EFL And Sky Bet Agree Record Extension

The English Football League (EFL) and Sky Bet have agreed a record five-year partnership extension.

The new agreement will see the sports betting and gaming company continue as the EFL’s title partner until the end of the 2028/29 campaign.

Following a 10 year-long partnership, the new rights fee represents a 50% increase in value. This will result in a significant uplift revenue for all 72 EFL clubs that make up the three divisions below the Premier League.

The EFL claims that this is crucial in achieving its new priority objective in ensuring clubs are financially stable across all divisions.

As part of the agreement, Sky Bet remains the official title partner of the Sky Bet EFL and Sky Bet Play-Offs on a worldwide basis. Sky Bet will also have rights to award the official Manager, Player and Goal of the Month awards, as well as the seasonal ‘Golden Boot’ and ‘Golden Glove’ awards in each division.

The new agreement also sees increased focus on community initiatives. Sky Bet will invest £1 million per season and £6 million in total into a Community Fund held by the EFL to be invested into communities across England and Wales where EFL clubs are located. The aim of the fund is to deliver activity via the EFL Trust and the network of Club Community Organisations (CCO’s)within initiatives in focus to be mutually agreed by the organisations. 

Sky Bet’s partnership with the EFL first came to fruition in 2013 and is one of the longest and most significant partnerships in UK sport.

Another aim of the partnership is to promote safer gambling. As a result, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will set out ‘how to deliver joint objectives in a socially responsible manner.’

This will include the following commitments:

• Sky Bet will not actively market itself or in family areas of club stadiums or advertise to young fans.
• The EFL will dedicate a proportion of its central inventory to promote safer gambling messaging and support Sky Bet’s safer gambling campaigns.
• Sky Bet will fund a player education programme across the EFL’s 72 clubs that will focus on the potential dangers of gambling and provide support and advice.

Trevor Birch, Chief Executive Officer of the EFL, said, “For over a decade, Sky Bet has been a valuable partner for EFL clubs, offering sustained investment to help clubs navigate a volatile financial landscape and ensure fans can enjoy fantastic footballing entertainment in every corner of the country.

“We have consistently seen our partnership evolve to move with the times and, with community at the heart of the EFL, a new community investment fund is perfectly aligned and will help strengthen the partnership’s commitment to social responsibility.”

Steve Birch, Chief Commercial Officer of Sky Bet, added, “I’m extremely proud of Sky Bet’s ongoing partnership with the EFL and delighted to have reached today’s agreement. Football is central to who we are and it’s great to be able to support the game and provide investment for clubs across the pyramid.

“I’m particularly delighted that we can go one step further today with the announcement of our Sky Bet EFL Community Fund, seeking to make a real difference for people across England and Wales.

“As the recent Sky Bet Play-Off Finals demonstrated, the EFL is going from strength to strength with packed grounds and millions watching games here in the UK and around the world.

“We are absolutely committed to safer gambling, and I’m delighted that our partnership with the EFL shows how responsible betting and gaming operators, and sporting organisations can work together to promote safer gambling and tackle the issue of gambling harm.”