888 Link Up with four Championship Clubs

They are known for innovation when it comes to looking after their gaming customers and the 888 group have now struck one of the more interesting sports sponsorship deals. We’re used to seeing bookmakers getting involved with more than one football club but 888sport have themselves just signed up with no less than four Championship sides at the start of the 2016/17 campaign.

And, the deal is good news for supporters too…

Fans First

The clubs connected with this deal are Birmingham City, Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Preston North End – famous names in English football and ones with a long history in the game. Behind the big campaign is the belief that the real fans lie in the second tier, away from the Premier League, and as a result, the respective supporters can look forward to a raft of benefits in the season that lies ahead.

The first bonus for supporters of all four of those clubs sees 888sport lay on free travel for all midweek away matches between now and Christmas. That’s a considerable saving, particularly down in the Championship where plenty of games have to be fitted in over a long campaign.

Fans will also have access to special offers as provided by 888sport and the operator is clearly looking to get onside with the supporters.

We believe that the Championship has retained the essence of true football and know that fans are the heartbeat of every club, so we really want to help them with things that will make a significant difference to their relationship with their team,

said, Itai Pazner, Senior Vice President of 888 Holdings.

On the Up

Supporters will already be enjoying the benefits of a new arrangement which will also see the 888 name on each of the four first team playing shirts while extensive advertising is also seen at all of the grounds in question. The Championship is arguably the most exciting of all the English divisions as sides battle desperately to enjoy the riches of the Premier League and as a result, it receives plenty of live coverage via the TV Satellite companies.

But what about the clubs in question: what are Nottingham Forest, Preston North End, Birmingham City and Brentford getting out of this deal?

Like most sponsorships of this kind, there are few details available in regards to the money involved but each of those four sides would have received significant funding from such a high profile bookmaker. All of them are viable candidates for promotion into the Premier League and the injection of cash would have helped their managers go after the players they felt they needed to take them into the next tier.

But could there be a conflict of interest here? 888sport are essentially backing four Championship clubs who are all aiming for the same goal but it’s up to each individual unit when it comes to spending that money and improving their chances of securing that much-needed promotion.

So it’s a good deal for all of the clubs involved and it can only help in their quests although, ironically, if they do get to the Premier League then it’s not necessarily where 888sport’s attention is focussed.

In these early stages of the arrangement, 888 have also held competitions that provide matchday experiences for the lucky winners, including the opportunity to lead their team out onto the pitch so it’s a really positive step. There are sponsorship deals that just involve handing over a huge sum of money but with these four contracts, 888sport are really giving something back to the footballing community.