Sport sponsorship: Best deals, who’s investing and 2025 growth
As 2025 kicks off, the sports sponsorship landscape is brimming with opportunity. New trends are emerging and the environment is ripe for seasoned sponsors to make bold investments promoting new brand offerings.
With Premier League clubs preparing for life after gambling sponsors and athlete-driven media platforms gaining traction, the industry is undergoing a transformation that could reshape brand partnerships.
Best sport sponsorship deals
Premier League Football
The ban on gambling sponsorship for Premier League football clubs is now firmly in sight. Of the 11 clubs that have chosen to take the money while they can, none have made any meaningful progress in their succession planning. A long overdue market correction is imminent, which will significantly lower the barriers to entry and provide an opportunity for non-gambling brands to benefit from Premier League sponsorship at reduced rates.
Every year, The Sponsor conducts published research into the fair market value (FMV) of all Premier League clubs. The analysis shows that clubs with a gambling sponsor get a deal above the market rate. Take Nottingham Forest, for example — the fair market value of the club’s front-of-shirt sponsorship at the start of the season was £5.2m. Kaiyun Sports, the Asian betting firm, is reportedly paying £14m for the deal — a staggering 68 per cent above market value.
The Commercial Director from a recently relegated Premier League club recently told me that their next-best offer for front-of-shirt sponsorship was less than half of what a gambling firm had offered to pay.
Once gambling firms are forced to exit the Premier League sponsorship market at the end of next season, clubs will struggle to replicate the high partnership fees they once enjoyed. Consequently, the market value of all sponsorships is likely to fall. Competition for sponsorship from non-gambling brands will be fierce, creating a buyer’s market. Brands that hold their nerve at the negotiating table could secure exceptional deals from next year onwards.
Premiership Rugby
Premiership rugby is another sport that represents value for sponsors in 2025. On the pitch, the game’s fanbase is as passionate as ever, with average attendance climbing from 12,500 to just over 15,000 per match in the past three seasons [big games and finals included]. Rugby’s core values of teamwork, integrity, and grit remain as strong as ever, aligning perfectly with the kind of brand messaging that companies love to promote.
Off the pitch, however, the financial reality is stark. Three clubs have gone bust in recent seasons. It’s a tough landscape for clubs, but it’s fertile ground for sponsors to get a great price. Clubs are under pressure to secure revenue, which has led to a significant shift in sponsorship fees — with asking prices down by as much as 40 per cent. For brands, it’s another buyer’s market where sponsors could be in line for major wins in 2025.
Who’s Investing in sport
Alcohol-Free Beverage Brands Lead the Charge
Alcoholic beverage companies pushing their 0.0 brands are set to be the big sponsorship spenders in 2025. It’s a rare moment where global companies with deep pockets are launching new products that demand worldwide brand awareness. Industry heavyweights like Guinness 0.0 (Six Nations), Asahi Super Dry 0.0% (Manchester City), and Heineken 0.0 (Formula 1) are leading the charge.
What’s driving this push? These brands have been here before and seen the returns. This isn’t experimental spending — it’s a proven strategy. For some, it’s about leveraging existing rights to push new non-alcoholic offerings, while others are driving entirely new campaigns focused on zero-alcohol growth. With young people shifting away from alcohol, big brewers are locked in a race for dominance in the non-alcoholic space, and they’re willing to spend big to win.
Automotive’s Big EV Push
The automobile sector is also undergoing a seismic shift, with major players redefining their brands and promoting electric vehicle (EV) offerings. Much of this investment is already funnelled into motorsports, but auto giants are also turning to broader sports sponsorships. Honda’s partnership with World Athletics to promote its electrified fleet is a prime example. At the same time, electric-only manufacturers like BYD have gone even bigger, signing a multi-million-dollar deal with UEFA.
For automakers, it’s not just about selling EVs — it’s about reshaping how they’re perceived. Companies like Jaguar are “tossing the table upside down” to reframe their identity in the EV era. As the industry shifts, expect to see big names striking sponsorship deals to showcase their electric ambitions and brand relevance to a global audience.
Luxury Brands Double Down on Sponsorship
Luxury brands are increasingly turning to sponsorships to fuel desire and exclusivity while tapping into aspirational mass audiences. LVMH is leading the charge, making significant investments as a global partner of the Paris Olympics and securing a landmark 10-year sponsorship deal with Formula 1.
Other luxury brands are following suit. Chanel has signed on as the new sponsor of The Boat Race, while Louis Vuitton has further solidified its footprint with America’s Cup and a growing roster of sports brand ambassadors. Typically, where one industry leader goes, others follow. Expect more luxury brands to target sports sponsorships in 2025 as they seek to maintain brand relevance and cultural cachet.
