The Price of Sports Sponsorship

April 2023

Major knowledge gaps have long existed when it comes Sports sponsorship valuation. This report utilizes Euromonitor’s Sponsorship Valuation Model to address this challenge, analysing top sports leagues in North America and Europe and providing precise valuations using a proprietary methodology. This enables corporate sponsors and sports properties alike to shape commercial strategy, analyse competitors and identify emerging sponsorship opportunities.

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Key findings

Across the North American Big Four leagues and Western European top five football leagues, Euromonitor’s Sponsorship Valuation Model captured USD5 billion in sponsorship deals across four premium categories in 2022 with a further USD1.7 billion in potential deals yet to be capitalised on.

Commercial partners are paying a high price for securing sponsoring rights with top European football teams that boast global fanbases, where most of the overall sponsorship spend is concentrated, while North American leagues distribute more evenly sponsorship revenue across franchises.

Whereas in Europe teams sign Equipment Partner deals directly with manufacturers, in North America league-level deals are the norm. Nevertheless, Equipment Partner deals represent the foundation of sponsorship revenue for professional teams and are often signed with apparel and footwear giants; 79% of the category deal value tracked was split between Nike and adidas.

Just 30% of European football teams had a Stadium Name Partner in 2022 while, in North America, at the time of research, leagues such as NFL, NHL and MLB are yet to permit Main Kit Sponsor deals. In what is a challenging economic climate for sports, teams and leagues will be eager to explore these opportunities going forward.

Finance and insurance is the industry with the highest spend, making up 35% of all sponsorships. Finance brands are characterised by a relatively higher marketing budget and often become top candidates to sign a deal, especially for Main Kit Sponsor and Stadium Name Partner, categories that can command a high fee, due to higher visibility and deal length and size.

Scope
Key findings
Methodology
Sponsorship valuation across North America and Western Europe
Premier League draws highest average value in three out of four sponsorship categories
NFL dominates North America, New England Patriots topping the regional rank
Five of top 10 teams by sponsorship value in European football compete in Premier League
Apparel and Footwear, and Finance and Insurance dominate sponsorship industry landscape
Equipment partnerships remain a key battleground for adidas and Nike
Strategic takeaways
Measuring the sponsored as well as the unsponsored slice of the deal value pie
Kit sponsorship represents an opportunity to grow sponsorship revenue in North America
Stadium naming rights at the core of untapped deal value in European Football
Over USD10 million of unsponsored deal value on average for NFL and MLB teams
Untapped sponsorship value takeaways
Equipment Partner sponsorship key figures
No team in top-flight competition lacks Equipment Partner sponsor
Apparel and Footwear endemic within Equipment Partner sponsors
Nike and adidas concentrate biggest part of Equipment Partner deals
Equipment Partner case study: Paris Saint-Germain’s deal with Nike and Air Jordan
Equipment Partner sponsorship landscape key takeaways
Main Kit Sponsor sponsorship key figures
Main Kit Sponsor represents one third of total sponsorship deal value
Main Kit Sponsor is the highest-paying sponsorship category on average
Top 10 teams account for nearly half of Main Kit Sponsor value
Main Kit Partner case study: AIA’s deal with Tottenham Hotspur
Main Kit Sponsor sponsorship landscape key takeaways
Other Kit Sponsor sponsorship key figures
Almost half of Other Kit Sponsor deal value is untapped
High deal value concentration across top industries
Many Other Kit Sponsor deals have short-term expiration
Other Kit Partner case study: Visit Rwanda’s deal with Arsenal
Other Kit Sponsor sponsorship landscape key takeaways
Stadium Name Partner sponsorship key figures
Over a third of Stadium Name Partner deal value remains untapped
Finance and Insurance companies behind 50% of Stadium Name Partner deals
Long-term deals are the norm across Stadium Name Partner
Stadium Name Partner case study: Mercedes-Benz’s deal with Atlanta Falcons
Stadium Name Partner sponsorship landscape key takeaways
2022 sponsorship landscape and future developments
Appendix (1)
Appendix (2)
Appendix (3)
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