Chelsea Secures £40m Sponsorship Deal
Chelsea FC has announced that sports tech company Infinite Athlete will become its principal partner for the 2023-24 season.
The deal has been agreed with California-based technology company Tempus Ex Machina, the parent company of Infinite Athlete, and will see the brand appear on the front of the men’s and women’s first team shirts.
The agreement, which has been rumoured for numerous weeks, only materialised after the Premier League approved the deal under the organisation’s fair market value rules.
Infinite Athlete’s branding will also appear on the sleeve of the team’s training kits.
The value of the deal has not been disclosed but The Daily Mail reports that it is worth £40m per season.
Chelsea’s previous front-of-shirt sponsorship deal was with phone network, Three. The Premier League club signed a three-year deal with the UK telecommunications firm in the 2020/21 season at a reported £40m per year.
However, extension talks were not entertained as relationships soured between the two after Three asked to suspend its deal with the Blues last season due to the outgoing owner Roman Abramovich’s close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The deal was subsequently resumed after the club was sold to Todd Boehly.
Chris Jurasek, Chief Executive of Chelsea FC, said, “From the outset, it was clear the potential Infinite Athlete has in leveraging technology to unlock competitive advantage and to enhance the fan experience. The speed at which our relationship has grown, alongside the evolution of Infinite Athlete’s business, made this an obvious extension to our partnership.”
Charlie Ebersol, Chief Executive Officer of Infinite Athlete, added, “Debuting our new global entity—Infinite Athlete—to the world on football’s premier global stage, and on the front of the legendary Chelsea FC kit, is a great honour and we are humbled by the opportunity to be able to continue this journey alongside the best in the world.”
Chelsea’s men’s team currently sits 14th in the Premier League with one win from their opening six games.
Subscribe to the Sport Industry Daily for regular updates on the biggest stories and latest news in the sport industry.
