Chelsea Signs Second Biggest Shirt Deal
Chelsea FC has signed English football’s second biggest shirt sponsorship deal – worth a reported £40m per year – with a Japanese tyre manufacturer and will run from the first team through to youth level of the club.
The five-year deal with Yokohama Rubber Company – which deals in industrial, construction, marine and aerospace products, as well as golf equipment – eclipses the current £18m-per-year-deal the club signed with Samsung in 2006.
Manchester United’s seven-year deal with US car brand Chevrolet remains the biggest, worth around £50m per year.
Chelsea currently sit top of the Premier League and are in the last 16 of the Champions League, as well as the final of the Capital One Cup, taking place this Sunday.
The West London club are now one of the world’s most recognised sporting brands with an estimated 500m fans and were the most watched English side worldwide last season with 31,000 broadcast hours.
The deal will start from next season and will be seen within Stamford Bridge as a significant success for Christian Purslow, who was appointed to run Chelsea’s global activities in October last year.
Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck said: “Chelsea and Yokohama are a perfect fit. Both are global organisations with a focus on performance and innovation, as well as having huge ambition and an unwavering culture of success.
“We believe that Yokohama will play a key role in helping us drive our global expansion in international markets such as the US, where they have operated with distinction for many years. Also, of course, Chelsea having such an esteemed and historic Japanese company as our partner enables us to accelerate our development in their home market too.
“We are also looking forward to working with Yokohama on our community projects around the world through the Chelsea Foundation, when together we can use the power of sport as a force for good.
“I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to Samsung, with whom we have had a successful and rewarding relationship since 2005. Chelsea has demonstrated through that 10-year partnership that we can play a critical role in helping our partners achieve their global growth objectives. We look forward to accomplishing similar success with Yokohama.”
Mr Nagumo, chairman and CEO of The Yokohama Rubber Company, added: “This shirt partnership with Chelsea will give Yokohama an opportunity to showcase our company to a huge worldwide audience thanks to Chelsea’s ever-growing popularity. We see our partnership with Chelsea as an integral part of our global expansion plans as we enter Phase IV of our Grand Design 100 plan. We look forward to launching our iconic new Chelsea Yokohama shirt this summer.
Yokohama has a business network spanning over 100 countries, including USA, Japan, China and Australia, and the company already has sponsorship deals with NBA teams the Boston Celtics and the San Antonio Spurs.
