English Premier League football club Arsenal has renewed its shirt sponsorship deal with Dubai-based airline Emirates.
The new five-year agreement runs until the end of the 2023-24 season. Financial terms of the deal, which Arsenal said is the largest sponsorship agreement ever signed by the club, were not disclosed but the Evening Standard newspaper said the agreement would be worth more than £200m (€226m/$281m) over the course of the contract.
Emirates’ branding will continue to feature on the front of Arsenal’s shirts and training kit. The new deal will take the two parties’ relationship to 18 years.
Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis said: “Our shirt partnership is the longest running in the Premier League and one of the longest relationships in world sport. This mutual commitment is testimony to the strength and depth of our unique relationship. Emirates are again demonstrating their great belief in our approach and ambition and their significantly increased investment will help us continue to compete for trophies and bring more success to the club and our fans around the world.
"Emirates is a great partner for Arsenal – a world-class brand with a truly global reach. The airline plays a significant role in our ambitions to extend our influence and following around the world. The new deal, extending our shirt partnership until 2024, underlines how much both organisations value and benefit from the relationship.”
As part of the new deal, Arsenal will use Emirates when travelling on pre-season tours. The airline will also retain marketing rights to develop campaigns and initiatives around the world.
Emirates also sponsors Arsenal’s home ground, which will continue to be known as Emirates Stadium until 2028 as part of an extended agreement signed in 2012.
Emirates president Sir Tim Clark added: “Arsenal's strong appeal and influence around the globe, combined with their ambitions as a club, make them an ideal partner for Emirates, with values that reflect ours as a brand. As a long-standing supporter of football, we are passionate about the game and are a proud partner to the team.
“As a business, we are hugely committed to supporting sports all over the world and our relationship with Arsenal is no different. Our partnership with Arsenal Football Club is a great combination of two truly global brands and we're very pleased to have extended this relationship for five more years – connecting fans from around the world with one of the greatest teams in the world.”
Emirates first signed its sponsorship agreement with the club in 2004, providing the airline with naming rights to the stadium until 2021 and a shirt sponsorship that began in the 2006-07 season.