For those who take pride in supporting local teams and especially those in the National League, it is important to know who are supporting the and give credit where it is due for the non-premiere leagues to survive. Here is a quick intro into these sponsors so you can find out a bit more who is helping to keep this league going.
LV Bet
As the Guardian reports, half of Premier League teams are to have gambling sponsors for 2019-2020 season, with Premier League teams being sponsored by numerous betting companies. To name a few:
- Betway sponsor West Ham United,
- Bet365 sponsor Stoke City
- Dafabet sponsor Sunderland
- TLCBet sponsor West Brom
- 138Bet sponsor Watford
The National League is following suit with a new official betting partner LV Bet.
Why these guys? It makes sense for gambling sponsors to sponsor the National League as it is a massive market for sports and gambling – betting on football only add to the excitement of watching the sport itself. “Sport, football especially is a perfect platform for online gambling companies to promote their brand,” states Hannah Mason-Smith from the online casino operator, PlayFrank.
“Football and gambling are never too far apart therefore sponsoring football events and football teams is a great opportunity for brands to not only become household names, but also to appeal to stadium spectators and fans watching on TV and attract them to bet.”
There is a reason why most football sponsors are gambling related as the BBC summarised in 2013: The football betting industry is worth billions and the growth does not look like slowing down anytime soon. Gambling has always been a big part of why people watch sport, but also factor-in the type of people who watch sport. Is it a coincidence this is predominantly a male market? Male gamblers are much more common than female gamblers.
Vanarama/Motorama/Manarama
The name keeps changing but the title sponsor company is the same. Who are Vanarama? They are an award-winning van/car leasing broker in the UK who offer leasing deals and business contract hire for light commercial vehicles. They have endorsements from the BBC, BT, Daily Mail amongst others. Vanarama have been sponsors of the National League for many seasons now and probably many more to come.
BT Sport
BT Sport shot on the scene several years ago in a football television market that was dominated by what was then Rupert Murdoch’s Sky Sports. BT Sport, unlike Sky often showcase football games form the Vanarama Conference League. The channel have recently confirmed another live match to be added to the schedule for new year with the High-Flying Barrow taking on title chasers Bromley, on January 18 on BT Sport 1. The match will kick off at 5:20pm at the Progression Solicitors Stadium.
UCFB
These guys are a higher education institution who offer university degrees and classes in the business of football. That’s right if you live and breathe football, you can choose to have an alternative higher education course in all things football, or other sports. Along with your degree, you could also gain experience in industry-relevant placements and network with industry professionals. Learn more here.
JAKO
Jako AG are a German sportswear company that provide kits for teams playing in football, handball, basketball, ice hockey and many other sports. In 2015 they signed a 10-year sponsorship deal with the National League.
