Single-club partnerships dominate as 88% of brands opt for exclusive deals
STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 14, 2024 -- SponsorUnited, the leading global sports and entertainment intelligence platform—tracking over 386,000 brands, 2.1 million deals, and 17.6 million data points across sports, entertainment, media, and talent, today released its European Football Marketing Partnerships 2023–24 report.
Key findings include:
Significant growth in brand and sponsorship deals: The number of brand sponsors in European football grew by 22% this season, more than doubling last season's increase. In comparison, the five major professional sports leagues in the US averaged a 10.5% increase in sponsorship deals since 2022. This impressive growth in European football was driven by a combination of new deals and improved retention of existing deals, resulting in a record-breaking total of almost 6,000 deals. This represents a 20% increase in deals from the previous season, along with an 11% decrease in churn rate of deals.
Surge in exclusive single-club partnerships: Nearly 90% of brands (88%) have signed single-club deals over multi-club partnerships, a trend evident this season with over 3,800 different brands committing to just one football club each. This is a 23% increase from last season. This trend is also led by the aforementioned categories, which together account for one third of all single-club deals. Additionally, this year Serie A and LALIGA clubs have surpassed Premier League clubs in sponsorship deals with nearly 1,500 and 1,450 deals each— emphasizing the strategic focus on deepened market penetration and fan engagement.
"The dramatic rise in European football partnerships this season underscores an evolution in the market dynamics," said Bob Lynch, founder and CEO of SponsorUnited. "Non-traditional sectors like business services and construction are increasingly engaging with the sport, reflecting a maturation in how brands and leagues collaborate. These sectors often start with targeted, single-team investments, which can scale significantly as they realize the value of their engagements, setting the stage for long-term impacts on club and athlete partnerships."
Most-endorsed athletes shift following major departures: With the departures of Neymar Jr., Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo from the "Big 5" leagues, the endorsement landscape for European football athletes has dramatically shifted. Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa now leads with 19 endorsements; however, he is also departing the Big 5 after this season. Vinicius Junior ("Vini Jr.") and Harry Kane follow with 17 and 16 endorsements respectively, with Vini Jr. adding the most deals (5). Son Heung-min, Robert Lewandowski, Erling Haaland, and Virgil van Dijk each have 14 endorsements. They are followed by Jack Grealish with 13 and Thomas Müller with 12.
Top growing teams showcase remarkable follower growth: The top five growing teams have significantly outpaced follower growth across all teams, with Real Madrid CF leading with an addition of 54M followers. This surge in popularity is closely tied to the presence of high-profile players such as Vini Jr., who is among the most-endorsed athletes this season. FC Bayern Munich, Liverpool, and Manchester City, which have also shown substantial increases, adding 31M, 30M, and 26M followers respectively, are home to other top-endorsed athletes like Harry Kane, Virgil van Dijk, and Erling Haaland. This trend underscores the strong correlation between a team's social media growth and the endorsement appeal of its star players.
Coca-Cola leads sponsorship deals amid diverse brand categories: With 39 deals, Coca-Cola still leads the list of European football sponsors, followed by EA Sports (FC) (33 deals), eToro (31 deals), Sorare (25 deals), and Skechers (23 deals). When it comes to brand categories, construction remains a powerhouse with nearly 800 sponsorships—a 27% increase from last season and a 54% increase from the season before. They are followed by auto with 425 (+38%) and tech with 415 (+23%) deals.
"The increasing influence of US ownership in European football is reshaping business practices and commercial strategies across the leagues," added Lynch. "This transatlantic investment is fostering deeper engagements with US brands, who are now more confident in entering and expanding within the European market through innovative avenues."
View the full report here.
About SponsorUnited
Launched in 2018, SponsorUnited is the leading global sports and entertainment intelligence platform, delivering actionable data and insights to build stronger marketing partnerships. We provide unrivaled knowledge across the sponsorship and media landscape so our clients can make impactful decisions that drive business.
With over 386,000 brands, 2.1 million deals, and 17.6 million data points across sports, entertainment, media, and talent, our SaaS database enables brands, rights holders, and agencies to partner more effectively. By delivering real-time trends, on-demand research, and the most comprehensive data available, we connect the entire sponsorship ecosystem and are rewriting the partnership playbook.
SponsorUnited was ranked on the Inc. 5000—the most prestigious list of the fastest-growing private companies in America—in both 2022, 2023, and 2024. Visit https://sponsorunited.com/ to learn more and discover exclusive data and insights to make intelligent partnership decisions at speed and scale.
CONTACT: Lisa Brown, lbrown@sponsorunited.com
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