Aston Villa ends W88 partnership

The Premier League club Aston Villa has announced that it does not want to continue the long-standing sponsorship partnership with the gaming provider W88. With the end of the partnership, Aston Villa is now the next well -known first division club from Great Britain, who turns his back on a gaming sponsor. In the past few weeks and months, several clubs have already resigned from sponsorship contracts or had not extended them after the end of the contract. The difficult political situation with regard to the upcoming Brexit and criticism from the fan is also responsible for these decisions.

Aston Villa remains guilty of explanation

die Sponsoring partnership with the gaming provider W88 lasted just a year. In 2019, the officials proudly announced that they had completed a record -breaking deal with W88. This is quite understandable, after all, sponsorship is said to have flowed into the association’s account for a year of sponsorship.

But from then on there will be no longer any more money, at least not from the W88 cash register. Aston Villa has announced on his own website to want to end the partnership with W88 after just one year. So far, the association remains guilty of an explanation for this decision.

“Aston Villa confirms that the main partnership will end with W88 after the end of the 19/20 season. Due to the sponsorship deal of the online competition and game side, W88 was listed on all jerseys of the first team in the 2019/20 season, now the partnership with Aston Villa will come to an end. The club thanks W88 for support in the past 12 months. ” – Aston Villa, Aston Villa press release

From then on, the W88 logo will no longer be shown on the jerseys of this Premier League club. Instead, the Online car dealer Cazoo look forward to acting as the main sponsor of Aston Villa from the coming season.

How much money Cazoo costs the deal has not yet been known. However, it should be doubted that the sponsorship contract is higher than the cooperation with W88, which was indeed particularly lucrative. It was all the more astonishing for many fans that the partnership had now ended so abruptly and without giving reasons. However, it is assumed that this Decision of political reasons could have.

Three gaming sponsors in three years

W88 is by no means the first suffering company that has to live with only enjoying the advantage of being able to present a million audience on TV and thousands of fans and potential customers in the British football stadiums. Because in front of W88 Aston Villa had already two more partnerships to run.

Almost three years ago, the logo of the sports betting provider Unibet denounced the first division team’s jerseys. In this case too, the partnership ended one -sided after one year. Unibet followed the online casinio provider 32REDBut who only made it for a year until it was replaced by W88.

However, Aston Villa is by no means the only club in the Premier League that cooperates with providers from the gaming industry Has. Only at the beginning of the year had, for example FC Everton decided to dissolve his sponsorship contract with Sportpesa, a well -known and large sports betting provider with a particularly high popularity in Great Britain.

Gambling sponsors particularly attractive for British football clubs. In the English Premier League, sponsorship especially enjoys a particularly high priority with companies or brands from the gaming industry, especially in economic terms. Every year, far more than £ 350 million are said to flow to the accounts of various Premier League clubs as sponsorship money. In the current season, 17 clubs with logos of gambling providers started on their jerseys. Only three clubs in the highest British division cooperated with companies that are not belonging to the gaming industry. This number is otherwise unmatched within Europe.

Politics and criticism from society the reasons?

However, it is currently becoming apparent that more and more British Premier League clubs are playing with the thought that is particularly attractive in and of themselves financially To end sponsorship partnership with gambling providers. There can be several reasons for this.

For one thing, it should still be Difficult political situation in Great Britain Be a reason for such considerations. Because the Brexit negotiations and deadlines have still not ended. Meanwhile, it is clear that the British government after the final resignation from the European Union (EU) Harder measures and laws for gambling providers wants to enforce.

On the other hand, they are increasing Criticism from society. In particular, fan groups criticize the now close connection between the gambling industry and English football. It is also possible that many clubs gradually give in to the pressure from society and from fan camps and look for alternatives, but similarly lucrative sponsorship deals.

In one Interview with CNBC has the management of Manchester City explains how the association is looking for new sponsorship partnerships and which criteria are relevant.