British banking group Barclays will maintain its association with the Premier League after its title sponsorship agreement with the top tier of English football expires at the end of the current season.
Barclays has agreed a deal to become the Premier League’s first-ever official banking partner. The three-year contract will run across the 2016-17 to 2018-19 seasons. The official banking partnership is the third category partner agreement the Premier League has announced for the next cycle following deals with Nike (official ball) and EA Sports (sports technology partner).
Barclays has served as the title sponsor of the Premier League since 2001-02, when it took over from Carling, the lager brand. However, following a vote in July by member clubs, it was agreed that the league will operate under a sponsor-free model from the 2016-17 season onwards.
The Premier League announced in February that it would replace its title sponsorship model with a seven-sponsor structure. In a statement today (Thursday), the league said the deal with Barclays is “one of several category partnerships” it is working on, with further announcements likely in the coming weeks.
“The Premier League is moving to a new model without a title sponsor yet we could still see the benefit of maintaining our association with one of the most successful sports brands in the world,” Nathan Homer, global head of sponsorships at Barclays, said.
“The partnership will continue to offer us many assets such as tickets that are valued by our customers and clients, as well as helping maintain our long established commercial relationships with the Premier League and many clubs.”