United Set To Reveal Blockchain Deal

Manchester United FC is set to unveil a new training kit sponsorship deal with blockchain platform Tezos, according to The Athletic.

The multi-year agreement will reportedly be worth £20m per season. The Athletic stated that promotional shoots had already taken place at the Carrington training ground ahead of the official announcement.

United’s previous eight-year training kit sponsorship deal with insurance provider AON, thought to be worth £15m per season, expired at the end of last season.

Last year, it was reported by the Observer that the Hut Group, based in Manchester, pulled out of a 10-year deal to sponsor the training kit and ground through its MyProtein brand due to concerns about a campaign by some United fans to boycott the club’s commercial partners in protest at the Glazers’ ownership.

A partnership with Tezos, which promotes itself as an energy-efficient blockchain platform, would represent a significant step by United into Web 3.0.

Under multi-year deals announced with McLaren Racing and Red Bull Racing Honda last year, Tezos was given the role of developing non-fungible token (NFT) experiences for followers of the Formula One teams, with the McLaren agreement also spanning Indycar and esports.

Later in the year, Tezos sealed a similar partnership with Major League Baseball’s New York Mets, but the deal with United will mark the company’s most high-profile commercial agreement in sport to date, as well as its first major step into football and the UK sponsorship market.

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