On Friday, EPL club Swansea City unveiled Goldenway, a Chinese finance firm, as their new uniform sponsor. The team will receive over 3 million dollars from Goldenway, double the number from their previous partner, 32Red. The new deal is largely the result of the Welsh club's successful 2012-3 campaign, where they finished in 9th place and qualified for the UEFA Europa League.
Swansea's deal with Goldenway represents a couple of trends within the space. Firstly, it demonstrates the globalization of the sport. However, it is no longer just Manchester United signing deals with Asian companies. Firms like Hong Kong based Goldenway are now choosing to invest their first sports sponsorship dollars in clubs such as Swansea, based solely on the rising popularity of the game overseas.
The deal also represents teams' slight shift away from gambling companies as sponsors. While companies such as 32Red very much maintain a presence in the sponsorship world, teams appear to be distancing themselves just a bit. Just days ago, Tiger Woods turned down nearly $100 million in potential marketing dollars from an Irish gambling house.
Finally, if clubs such as Wales' Swansea City, can earn $3 million from uniform sponsorship, then one must wonder when we might see advertisements on NBA, NFL, and MLB jerseys in the near future. Based on several reports, Adam Silver the NBA may be the first to make the move. If so, it will be extremely interesting to monitor what type of deals the league's most prominent franchises can bring in.
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