Particularly after the creation of the Premier League in the early 1990’s, sponsors started to become as much a part of the aesthetic as the shirt itself. A quick peek at a company name on an iconic shirt from that era can conjure up a wave of nostalgia, so join us as we flick through the lookbook to arrive at our top 10 iconic Premier League sponsors.
- SportsLens rewinds the clock to the ‘golden era’ of shirt sponsors
- Sponsorships in football have grown to become a cultural phenomenon
- The era of many shirts can be determined by an iconic sponsor
Top 10 Iconic Premier League Sponsors
10. Doritos – Wolves
Although only signed on for two years, Wolves’ partnership with tortilla chip brand Doritos was a record breaking deal for the club at the time, worth £1.5 million.
You’d be hard pushed to find a sponsor more fitting to club colours than this – the traditional orange and black colourway provides the perfect canvas for Doritos’s iconic logo to take centre stage.
The orange and yellow accents from the flame tie in with the rest of the shirt, while Wolves’ club colours appear strikingly similar to one of their mainstay flavours – Tangy Cheese.
Although this shirt has grown to become a highly collectable jersey for the Wolf Pack, they did end up rounding off their two-year deal by finishing rock-bottom having won just seven games in 2003/04.
9. Reebok – Bolton
Bolton-based sportswear brand Reebok managed to swing the deal of a lifetime, as they agreed to a sponsorship overhaul of their hometown club.
Although their agreement stretched back to 1990, the club became synonymous with Reebok who eventually secured naming rights to their new stadium in 1997.
Not only were they on the front of a shiny new stadium and written across shirts, but they also manufactured them – the triple threat of brand identity.
Reebok’s retro text and original style logo still pulls at the heart strings of Trotters fans, who were treated to the club’s most successful period during that time. The 19-year partnership came to an end in 2009, but flashes of Jay-Jay Okocha and Nicolas Anelka playing in the UEFA Cup spring to mind whenever Reebok’s Bolton shirts resurface.
8. Brother – Manchester City
Long before Manchester City were winning trebles and spending billions of pounds on players, they were yo-yoing between the first and second division.
Fans of a certain age will be transported back to a time by taking one look at Manchester City’s Brother shirts, where Maine Road was one of the most feared stadiums in the country and the Gallagher brothers were baby-faced unknowns.
Their deal with electrical brand Brother Industries – who were at the forefront of the rapidly emerging tech industry – ran from 1987 until 1999 making it one of the longest partnerships ever in English football.
Although perhaps not a period defined by success, that stunning font on those sky blue retro designs does something indescribable.
7. Holsten – Tottenham
Holsten were one of the original sponsors to carry over into the newly formed Premier League in 1992. Those overly-commercialised eye-sore promotions for the new league saw 14 of the 22 teams head into a new era with a sponsor, but Tottenham’s seemed to stand out the most.
JVC x Arsenal
Holsten x TottenhamA rivalry for the ages. pic.twitter.com/zngOaFN56S
— They Think Kits All Over (@TheyThinkKits) February 3, 2023
Holsten’s sponsorship proved so popular they used it twice, with the beer brand coming back for a second stint in 1999 after a brief absence in favour of Hewlett Packard.
That bold navy text set on a field ice white just hits harder than any Tottenham shirts that have followed since.
6. Dr Martens – West Ham
Why does this fit so damn well?
The faded lower of the font gradually filling in to a bold white almost looks like it’s emerging from a sea of claret.
You can’t help but picture Paolo Di Canio defying every possible law of physics to meet the ball with a mid-air scissor kick against Wimbledon.
The height of the Hammers’ perpetual youth team mill also saw the likes of Joe Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Frank Lampard and Jermain Defoe don this iconic Premier League sponsor in their early playing days.
5. SEGA/Dreamcast – Arsenal
The dual branding of Arsenal sponsorship deal with SEGA Dreamcast is something you rarely see even today. The traditional red home shirt had ‘Dreamcast’ emblazoned on the front, while the striking yellow away shirt donned ‘SEGA’s’ iconic retro typeface, which is reminiscent of a Scalextric track.
Football and video games just work for some reason – Fiorentina did it with Nintendo, so too PSG with Commodore.
Although SEGA’s Dreamcast console didn’t quite hit the heights of sales seen in Japan, English football still managed to savour one of the iconic Premier League sponsors.
We are particularly big fans of Nicolas Anelka clutching a console and disc next to a flaxen-haired Emmanuel Petit in the kit photo shoot.
Those were the days.
4. Carlsberg – Liverpool
If Carlsberg did shirt sponsors, they’d only make it to fourth on our list…
In all seriousness though, Carlsberg’s brand identity is now inextricably linked with Liverpool, despite much of the time spent on the front of their shirts being underpinned by their alarming fall as regular title contenders.
Even if they aren’t centre stage on Liverpool’s shirts anymore, they remain their official drinks partner which means their relationship has endured for over 30 years, making it the longest running in the Premier League.
3. Sharp – Manchester United
Sometimes the simplest sponsors look the best, and let the rest of the shirt to do the talking.
Luckily for electrical company Sharp, they let Manchester United’s trophy-laden decade in the 1990’s do much of the talking.
Love this old school advert! 🍗👏🏻😂#TheKitman 👕#Sharp #MUFC #ManchesterUnited #ManUtd pic.twitter.com/F4VgqKooTC
— TheKitman.co.uk (@TheKitmanUK) October 16, 2023
They were the first ever company to sponsor United having first penned a deal in 1982. Coinciding with the club’s rise back to prominence during an unprecedented period of success, kits of that era have become synonymous with the Premier League’s most successful team; as front-of-shirt sponsors, Sharp were able to sit back and enjoy as fortunate beneficiaries.
2. JVC – Arsenal
You have to rewind all the way back to the 1981/82 season to find the origins of JVC’s sponsorship of Arsenal.
The next 20 years would see them lift three league titles and two FA Cups, with players such as Ian Wright, Tony Adams and Allan Smith donning the iconic sponsor in its early days, while the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Viera were there to oversee its final years.
Although not a particularly striking or noteworthy font, the two-decade long era which it represents for Arsenal makes it one of the iconic Premier League sponsors. Yet, it somehow still fits nicely among the chaotic ‘bruised banana’ design of 1991 and the nauseating ’94 keeper kit that Vince Bartram was forced to wear.
1. Newcastle Brown Ale – Newcastle
Newcastle Brown Ale, which is a staple of the heavy industry of the North East and an iconic UK beer in general, took up the mantle of sponsoring its local team in 1990.
The Brown Ale’s blue star with the depiction of the Tyne Bridge etched in could not have fit any better, and the brand’s association with the region makes it that much more iconic.
Newcastle Brown Ale x Newcastle United
Has there ever been a better synergy between sponsor and team? 🍺 ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/Bfx7wILDkQ
— They Think Kits All Over (@TheyThinkKits) February 3, 2023
Their arrival on Newcastle shirts also came at a time when the Magpies were enjoying success domestically and further afield on the continent. Alan Shearer hoisting his arm up high after scoring with the Brown Ale’s blue star printed across his chest is about as legendary as it gets.
The end of their partnership also signalled a steep drop-off for the club, with the hierachy seemingly abandoning all local ties to the community. The likes of subsequent sponsors Wonga, Northern Rock and FUN88 are enough to make your skin crawl in comparison.
Add Sportslens to your Google News Feed!
