LeoVegas becomes Principle Partner for Blackpool FC

Blackpool FC has confirmed LeoVegas as its new Principle Partner that will be part of the club’s journey in 2023/24. The LeoVegas logo will be visible on the front of the club’s first team shirts, as well as the team’s replica shirts.

The first team will showcase the new shirt on Friday evening in a pre-season game, with the home kit already on sale in-store and online from Thursday. Commenting on this opportunity, Blackpool FC COO Jonty Castle said that the team was excited to see LeoVegas join the club as its principal partner, and added:

"To be associated with LeoVegas - a globally recognized brand - on the front of all first-team and replica adult shirts is an exciting opportunity for the Club and provides the potential for greater international exposure."

The partnership was similarly welcomed by LeoVegas Director of UK and Sponsorship Sam Behar who said that the company was similarly excited to be teaming up with a storied and prominent team. LeoVegas would use this opportunity to promote its brand but also help the club grow in the United Kingdom, which is a shared goal for both partners.

This new shirt sponsorship comes at a time when the United Kingdom is actively trying to phase out collaborations between sports clubs and gambling companies, and the Premier League has already confirmed that the deadline has been set for the 2025/26 season.

The expected ban over the next several years, however, has not stopped topflight clubs and some of the leading gambling companies in the sector to seek and work together in the interim.

Among the companies that have pursued shirt sponsorships over the past couple of weeks are Chelsea, which teamed up with respected local brand Stake and Aston Villa, which teamed up with BK8. The partnership between Stake and Chelsea has supposedly come through based on the latest media reports. Despite the status of the betting companies as trusted and regulated operators in the United Kingdom, fans have responded negatively to both news, criticizing the clubs for going this way.

However, these partnerships are not going to stick after the designated timelines and they are in all likelihood, the last time that front-of-shirt sponsorships are taking place. The White Paper released by the UK Government may seek to prohibit those before the 2025/26 cut-off period, but the measure is not very likely to kick in before that at the current rate of development.

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