The State Of West Ham's Sponsorships

From a fan’s perspective, team sponsorships tend to blend in over time. However, they do affect things for fans, in that they help determine a team’s image and, of course, directly impact any kits or other ear people might invest in. Thus, every now and then it’s worthwhile to check in on your club’s sponsorship agreements, so as to get a feel for what partnerships are working, which ones may soon expire, and things of that nature.

Regarding West Ham, the most significant aspect of this conversation might be the state of the club’s relationship with Umbro. Listed officially as the team’s technical partner, Umbro is in charge of kits and gear in a very fundamental way, though it’s already known that the club will be switching to Nike in the near future. This is actually a little bit of a surprise and potentially a vital pickup for Nike given that the sportswear giant has been challenged increasingly by its competitors in European football. Most notably, La Liga replaced Nike league-wide with a new Puma deal for its official ball (which can’t have been a good sign particularly after Puma’s shocking aggression in the U.S. in professional basketball). For West Ham though it represents an exciting change, and means the Umbro kits probably aren’t long for this world.

The next most important sponsor for fans - and perhaps the most, to some - is Betway, which remains the principal partner and shirt sponsor for the club. By all accounts, Betway is still absolutely thriving as a company. It operates globally with a very active sports betting market, and has made advances in the gaming space too. Currently, Betway is listed as one of the sites that has embraced live gaming for its casino sector, which essentially puts it on the cutting edge (albeit with plenty of competition) in its space. There is, in other words, no reason for West Ham to sever ties, and not much has changed since the two agreed to a record-breaking deal in the first place. Now, that deal is due to expire in May of 2020, so it’s possible that we could see a new principal partner and/or shirt sponsor in about a year. However given that these two have extended deals in the past, continued partnership seems likely.

Last but not least among the sponsors most relevant to the fan experience is Basset & Gold, a financial services firm that has been the sleeve sponsor for the club since July of last year. It was said that this sponsorship agreement represented a “trade up” for West Ham following its previous deal with MRF Tires, and we have to say in purely aesthetic terms it is a bit of a nicer look on the kits. With sleeve sponsors relatively new to the Premiership they’re a bit more of an unknown as far as the length or stability of deals, but right now there’s no reason to suspect a change anytime soon.

This update should hold true throughout the remainder of this season and provide a peek at what to expect in 2019/20 as well. If you’re a fan of the Umbro kits, you may want to secure one for yourself before much longer (though they could well be discounted after the switch to Nike). The general look of the club, however, right down to the sleeves, should be fairly stable.