The Digital Asset Comeback
Digital asset exchanges appear poised for a more measured but sustainable return to the sponsorship market. While the “crypto sponsorship boom” of 2021 saw digital asset firms throwing vast sums at sports teams, it ended in chaos, with £830m in unpaid sponsorship bills and high-profile defaults affecting Ferrari and Mercedes F1 teams amongst many others.
However, a more mature approach is emerging. OKX has doubled down on its sponsorship of Manchester City, Coinbase is investing in marathons, and Crypto.com has signed a significant multi-million-dollar sponsorship of the UEFA Champions League. While the wild spending days are over, the fundamentals remain strong. The crypto audience aligns well with sports fans, and the appeal of global visibility still makes sports sponsorship a valuable marketing platform for digital asset firms.
Growth Areas
Athlete Owned Media
Athletes are seizing control of their personal brands like never before, and it’s set to transfer the traditional brand ambassador model. No longer just stars on the pitch, athletes are now content creators, launching their own media platforms to connect with fans directly. Leading the charge is Cristiano Ronaldo, whose YouTube channel pulled in 60m subscribers in a week — not a personal account, but a global broadcasting platform in its own right.
While not every athlete will match Ronaldo’s numbers, the trend is undeniable. Jude Bellingham’s new YouTube channel mixes athlete fandom with the production quality of reality TV and the authenticity of influencer culture. It’s a perfect recipe for brands with athlete-owned platforms offering a direct line to younger, engaged audiences, delivering authentic, unique, and regular content.
As more athletes recognise the power of controlling their own narrative, expect an increase in brand ambassador partnerships. Brands will target athletes with the influence and media muscle to command attention, tapping into passionate, loyal fanbases and unlocking new creative collaborations.
Esports Expansion
Esports is no longer a “nice to have” — it’s a “must-have” for brands seeking to engage the under-40 demographic. Companies like Barclays, HSBC, Santander, and Mercedes have already made the leap, and more non-endemic brands are expected to follow.
The global esports market, valued at $1.88bn in 2022, is projected to grow at a blistering 26.8 per cent compound annual growth rate through 2030. Sponsorship spending has surged from £97.9m in 2017 to over £500.7m in 2023 but barriers to entry remain low, giving brands the chance to secure prime partnerships before the market becomes saturated.
With esports viewership exceeding 532m — 70 per cent of whom are aged 18-34 — platforms like Twitch and YouTube Gaming are engagement powerhouses, keeping fans glued for an average of 100 minutes per session. While traditional sports scramble to adapt to digital consumption, esports is already there. For brands, the message is clear: move now, or watch competitors take prime positions in a space that’s only getting more crowded.
Women’s Sport
Women’s sport continues its meteoric rise, fuelled by government support, broadcaster backing, and brands seeking to align with key social values. Barclays’ sponsorship of women’s football is the go-to case study, with investment across professional and grassroots levels significantly boosting its brand perception. It’s no surprise that others are following suit.
Metro Bank’s sponsorship of England’s women’s cricket is another prime example, extending its support to schoolgirl cricket as well. The early-adopter window for women’s sports sponsorship may be closing, but there’s still time to make an impact. Women’s Rugby is the next “low-hanging fruit,” with the Women’s Rugby World Cup set for England in 2025.
Mastercard, Guinness, Capgemini are all making investments but for brands not in the first wave, there’s still an opportunity to own and leverage this space. Women’s sports audiences are growing, and the alignment with diversity and inclusion offers a powerful brand message. Those that act now can still achieve meaningful impact, boosting brand perception and capturing the attention of an engaged, growing audience.
ESG Opportunities
ESG is no longer just a corporate checkbox — it’s a strategic edge for brands looking to turn talk into action. Many sponsors have already seized the chance to move beyond words on a website by embedding themselves in real, tangible sustainability journeys. DHL’s role in Formula 1’s net-zero 2030 pledge is a prime example. By supporting F1’s sustainability push, DHL isn’t just a logistics partner — it’s a brand that’s visibly part of the solution.
However, plenty of teams and events are still falling short of best practices, and for savvy sponsors, this represents a golden opportunity to step in and lead the change. Instead of joining an already-crowded narrative, they can help write a new one — and be seen as the brand that drives transformation from the ground up.
Where brands can’t find that opportunity, naturally sustainable events like Sail GP become even more valuable. Sail GP’s green-first credentials make it a “plug-and-play” ESG sponsorship, and brands are keen to leverage the opportunity. Recent partnership announcements with Rolex, Emirates and DP World are expected to continue for events with a strong ESG focus.
Outlook
The year ahead promises to be a game-changer for sponsorship. Market forces are shifting, and the power balance is tilting towards brands. As gambling firms exit Premier League football and financial pressures mount on rugby clubs, the negotiating table will favour sponsors like never before.
New frontiers are opening up in esports, women’s sports, and athlete-driven platforms, and the brands that step forward now will claim advantages that competitors will chase for years to come.