Is Guinness Bristol City deal a sign of football shirt sponsorships to come? Sport Business Looming exit of betting companies from football front-of-shirt sponsorship opens the door for more consumer brands like Guinness to return, writes Matthew Fletcher-Jones. Having made the often-regrettable decision to support Tottenham Hotspur in the 1980s, I’m still pleased to see any corner shop selling Holsten Pils – the club’s shirt sponsor throughout my youth. Chelsea [...]
Guinness returns to English football shirt sponsorship for first time since 1980s Sport Business Guinness is returning to the front of an English football shirt for the first time since 1986 after signing a deal with Women’s Super League 2 team Bristol City. The West Country team – co-owned by Steve Lansdown of Hargreaves Lansdown fame, and women’s sport conglomerate Mercury13 – will see their shirts feature Guinness 0.0 [...]
Drinking in stands hailed as success as more clubs join WSL pilot scheme Sport Business Women’s Super League chiefs have hailed its trialling of allowing football fans to drink alcohol in the stands as a major success as more clubs take advantage. The Fan Choice pilot was rolled out across 14 clubs in the WSL and WSL2 this season after a small-scale experiment in the second half of last term [...]
Trinity Rodman: NBA legend’s daughter signs record women’s football contract January 23, 2026 Trinity Rodman has become the highest-paid player ever in women’s football after a controversial rule change allowed Washington Spirit to tie her to a new contract worth more than $1m a year. The 23-year-old forward and daughter of notorious NBA star Dennis Rodman has signed a three-year deal to remain in the NWSL, North America’s [...]
Regional stadiums: the infrastructure solution for WSL and women’s football? January 18, 2026 Women’s football is one of the fastest growing sports and investment opportunities in the UK right now – think Michelle Kang’s cash injection at London City Lionesses or Alexis Ohanian’s £20m investment in Chelsea Women. In the 2023/24 season Deloitte reported that the 12 Women’s Super League (WSL) football clubs generated an aggregate revenue of £65m [...]
IMG’s three sports sponsorship trends to watch in 2026 December 31, 2025 Look out for higher demands on AI, more prediction markets and greater sophistication in women’s sport sponsorships next year, says IMG partnerships expert Sam Galet. As we close out 2025 and look ahead to 2026, the sports business landscape is once again at an inflection point. Rightsholders, brands and agencies are all asking the same [...]
Earps fiasco at least sparks much needed debate on culture of women’s sport November 6, 2025 Mary Earps has hit the headlines this week, and provoked a conversation about culture in women’s football “Things have escalated really quickly today, women pitted against each other. It’s gut-wrenching to be portrayed as someone you’re not. I know that the negative is what gets clicks, but it’s sad that’s the only thing being discussed.” [...]
Mercury13 acquires Bristol City as fund expands into English football September 18, 2025 Women’s football investment fund Mercury13 has entered the English market, acquiring a majority stake in second tier Bristol City Women. The Juan Mata and Giorgio Chiellini-backed investment vehicle is adding to its portfolio, which counts FC Como Women as its crown jewel, by forging a presence in the West Country. The deal, subject to league [...]
Reddit’s Alexis Ohanian says Chelsea Women could be worth $1bn September 12, 2025 Reddit co-founder and Chelsea Women investor Alexis Ohanian has said interest from the United States could turn the London club into a billion-dollar business. Ohanian, who is married to tennis legend Serena Williams, purchased a stake in Chelsea Women in May, believed to be around 10 per cent at a £20m valuation. The investment valued [...]
Ex-FA chief Alex Horne: Club game, regulator and football finance September 7, 2025 Since September began the world of football has continued to offer talking point after talking point. The Premier League transfer window closed to bring the curtain down on a summer splurge which topped £3bn for the first time; the Independent Football Regulator published its first piece of official policy ahead of its November detachment from [...]