English soccer giants Chelsea have received assent from the English Premier League (EPL), English soccer’s elite tier domestic competition, to announce Infinite Athlete as the club's new front-of-shirt sponsor.
Initially reported by the Telegraph, Chelsea have now received the required EPL approval and will now be sponsored by that sports data firm through a £40 million ($48 million) deal. The length of the agreement has yet to be confirmed.
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Infinite Athlete will be the front-of-shirt sponsor for both Chelsea’s men’s and women’s sides, each of which will have access to Infinite Athlete’s AI player data.
Chelsea have played the first six games of the Premier League season, as well as the first fixture of the English Football League (EFL) Cup, without a front-of-shirt sponsor, after telecommunications company Three and the club let their partnership expire at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Infinite Athlete is the parent company of another Chelsea partner, sports technology company Tempus Ex, which works with American football's NFL and the US collegiate Pac-12 Conference.
Tempus Ex has deep ties with Chelsea’s ownership group. The company is partnered with private equity firm Silver Lake, which is an investor in sports e-commerce company Fanatics. Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly (vis his company Eldridge), both a part of Chelsea’s ownership group, are also major investors in Fanatics.
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By GlobalDataThe partnership’s official announcement is expected to come too late to see the brand's logo present on Chelsea's shirt during its second fixture of the EFL Cup tonight (September 27). It is, however, expected to debut at Chelsea’s October 2 clash against Fulham.
It was first reported that Infinite Athlete was set to be the new front-of-shirt sponsor for Chelsea in August, with reasons for the month-long delay in an announcement, since photos were leaked of the kit sponsor photoshoot, unclear.
Multiple sponsors had been mooted before Infinite Athlete emerged as favorite, most notably crypto casino and sports betting platform Stake.com. However, a backlash from the Chelsea Supporters Club against the prospect of a gambling sponsor on the shirt saw that curtailed.
Indeed, betting sponsorships are set to be outlawed in the Premier League from the 2025-26 season regardless.
The EPL also blocked a deal for US streaming service Paramount+ to sponsor the front of Chelsea’s shirt over fears it may upset Paramount’s rival NBC, which holds the rights to broadcast the EPL in the US.
Chelsea also reportedly rejected a potential deal with insurance firm Allianz, and another with an unnamed cryptocurrency firm.
Elsewhere in the Premier League, Newcastle United has announced a multi-year sponsorship tie-up with sports betting and online casino company BetMGM.
The brand, which is a UK-based offshoot of the iconic Las Vegas hotel and casino brand MGM, is newly launching in the UK and Newcastle United is its first major partnership.
BetMGM branding will be present at Newcastle United’s 52,000-seater St James’ Park stadium. The sports betting firm will run Premier League-based promotions throughout the season such as “Golden Goals”, its free-to-play competition for guessing EPL results.
Newcastle United chief commercial officer Peter Silverstone stated: “BetMGM already has a significant presence in the city of Newcastle, with the company's UK office here, so it is a business that understands the football club, its fanbase, and the region.”
Earlier this month, Newcastle confirmed a new kit supply deal from 2024-25 with German sportswear giants Adidas.
Also in the Premier League, AFC Bournemouth have secured new investment at the ownership level, with Ryan Sports Ventures taking a minority stake in Bournemouth’s ownership group, Black Knight Football Club (BKFC).
Ryan Sports Ventures is owned and operated by the Ryan Family and its patriarch, insurance industry billionaire Pat Ryan. The company already holds a significant minority stake in the NFL franchise the Chicago Bears.
Bournemouth was purchased by BKFC and US businessman Bill Foley in December 2022, with Hollywood actor Michael B. Jordan also a part of the ownership group. BKFC also owns French soccer Ligue 1 side Lorient.
