English Premier League football club Wolverhampton Wanderers has signed a record sponsorship deal with ManBetX.
The deal was signed after Wolves chose to terminate its partnership with current main sponsor, fellow gaming company W88.
The duration of the ManBetX deal was not disclosed, but local newspaper the Express & Star said the deal is a two-season contract covering 2019-20 and 2020-21.
Wolves signed a two-season agreement with online gaming company W88 ahead of its return to the Premier League for the 2018-19 campaign, but the Express & Star said the club has exercised a break clause to end the deal after just one season.
Wolves will become ManBetX’s second Premier League shirt sponsorship, joining Crystal Palace. Wolves said the agreement is the largest in the club’s history.
Wolves enjoyed a hugely successful return to the English top flight in 2018-19, with its seventh-place finish enough to earn a place in the Uefa Europa League in 2019-20. The club also reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
As principal sponsors, ManBetX will front all adult home shirts, covering the first-team, U23 and adult disability teams. As in last season, Wolves Academy shirts will be sponsored by the University of Wolverhampton, while a fresh sponsor to front junior shirts will be announced in the coming weeks.
Laurie Dalrymple, managing director of Wolves, said: “We had the opportunity to work with a new principal partner for the 2019-20 season and we felt that the scale and ambition of ManBetX was closely aligned to ours – I’m confident we can achieve great things in what is Wolves’ largest-ever sponsorship deal.
“As the team moves at an exciting pace on the pitch, guiding us into Europe for the first time in 40 years, it’s essential development off it continues at a similar rate, and this deal represents huge progression.
“A large focus has been placed on developing our global audience, with the team heading to Nanjing and Shanghai for the Premier League Asia Trophy in July, and this deal will only expand our global reach, given the impressive reputation ManBetX has in Asia.”
The agreement marks another shirt sponsorship by a betting firm in the Premier League. Burnley yesterday signed Asian betting brand LoveBet as its new main sponsor in a three-season deal that will run from 2019-20 to 2021-22.