Premier League rule change with £80m blackhole forces 8 clubs to act | Football

Morgan Rogers and Marcos Senesi battle for the ball

Aston Villa and Bournemouth are among the clubs affected (Image: Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)

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A number of Premier League clubs have been compelled to make a significant kit change ahead of next season as part of a measure that could set them back a combined £80million. From 2026/27, clubs will no longer be permitted to display the logos of gambling companies on their shirts.

This season, 11 Premier League clubs have featured a betting firm as their principal shirt sponsor, including already relegated Wolves and Burnley, and West Ham, who could join them in the Championship. Gambling brands, particularly those based in Asia, have been prepared to pay enormous sums to secure the widespread exposure the Premier League provides. Research by Investigate Europe last year revealed that 296 of the 442 clubs in the top European leagues had at least one betting partner last season, while research in 2023 found that betting logos appear up to 3,500 times during televised matches.

The voluntary ban was passed by Premier League clubs in April 2023. However, there has been no gradual phasing out of the practice in the intervening years.

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With only months remaining until the ban comes into force, the majority of the clubs affected have yet to announce a replacement sponsor. This raises the prospect that some clubs will kick off next season without front-of-shirt advertising.

The Guardian revealed last month that this could result in a collective revenue loss of up to £80m. Among the clubs requiring a new shirt sponsor are Europa League champions Aston Villa, who did not display their usual betting partner, Betano, during the final against Freiburg in Istanbul owing to Turkish licensing regulations. In its place, the Aston Villa Foundation, the club’s charitable arm, featured on the front of their shirts.

Bournemouth are among the few clubs to have announced their shirt sponsor for next season, with stadium partner Vitality set to feature. Crystal Palace have struck a deal with software company Temporal, while Brentford are expected to adopt recruitment brand Indeed, which already sponsors their training kit.

Brentford's Igor Thiago celebrates

Brentford will carry a new shirt sponsor next season (Image: PA)

As for the newly promoted sides, Middlesbrough, who have replaced Southampton in the play-off final amid the ‘Spygate’ scandal, would be affected as their shirt sponsor is a betting company. Their opponents, Hull City, are backed by an airline, while automatically promoted Coventry and Ipswich don’t have a gambling brand as their primary shirt sponsor either.