:home_shirt_2020::3rd_shirt_2020: Shirt Sponsorship Deal

Sportsbet now our record club sponsor at over £7.5m a year for 3 years. Not thrilled about it being a betting company so hopefully that gets banned sooner rather than later and we get a different one of coingaming group’s companies instead:

Southampton have announced a record-breaking three-year deal with Sportsbet.io as their front-of-shirt sponsor.

The betting company initially signed a one-year contract when they replaced LD Sports before the 2020-21 season started.

What are the terms of the deal?

Coingaming Group have signed a three-year contract to sponsor Southampton, which is understood to be worth more than £7.5m a year.

This means it will surpass what previous sponsors LD Sports agreed to pay the club when they entered into a partnership with them in 2019.

What has been said?

David Thomas, Southampton’s chief commercial officer, said: “The team at Sportsbet.io have built a successful business by challenging convention and disrupting the market, but in a responsible way, and their approach to our partnership with them has been no different.

“In a short timeframe they’ve proven to be innovative, forward-thinking and extremely supportive of the club, our fans and the wider community, and we’ve welcomed the opportunity to develop and promote safe gambling messages together.”

Coingaming Group chief executive Maarja Part added: “Our first season as Southampton FC’s Main Club Partner has already exceeded all expectations. We’ve been inspired by the passion of the club and its fans, and it was an easy decision for us to extend our partnership with the Saints for another three years.”

What if gambling sponsors are banned?

Southampton have taken this question into consideration.

As the partnership is with Coingaming Group, in which Sportsbet falls under their umbrella, they will replace the front-of-shirt sponsor with another one of their companies if gambling sponsors are banned as part of an upcoming review.

Are there any quirky elements to the deal?

As part of the three-year deal, Southampton have the option to be paid certain performance-related bonuses in Bitcoin.

If they qualified for the Champions League, then Sportsbet, hypothetically speaking, would offer to pay them £1 million worth of Bitcoin.

However, it’s up to Southampton to decide whether they want to accept payment in this form.

We do not like being sponsored by betting companies.
But. It is legal. It is the best deal and we need the money.
I know we should take a moral stand but if we are bankrupt that isnt possible.
Our Mong fans would be screaming if we had to sell JWP as well as Ings & Vestergaard in the summer.
The key is both parties understand the issue & work on it.
Not ideal, but I’ll take it

According to coingaming’s website, their other companies are Bitcasino.io and Slots.io, not sure they will get around a gambling ban either :thinking:

I just do not get what the problem is. We as a club lost £76m this last year and as good as the sponsorship is it won’t make a big dent in that.
As for it being a betting consortium so what. I fail to understand why there should be a problem with that.

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Not to go all Helen Lovejoy “won’t somebody please think of the children” about it, but I just think the way gambling is promoted to young men relentlessly in football through shirt sponsorships and about half of the adverts either side of a game is not a great look.

I’d much rather we be sponsored by booze or fags if we have to go for one of society’s ills as these are less dependent on hooking people young and bleeding them dry financially. Just leaves me a bit cold that my team are helping to make the problem worse…

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Who are “we”?

I’ve no beef with them paying sponsorship. I’d prefer gambling to be less pervasive in sport though, but that’s just me.

Marcus said it
While I am at the club we won’t be sponsored by a betting company.
HTH

He could afford to say that.

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Now also flogging off shirts with current sponsor for £15

3rd kit is only available in 4XL now, anyone want to share wearing at the same time as me?

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Take the kids camping?

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I’d sooner the club didn’t have the 7.5 mil.

On our 125th anniversary, we did without a sponsor for a year and we got a bit of respect for it.

With the ratbags running the “super league six”, there’s an opportunity to say “fuck this shit, we believe in the game” and it costs you nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Southampton are a particularly good team to go for this as no matter what else, we’re seen as an authentic side. This would only add to it.

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My favorite shirt - I’ve a bit of work to do to fit back into my one mind :roll_eyes:

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