Research from the Sponsorship team at Ampere Analysis reveals how powerful the English Premier League (EPL) is at securing international partner brands. The major European football leagues – as a broad rule – are all relatively successful at attracting international investment, but it is the UK’s Premier League that signs the most sponsorship deals with global brands.

Nearly 90 per cent of Premier League sponsorship revenue is from national or multinational brands headquartered outside the UK.

Key findings
·   Two-thirds of EPL and EPL clubs’ sponsorship deals are signed with multinationals headquartered outside of the UK
·   Nearly 90 per cent of sponsorship income is derived from these organisations
·   While many multinationals aim to drive brand awareness among UK consumers, the EPL outperforms other major competitions in its ability to attract sponsorship from global brands
·   This success is driven by the Premier League’s global fanbase. The sporting competition is the third most popular worldwide (behind only the major global events like the Olympics and the FIFA World Cup) according to Ampere’s interviews with over 50,000 people in 31 global markets about their sports fandom
·   Spain is the next most successful market at attracting international investment. Over half of La Liga club sponsorship deals, and 83 per cent of sponsorship spend, is from groups headquartered outside Spain
·   Of the largest European markets, Germany’s Bundesliga is the most domestically-centred football competition for sponsorship. Around 60 per cent of the value and deals originate from local entities. This partly reflects Germany’s larger domestic economy but also the lower relative appeal of the Bundesliga internationally
·   The North American picture is different. The vast majority of the sponsors of US teams and leagues are headquartered locally. This is due to the country’s powerful domestic economy, large domestic fanbases for the major leagues, and their proportionally smaller international following
·   Canada, despite having teams that participate in the major US leagues, also sees a highly localised sponsorship market. Over two-thirds (68 per cent) of sponsorship spend comes from local brands, indicating a latent opportunity for Canadian teams to drive additional investment from non-domestic brands.

Adam Lewis, Researcher at Ampere Analysis, commented: “The data highlights the strength of the English Premier League in attracting global sponsorship investment. The international reach and exposure given to brands by the EPL is currently the largest of all the major domestic competitions. This makes the League and its clubs attractive to partners looking to drive brand awareness, and also those who want to connect globally with fans in a meaningful way. In general, European football leagues are successful at attracting international revenues, driven by international player bases, and in particular by the larger clubs that participate in popular regional competitions such as the UEFA Champions League. The analysis also indicates opportunities for some clubs and leagues to grow revenue from international sources, such as in Germany and Canada, with the latter able to give brands access to US audiences via Canadian teams.”