Welcome to Insider Sport’s latest edition of the Partnership Playbook, where we bring you details on the latest sports partnerships and sponsorships.
Manchester City can breathe a sigh of relief. Despite being found guilty on 114 of the 115 charges brought against the club, I’ve decided to leave the news out of this week’s Partnership Playbook.
Partly because Insider Sport has already covered the story and continues to do so, and partly because I wouldn’t have the word count.
This week’s edition looks at Premier League clubs and the money still flowing into sponsorship, before WWE adds Bleacher Report to its content mix.
We also look at LeBron James’ early commercial impact at the Philadelphia 76ers, with Bloom Energy taking over the team’s jersey patch, as well as how the WSL is turning growing attendances into a commercial opportunity with Tesco.
Elsewhere, Brooklyn Nets have brought Alibaba on board to put some technology into their 60th anniversary season, Newcastle United has welcomed Coca-Cola, Chelsea has expanded its relationship with Topps, and Motorola has named three women’s footballers as brand ambassadors ahead of the 2027 World Cup.
Premier League shirt deals shrug off gambling ban
The Premier League’s decision to remove gambling brands from the front of shirts hasn’t stopped sponsorship revenues from growing, according to data from Ampere Analysis.
Front-of-shirt sponsorship revenue has risen 8% to £444m for the 2026/27 season, with eight clubs replacing gambling deals worth £67m with agreements worth £75m.
The data suggests the market has found plenty of alternative buyers, although the growth isn’t evenly distributed. The Premier League’s Big Six – Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool – account for £46m of the league-wide increase.
The more interesting part of the data, however, is what happened to gambling. Spending across all sponsorship assets has fallen by £92m, but betting brands have moved onto training kits and sleeves, where their share of spending has jumped significantly.
Many sponsorship professionals, ahead of the 2026/27 season, discussed and theorised about the impact the voluntary front-of-shirt gambling ban would have on clubs’ revenues, with many correctly predicting that companies would switch to other assets.
However, teams may face more challenges in the coming months, as the government has proposed banning sponsorship and advertising by gambling operators without a UK Gambling Commission licence, with August 2027 identified as a preferred start date.
WWE adds Bleacher Report to its content mix
WWE has expanded its media footprint through a new multi-year partnership with Bleacher Report, giving the sports platform global highlight rights across the wrestling company’s programming.
The agreement covers Raw, SmackDown, NXT and premium live events including WrestleMania, with content distributed across Bleacher Report, House of Highlights and B/R Wrestling, as well as their associated social channels.
The deal adds WWE to B/R’s growing list of sports properties, which includes the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and NCAA, while handing the platform the keys to one of sports’ most active online fanbases.
B/R General Manager Bennett Spector said WWE fans “analyse every detail and debate the sport all week long”, highlighting the appeal of a property that can generate conversation well after the event has concluded.
The partnership will also see B/R and House of Highlights teams attend selected WWE premium live events to create original and behind-the-scenes content with wrestlers.
“Bleacher Report has long been at the intersection of sports and culture,” said Alex Varga, EVP, WWE. “Our partnership with B/R reinforces WWE’s commitment to bringing our content to a global audience.”
LeBron James adds fuel to 76ers’ commercial push
LeBron James has already made an impact on the Philadelphia 76ers’ commercial business, with the NBA team agreeing to a jersey partnership with Bloom Energy.
Bloom replaces Crypto.com as the Sixers’ patch sponsor in a multi-year agreement, with the company also becoming the jersey sponsor of the club’s G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.
The deal is reportedly one of the biggest jersey patch agreements in the NBA, although the financial terms haven’t been disclosed.
The Sixers began discussions with Bloom around the same time they signed James, with CEO Tad Brown saying the arrival of the NBA’s all-time leading scorer “put wind in our sails” on the business side.
James gives the Sixers the maximum 34 nationally televised regular-season appearances this season, proving his commercial value that probably doesn’t need much more proof, but here it is anyway…
His ability to turn that profile into commercial value was highlighted by Sideline Moves last year, when he used speculation around his retirement to launch a Hennessy campaign that played on his infamous “Decision” announcement back in 2010.
WSL turns attendance into impact with Tesco partnership
The Women’s Super League (WSL) has found a way to put its growing crowds to work, agreeing a multi-year partnership with Tesco.
As part of the deal, every attendance will contribute towards the supermarket’s Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme.
The agreement will also see Tesco become the official supermarket partner of the Barclays WSL and Barclays WSL 2, with the partnership designed around the bigger the crowds, the bigger the donation.
Tesco will also bring its nutritional expertise, suppliers and product development experience into the WSL’s own health and nutrition work.
WSL Chief Revenue Officer Zarah Al-Kudcy called Tesco’s arrival “a real endorsement of the direction of travel” for the women’s game, with driving attendance a key priority for the league and its clubs.
Tesco Customer Director Suzanne Quinn said the supermarket was “proud to collaborate with WSL Football” as it looks to support women’s football and inspire the next generation of players and fans.
In other news:
- Newcastle United has signed a multi-year deal with Coca-Cola, making the drinks brand its official soft drinks partner and presenting partner of the St. James’ Park STACK fanzone.
- Premier League club Chelsea FC and Topps have expanded their relationship into a long-term, exclusive trading card partnership, covering Topps, Match Attax and Merlin.
- Brooklyn Nets have named Alibaba Group their official technology and cloud partner in a multi-year deal.
- Valencia CF has renewed its partnership with Kosner, with the climate control brand becoming a premium plus partner of the club’s women’s team following its promotion to Liga F.
- Motorola has named Vicky López, Eleonora Goldoni and Alayah Pilgrim as European brand ambassadors ahead of the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027.
- Phoenix Suns have named Paze their new jersey patch partner in a multi-year deal, replacing PayPal, with the digital wallet brand also becoming the team’s official online checkout and digital wallet partner.
If you would like to stay up to date with the latest sports partnerships and sponsorship deals, you can subscribe to Insider Sport’s LinkedIn newsletter to get Partnership Playbook straight to your inbox every Wednesday.
