai Leagues for all competitions and formats.
The deal aligns Nuvama with one of India’s leading talent pathways, supporting the development of the next generation of male and female cricket stars while extending the firm’s presence in the country’s most influential sporting market.
Entering its 5th season T20 Mumbai, has uncovered the talents Suryakumar Yadav, Team India current T20 captain and explosive batsmen of Shivam Dube and Prithvi Shaw. Nuvama stated that with its backing, Mumbai will become the stable of Indian cricket’s talent development.
Skechers laces up for WNBA growth
The WNBA has added Skechers to its expanding commercial portfolio through a new multi-year partnership, making the footwear giant an official league partner.
The agreement arrives as the WNBA celebrates its 30th season, with the league attracting unprecedented levels of sponsorship investment and audience engagement.
For Skechers, the partnership provides exposure to one of North America’s fastest-growing sports leagues, generating appeal with female Gen Z and millennial sports/fitness motivated audiences in the US.
In other news:
- A heatwave in England sees Newcastle United signed a multi-year partnership with Knox Hydration, that has been added as a principal partner of the Magpies 2026/2027 Premier League Season.
- Essex Cricket secured a sponsorship agreement with Sri Lanka’s City of Dreams and Cinnamon Hotels, to promote cricket fans to integrated resort experiences.
- Esports tournament organiser BLAST announced a partnership with prediction market platform Polymarket, marking the latter’s first major move into esports sponsorship and signalling the continued convergence of competitive gaming with alternative trading
