Gambling brands remain the most prevalent front of shirt sponsors in European football, a report from ResearchAndMarkets.com has revealed.

21%, or just over one-fifth, of all football clubs in Europe’s 15 highest-ranked divisions had front of shirt sponsorship deals with gambling brands.

Despite stricter regulations on gambling advertising across the continent, of the 244 clubs sampled, the industry had front of shirt deals with 51. This is 18 more than in any other comparable sector and 11 more than in the 2020/21 season.

“Front of shirt partnerships are often the most lucrative deals within a clubs commercial partnerships portfolio given the exposure they generate due to the prominent nature of the branding,” explained ResearchAndMarkets.com.

“Alternatively for brands, these types of partnerships are enticing as they offer the opportunity to build trust and credibility at scale due to associating themselves with clubs that have a passionate fan base.”

The prized spot on a team’s kit offers invaluable exposure for any brand, and represents a considerable source of income for clubs. Teams in the big five European leagues in England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France are estimated to collectively earn $1.2bn from their front of shirt deals.

Out of these, the English Premier League (EPL) is the most lucrative for front of shirt rights. Altogether, EPL Clubs rake in $450.54m from selling the treasured space, roughly $150m shy of half the European total and over $200m more than any other league on the continent.

However, according to UEFA’s Country Coefficient, the market for front of shirt sponsorships has shrunk by 4.9% from $1.44bn in the 2020/21 season to $1.37bn in the 2021/22 season.

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