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 is headlined by Gareth Bale‘s move towards football club ownership through a new investment fund backed by Juggernaut Capital, alongside a wave of new DFB-Pokal media rights deals led by ESPN in Brazil.
In other deals, beIN Sports has tightened its grip on tennis in the Middle East and North Africa with a renewed Wimbledon agreement, while Manchester United has named Elevate as its first official hospitality partner.
Bale forms sports fund with eye on club ownership
Gareth Bale has formed a sports investment fund with American private equity firm Juggernaut Capital, reiterating his ambition to buy a football club.
The fund plans to invest in teams and leagues across both men’s and women’s sport, giving the former Real Madrid and Wales forward a vehicle to pursue ownership after a takeover attempt stalled last year.
Bale was frustrated last summer when Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan rejected an offer from the investment group he was working with to take control of his hometown club. He has not ruled out a fresh approach.
Bale, who won 111 caps for Wales and retired in January 2023, has watched Cardiff win promotion to the English Football League (EFL) Championship under head coach Brian Barry-Murphy since his initial interest in the club a year ago.
DFB-Pokal lands global rights wave led by ESPN Brazil
The German Football Association (DFB) has agreed a fresh batch of international broadcast deals for the DFB-Pokal, headlined by an exclusive four-year contract with ESPN in Brazil.
The agreements continue the governing body’s shift to selling the cup’s overseas rights in-house for the cycle beginning in 2026-27, having earlier signed a quartet of four-year European deals and a series of shorter-term agreements across other markets.
The move gives the DFB direct control over how its premier knockout competition is distributed abroad.
The ESPN deal hands the Disney-owned broadcaster the rights in one of world football’s largest markets, adding the German Cup to a Brazilian portfolio that already spans a wide range of European league and cup competitions.
The DFB-Pokal is Germany’s leading domestic knockout tournament, contested by 64 teams and widely regarded as the second-most prestigious club prize after the Bundesliga title.
beIN Sports renews Wimbledon rights across MENA
Pay-TV broadcaster beIN Sports has renewed its exclusive agreement to show the Wimbledon Championships across the Middle East and North Africa, with the deal running until the end of the decade.
The renewal keeps the grass-court Grand Slam on beIN’s networks across the MENA region, where the Qatar-based broadcaster has long positioned itself as the “home of tennis”. It strengthens a portfolio that already takes in the ATP Tour, the Australian Open and the French Open in the region, reinforcing beIN’s hold on the sport’s calendar.
The agreement lands days before the 2026 Championships, which run from 29 June to 12 July at the All England Club.
Man Utd names Elevate as first official hospitality partner
Manchester United has appointed its first-ever official hospitality partner, agreeing a deal with the Elevate agency.
The partnership comes as more major clubs place impetus on premium matchday revenue, with hospitality increasingly treated as a standalone commercial category rather than an add-on to general ticketing.
Set to begin in the 2026/27 season, the tie-up lets supporters tailor their matchday, choosing between fine dining, a pub-style setting, an in-venue experience at Old Trafford or a pre-match restaurant in the city centre, alongside extras such as stadium tours, on-pitch photos and Q&As with club legends.
Packages go on sale on 19 June, following the Premier League fixture release. The agreement builds on Elevate’s existing role steering United’s premium hospitality strategy and forms part of a wider matchday overhaul that also saw Levy appointed as the club’s catering partner earlier this year.
Michigan State strikes Big Ten’s first jersey patch deal
Michigan State University‘s agreement with MSU Federal Credit Union is the first jersey patch sponsorship struck by a member of the Big Ten Conference.
The deal marks another step in the commercialisation of US college sport, with patch sponsorships – long established in American professional leagues – now reaching one of college football’s most prominent conferences.
The 10-year agreement covers all 23 of the university’s men’s and women’s varsity teams, with the credit union’s logo also appearing on practice kit and the bumper of the Spartans’ football helmets from the 2026-27 season.
Reported to be worth around $40m in total, it ties Michigan State to an institution founded on its campus in 1937 and now serving more than 400,000 members – a partner the athletic department framed as already woven into the university’s history.
In other news:
- Home Depot is activating heavily around the FIFA World Cup as the tournament’s first Official Home Improvement Retail Supporter, fronting a “Beckham’s Backyard” fan experience built by agency Octagon.
- Newcastle United is poised to announce Knox Hydration as its new front-of-shirt sponsor, having lost main sponsor Sela Entertainment.
- Electronic Arts (EA) has launched an internal division, EA Advertising, to integrate brands directly into gameplay and live experiences across its global games portfolio.
- Saudi Arabia has stepped up plans to stage ATP and WTA events, with a new tennis complex earmarked within the Qiddiya City project.
