Arsenal Renew Emirates Sponsor Deal

In terms of modern day sponsorship, some teams become synonymous with their commercial partners and that’s certainly the case over at Arsenal. The club’s home ground has been known as the Emirates Stadium since it was first built and it would seem strange if it were to be called anything else.

The situation is therefore set to stay the same with news that the two parties have agreed a contract extension that will take them up to the 2023/24 campaign at the very least. Naming rights is part of that deal but shirt sponsorship is the main focus of the announcement so the Emirates and Arsenal brands will remain very closely linked.

Terms

While the exact financial details of the deal have not been released, it has been confirmed that this is the biggest sponsorship contract in the history of Arsenal Football Club and it’s also claimed that this is one of the most lucrative arrangements in football.

Having already extended their partnership beyond the ten year mark, Arsenal and Emirates are now taking this up to 2023/24 for now and both sides are clearly very happy about that.

Longevity

Arsenal Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis said:

Our shirt partnership is the longest running in the Premier League and one of the longest relationships in World Sport.

Emirates is a great partner for Arsenal – a World Class Brand with a truly global reach. The airline plays a significant role in our ambitions to extend our influence and following around the world.

In reply, Emirates President Sir Tim Clark added:

Arsenal’s strong appeal and influence around the globe, combined with their ambitions as a club makes them an ideal partner for Emirates, with values that reflect ours as a brand.

As a business we are hugely committed to supporting sports all over the world and our relationship with Arsenal is no different.

Big Spenders

In recent years Arsenal have been relatively quiet in terms of big money transfers and it’s a policy that has angered their fans to some extent. That all changed in the summer of 2017 however as the North London club brought French striker Alexandre Lacazette to the Emirates Stadium in a deal that was believed to be worth 53 million euros.

The switch was a record purchase for Arsenal at the time but that record didn’t last long: Under pressure to take the side into the Champions League qualifying places, manager Arsene Wenger swooped for Borussia Dortmund’s Gabonese International striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with the fee said to be worth £56m.

That transfer took place in January 2018 and while the costs were offset to an extent by the sale of Olivier Giroud to Chelsea, the renewal of the Emirates sponsorship contract was certainly a timely one.

With two huge deals taking Arsenal’s spending to over £100 million in under six months, additional funding would help to balance the books even though the Gunners, like all Premier League clubs, receive millions from various sources including TV revenue. It’s therefore good news for both parties concerned but as we mentioned, the timing is also perfect.

Many top clubs change their sponsors on a regular basis but this arrangement between Arsenal and the Emirates Airline is one where some element of loyalty shines through. That’s very rare in football as we all know so perhaps it’s to be welcomed by the wider football family.

It should certainly be appreciated by Arsenal fans who are very vociferous about the club’s ownership and where the money is being spent. They demand a title challenge and funding of big name players is essential for that so the fanbase should be very happy that Emirates continue to stay on board.