Recently, we have experienced how betting companies sponsored the teams from LaLiga or used the stadiums advertising support (LED system, Adnetgoal, 3D carpet) to announce themselves.
At the end of October, the Government notified the Clubs about the new Royal Decree-Law restricting advertising from gambling operators starting on September 1st, 2021.
Up to 76% of the teams still have agreements with a gambling operator.
It means that the Clubs will have to find new sponsors to substitute these contracts.
25 teams of First and Second Division have an agreement where the logo of the betting companies appears on the kit either on the pants, on the sleeve, or on the front of the t-shirt. The rest of the Clubs have visibility assets within the stadium.
- We highlight that up to 11 teams of LaLiga Santander and LaLiga Smartbank have the main sponsor agreement, what it means, the most valuable advertising asset for the Club.
- There are just 10 teams that have no agreement.
Several teams have requested an extension of up to 3 years to keep these agreements. LaLiga has valued this restriction at 80 million euros. This amount not only includes the agreement with the teams, but also advertising expenses, for example the publicity on the LED System.
For the 2020/21 season, there are a total of 308 sponsorship agreements, which represents 9% less than the previous season. We also must add a lack of income and adjustments due to the Covid-19 crisis, but within the industry does not seem to be a sector capable of filling this gap.
A priori insurance, electrical, or telecommunications companies are the ones that could bet on filling this gap, but it is increasingly common to see how digital companies bet on sports to gain notoriety.
In this new situation, sports marketing agencies specialized in sponsorship will play an important role in analyzing the properties, their assets, and the impact that each possible agreement has.
