Manchester City, champions of English soccer’s top-tier Premier League, have renewed their sponsorship agreement with sports nutrition brand Gatorade for another three years.
The extension, which runs from 2022-23 to 2024-25, will see Gatorade continue as the official sports nutrition partner of the club’s men’s and women’s teams after first partnering with the men’s team in 2017.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The brand first partnered with the men’s side five years ago, with the deal then extended to include the women’s team in 2019.
In addition to a matchday presence at the Etihad Stadium and Academy Stadium for all men’s and women’s first team matches, Gatorade will also provide the club with its range of sports fuel products and equipment, as well as knowledge through its Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI).
The agreement also includes the pair creating video content for fans.
Mark Kirkham, senior vice-president and chief marketing officer at PepsiCo, said: “Over the past five years we’ve built a strong relationship with Man City, working closely with the club to help power players through nutrition, training, and match days.
How well do you really know your competitors?
Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.
Thank you!
Your download email will arrive shortly
Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample
We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form
By GlobalData“From providing access to our world-leading GSSI experts and decades of sports science research, to bespoke athlete testing and fueling programs, Gatorade has been helping support the club and its athletes combat the physical demands of the sport in order to achieve greatness.”
Last month (July) Manchester City expanded its existing deal with cryptocurrency exchange firm OKX to cover front-of-shirt rights for the club’s training kits in an agreement reportedly worth £20 million per season.
While the original deal between the pair, struck in March, gave OKX club partner rights as the club’s cryptocurrency sponsor, the new deal will see the OKX logo feature on the front of the training kit of both City’s men’s and women’s teams.
In the same month, the club also renewed its deal with cyber protection firm Acronis and struck an agreement with 8XBet as its regional betting sponsor for Asia.
Meanwhile, fellow Premier League team Tottenham Hotspur have struck a new partnership with UK-based sports nutrition company Science in Sport (SIS) for the next four seasons.
The deal started during the club’s pre-season period over the last month with SIS providing the men’s first team with its range of nutritional products and will continue with the club given access to SIS’s bespoke Performance Solutions Framework to help shape the club’s nutrition strategy.
The strategy will include frequent dialogue with SIS’ high-performance advisory board and access to knowledge, as well as performing research trials and early-stage innovations headed up by the club’s lead nutritionist Emma Tester.
James Morton, director of performance solutions at SIS, said: “SIS are committed to fueling the world’s best athletes and sports teams with world-leading science and innovation.
“With our performance solutions program, we tailor our research, innovation, and world-class knowledge to deliver a true competitive advantage.”
The deal also includes video content focused on the strategy, including interviews and behind-the-scenes access to the strategy being implemented. The content will be housed in the club’s new streaming service Spursplay.
Last month (July) the club launched its in-house live and on-demand streaming platform in partnership with the Endeavor Streaming division of the international entertainment agency giant.
In addition to SIS-focused content, Spursplay will show matches of the women’s team, pre-season friendlies from the men’s team, home under-18 and under-21 matches, and select under-21 away games.
Tester said: “Since the start of pre-season, we have been working closely with James Morton and the team at SIS to get the products implemented across the squad and begin planning our wider nutritional strategy.
“Having access and support from industry-leading experts is of huge benefit to us. We have had great feedback from the players on the range of products available to them and we look forward to developing bespoke products to truly personalize their nutrition program.”
Elsewhere, Everton FC have announced a new partnership with Fancurve that will see the blockchain-based digital sports fashion platform create digitally wearable shirts for supporters.
Under the partnership, Fancurve will create a series of “high-end” club-branded digital shirts and fashion wearables for fans to dress their digital avatars in the Metaverse.
The club said the initial collection will be available later this year and sold exclusively on Fancurve’s platform.
Chris Cook, senior vice-president of partnerships at Fancurve, said: “We are proud to be partnering with such a renowned Premier League club as Everton, with its fanatical fanbase and rich history.
“Here at Fancurve, we’re focused on updating the meaning of sports fandom for today’s digital world and redefining what it will become in the future.
“We are striving to be the largest and most innovative digital wearables platform for sports fans across the globe, and we see this partnership as one that can help Everton and its community grow, as we explore web3 football fandom together.”
The US-based company recently announced a partnership with Spanish LaLiga side Real Betis which will see officially licensed, non-replica club branded digital shirts available for fans.
Richard Kenyon, chief commercial and communications officer at Everton, added: “We’re really pleased to welcome Fancurve to our growing partnership portfolio and are excited by the innovative opportunities that this partnership will present for the Club and our supporters.
“I’d like to thank our Partnership team for their work in securing this deal and Chris and his colleagues at Fancurve for choosing Everton to partner with on what I am sure will be an exciting journey.”
The 2022-23 Premier League season starts this Friday (August 5) and will run until May 28, 2023, with a mid-season break between November 14 and December 26 to accommodate the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
