July 18 – Southampton’s main club sponsor Virgin Media has added the shirt sleeve sponsorship to its package. The media brand will now have its logo on the front of the shirt and the newly created sleeve position.
TV and broadband provider Virgin Media are now in the second year of a three-year deal with Southampton having taken over take over from consumer electronics firm Veho in a three-year deal last season.
No figure has been released for the price Virgin Media are paying for the sleeve sponsorship, but market estimates put the first sponsorship at close to £10 million, an increase of 8 times the amount understood to have been paid by Veho, a Southampton-based company.
Southampton’s Commercial Director, David Thomas, said: “We have enjoyed an excellent relationship with Virgin Media over the past 12 months and we are delighted that they have opted to become our new shirt sleeve sponsors.”
Manchester City were the first Premier League club to sign a sleeve sponsorship for next season when the league relaxes its branding exposure rules.
South Korean tyre manufacturer Nexen Tire signed up as the Official Sleeve Partner in a multi-season deal that includes the club’s women’s team. No figure was announced for the sponsorship. Swansea City have also signed a sleeve sponsorship with US IT company Barracuda Networks.
The Virgin Media sleeve badges will be available in the Saints club shops when purchasing Premier League badges, but fans can choose not to have another Virgin Media logo on their replica shirts. They can choose either two Premier League badges or one Premier League badge and a Virgin Media logo for the same price of £6 (badges only), or £18 when purchased with a name and number.
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