Stake.com Sponsors Swindon Town FC
Online sports betting platform Stake.com has announced a new agreement with Wiltshire side Swindon Town FC. The partnership will see the crypto betting firm’s logo featured prominently on players’ shirt sleeves during the club’s upcoming match against Manchester City. The sponsorship follows Stake.com’s official UK launch last month. It marks one of a number of collaborations with football clubs, as it works to boost its presence in the UK market.
The match between Swindon Town and Manchester City has been described as a David vs Goliath event.
©Tembela Bohle/Pexels
Underdogs vs Premier League Champions
International crypto betting and gaming operator Stake.com has revealed that its latest sponsorship deal is with Swindon Town FC. The gambling firm has partnered with the EFL League Two club ahead of its match against Manchester City. Fans will be able to see Stake.com’s distinctive branding displayed on the sleeves of player shirts.
The deal will see the leading crypto betting platform exposed to a huge number of football fans, as the match could be one of the most dramatic of the season. Swindon Town FC will compete in the Emirates FA Cup Third Round tie against Manchester City on January 7th.
Swindon Town will welcome Pep Guardiola’s side its home turf, the County Ground. The stadium, where Swindon have played since 1896, is expected to be filled with more than 10,000 supporters. The government’s Plan B Covid-19 protocols will be in place, meaning that fans will have to bring proof of their vaccination status or medical exemption.
The match, which has already been dubbed a David vs Goliath encounter, will also be screened live on ITV1. The League Two side is hoping to pull off one of the biggest upsets in football history, as they face the six-time FA Cup winners and reigning Premier League champions.
Swindon Town FC’s Head of Commercial, Danny Lee, was happy to announce the new sponsorship deal. Stake.com’s support will be a huge help to the club as it gears up for one of the most hotly-awaited matches of the year. Speaking on behalf of the underdog club, Lee said:
“We are delighted to welcome on board Stake.com as our official sleeve partner for our exciting Emirates FA Cup Third Round Tie versus Manchester City. We are proud to welcome such an innovative brand on board and looking forward to working with the team at Stake.com on this partnership and beyond.”
Guardiola Tests Positive
Unfortunately, Man City manager Pep Guardiola will not be in attendance at the match, having tested positive for Covid-19. He and his assistant Juanma Lillo are amongst 21 people at the club who are now isolating. It has not been suggested that the match will be affected, although seven of City’s first-team players are in isolation.
The sponsorship will bring Stake.com’s branding to a new audience of football fans, not only in the UK but worldwide. Manchester City are amongst the most popular football clubs in the world, with 87.6 million follows online. The Premier League is the most watched football league in the world and is broadcast in 212 territories to a potential TV audience of 4.7 billion people.
While Swindon Town are certainly the longshot of the match, a lot of fans would love to see them give Manchester City a hard time on the pitch. In last year’s competition Swindon were eliminated in the first round, so their performance this year has already exceeded expectations.
In 2020, Swindon were named League Two champions, based on their average points per game. The 2019-20 season was heavily impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, and the club continued to face its own set of problems throughout the pandemic. In February 2021, the club was at risk of going bankrupt. The situation worsened when in April of the same year, when the club was charged with breaching FA regulations.
Then-manager John Sheridan was forced to resign after the side had won just eight of 33 matches. After being defeated by Milton Keynes Dons on April 24th 2021, the club was relegated to League Two. Ownership problems saw club leaders come and go, whilst players weren’t paid on time.
The pandemic and its subsequent lockdowns have created financial difficulties for many UK football clubs, especially grassroots clubs and those lower down in the leagues. Matches have been cancelled, postponed and players lost access to training facilities. Restrictions on fans attending matches also cut off vital revenue streams for clubs.
Boosting Brand Recognition
The support of sponsors, like Stake.com, has been a lifeline for clubs. While the sponsors benefit from exposure to millions of sports fans, the clubs are able to steadily recoup their pandemic losses. Nine out of the twenty Premier League clubs this season feature gambling firms as their shirt sponsors. However, this practice could soon be banned when new gambling legislation is brought in.
Some football clubs have already opted to ditch their gambling sponsors in favor of support from other industries. In light of the difficulties still posed by the pandemic, most football clubs have however opted to stick with their betting and gaming sponsors while it is still possible to do so. These sponsors are by far the most lucrative for clubs, estimated to be together worth around £100 million a year.
Sponsorships Manager at Stake.com, Dominic Rae, was over the moon to announce the company’s latest partnership. Since its recent UK launch, the betting and gaming platform has signed an array of deals with high-profile football clubs and sporting heroes to boost its brand recognition. According to Rae:
“Stake.com is delighted to be partnering with Swindon Town FC for what is a truly David vs Goliath FA Cup encounter. At Stake.com we love an underdog story and look forward to playing our part in supporting the club as they bid to pull off one of the biggest FA Cup giant-killings of all time.”
The crypto betting site officially launched in the UK in December, after securing its license from the Gambling Commission. It partnered with white label provider TGP Europe to facilitate the launch, and now offers players a range of betting markets and gaming products.
The platform already sponsors Watford FC, a growing portfolio of UFC fighters and eSports ambassador Dendi. While customers can choose from exclusive betting markets covering eSports, entertainment and political events, alongside traditional sports, crypto gambling is not yet available or legal in the UK.
