English football’s top flight is toasting a £40 million sponsorship deal with Guinness after the Diageo-owned brand beat off competition from Heineken.
Sky News learned that the Premier League informed its 20 clubs, which include Everton, City of Manchester and Sheffield United, who are backing a £10m-a-year deal from next season.
The deal, which has not yet been formally signed, represents a major financial boost to the Premier League’s existing partnership with Budweiser owner AB InBev.
Guinness has historically been more associated with promoting itself through an association with rugby union – through the sport’s Premiership and Six Nations competitions – than with football.
A Premier League club executive said he had been informed of the Guinness Agreement it was valued at over £41 million over its four-year run.
Budweiser has been associated with the Premier League for five years, whilst also being the main sponsor of the FA Cup.
The proposed deal comes at a time of unprecedented scrutiny of the Premier League’s finances, following its failure to reach a redistribution deal with the English Football League.
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This week’s second reading of the Football Governance Bill It represented another step in the creation of an independent sports oversight body.
Richard Masters, the Premier League’s chief executive, warned last fortnight that more intense regulation risks damaging the English football pyramid.
The Premier League and Diageo declined to comment.
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