MansionBet has been announced as the official football sponsor for Bristol City.
In a new post made on the Bristol City Football Club website, the football club announced that Mansion Group’s MansionBet sports betting website will act as the club’s official new Principal Partner and shirt sponsor.
Under the partnership, MansionBet will sponsor the football club’s home, away and third kits while also sponsoring Bristol Sport’s Bristol Bears rugby team and Bristol Flyers basketball teams. However, Bristol City confirmed that the MansionBet logo will not appear on youth kits.
Alongside the above, exciting giveaways and competition prizes will be organised through the partnership, giving fans plenty to enjoy. Mansion Group has already sponsored football teams Tottenham Hotspur, Crystal Palace, AFC Bournemouth, Manchester City, and Newcastle United.
Dana Bocker, the Head of Integrated Marketing at Mansion Group, said in a statement: “Sponsorship of a Championship team shows our continued focus and support of the UK market. Bristol City’s proud history within the English league and their growth over the last couple of years makes this an appealing partnership. We’re looking forward to collaborating with the club to engage with fans over the coming season and increasing our awareness locally.”
Caroline Herbert, the Head of Commercial at Bristol Sport Group, added: “We are delighted to be in partnership with MansionBet and to welcome them to our Bristol City fan base and Bristol Sport group.
“With more than a decade of industry experience and a long tradition of sport sponsorship, they bring a huge amount of expertise and creativity to this partnership. MansionBet also take an incredibly responsible sponsorship to gambling and have won several awards including Best Customer Service Company of the Year (2020) at the International Gaming Awards and Most Responsible Online Gambling Operator (2018).”
As Bristol City signs a partnership with MansionBet, fellow football club Swansea City has moved away from sponsorships and has struck a partnership instead with Swansea University. According to the BBC, the decision was made by Swansea City after listening to supporters’ criticism on sponsorships and gambling logos on jerseys which can be worn by children.
Rebecca Edwards-Symmons, the Head of Commercial at Swansea City, said: “This is the perfect partnership that encapsulates our club and our city. This is the first year of not having a betting brand on our front of shirt in four years, which enables our Junior Jacks to wear the same shirt as their Swans heroes.”
News of Swansea City’s decision to pull out of gambling sponsorships comes as gambling campaigners and MPs continue to pressure football clubs to drop gambling sponsorships as part of a move to prevent underage gambling.
In fact, a recent report from the House of Lords called for an end to football shirt sponsorships by 2023, and Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Gambling MP Carolyn Harris has claimed that football gambling sponsorships could be banned under a new Gambling Act.
What’s more, MPs and other gambling campaigners have also called for an end to gambling advertisements in football programmes, many of which are bought for and viewed by underage children.
Mansion Group isn’t the only gambling company to have made recent sponsorship agreements. Earlier this month, Betfred announced an extension to its sponsorship of the World Snooker Championship through to 2022.
According to Gambling Insider, the two organisations mutually renewed their partnership on the final day of the 2020 tournament and extended the partnership, which first began back in 2009, for another two years. The last tournament was won by six-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan after he beat Kyren Wilson at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
In addition to extended the partnership between the two firms, Betfred also donated a whopping £25,000 to Jessie May Children’s Hospice at Home – the official charity of the WST, the commercial entity for snooker events.
Betfred Co-Founder and CEO Fred Done said in a statement: “I’m delighted to extend my association with the World Snooker Championship and I would like to take this opportunity to thank WST, the Crucible, BBC, Eurosport, and especially the players for putting this event on in such challenging times.”
WST Chairman Barry Hearn added: “This is an amazing gesture from Betfred and I know just how much this will mean to the Jessie May team at a time when they have been forced to reduce their fund-raising activity. Our gratitude goes to Betfred.”
Also this week, state-owned gambling operator Svenska Spel announced a partnership with the Swedish Ice Hockey Association and Swedish eSports Association (SESF) to act as the official sponsor for the upcoming 2020 Swedish eHockey Championship.
The event, which is scheduled to take place between August and October, will be played on EA Sports’ NHL 20 and is organised by NHL Gamer, the region’s biggest eHockey tournament organiser. The event will include 1v1 solo games, 6v6 team games, and all captains as well as 50% of the members of each team will consist of Swedish players. The 2020 Swedish eHockey Championship finals will be aired on Twitch at the start of October.
Jimmy Sandberg, the Project Manager of Sponsorships at Svenska Spel said of the partnership: “As the main sponsor of both the Swedish Ice Hockey Association and the Swedish eSports Association SESF, we are proud to also shoulder the role as the main sponsor of the Swedish Championships in eHockey. Working together to marry traditional sports with eSports is something we believe in.”
Christer Plars, the Commercial Manager at the Swedish Ice Hockey Association, added: “We want to reach new potential target groups with a hockey interest, and together with Svenska Spel increase interest in eSports. Getting more people to get involved and interested in ice hockey is an important part of the Swedish Ice Hockey Association’s strategy.
“Under the current situation, it also feels good to be able to offer more people the opportunity to play ice hockey virtually, it is a good complement while waiting for the big ice hockey tournaments to start again.”
