Snoop Dogg and Luka Modrić push Swansea City’s sponsorship value to over £10m
Snoop Dogg has joined Luka Modrić as an investor in Swansea City; the resulting impact on the club’s sponsorship value is staggering.
According to calculations conducted by The Sponsor, the presence of Modrić and Snoop Dogg in the club’s partner activity, combined with their global reach, could increase the value of Swansea’s front-of-shirt sponsorship by 2900% to £10.7 million ($14.3 million).
The numbers may sound extraordinary, but they follow a clear precedent. In 2023, Ryan Reynolds' Wrexham AFC secured a reported £5 million front-of-shirt deal with United Airlines, 3697% above the then League One average for the same asset.
The value of Wrexham’s partnerships is, of course, enhanced by the popular Welcome to Wrexham documentary and Reynolds’s high involvement in United Airlines commercials. However, even with low-level involvement, Tom Brady’s association with Birmingham City was enough to help the club secure a sleeve sponsorship deal with Delta Airlines, reportedly worth 290% above the league average for the same asset.
A track record of influence
Both Snoop Dogg and Luka Modrić are bona fide legends in their respective fields, commanding a loyal and highly engaged global following.
In 2023, Snoop Dogg leveraged this following by partnering with Solo Stove to promote the company’s smokeless fire pits. His single social post, teasing that the rapper was “going smokeless,” received 31 million likes and an estimated 465 million impressions worth £5.5 million ($6.8 million) in media value.
When combined with Luka Modrić’s global reputation as a former Ballon d’Or winner and Real Madrid legend, the pair bring not only cultural relevance but a total social media reach of over 266 million. That figure dwarfs the combined audience of Reynolds (120.7m) and Brady (28.2m), and places Swansea City in rare commercial territory for a Championship club.
Calculating the Snoop Dogg and Modrić uplift
Using the Reynolds/Wrexham and Brady/Birmingham sponsorship deals with United and Delta Airlines as benchmarks, The Sponsor calculated the impact of Snoop Dogg and Modrić’s commercial impact on Swansea City’s sponsorship assets.
Applying a conservative, mid-tier level of involvement (i.e. some participation in campaigns but not full brand ambassador activation) the results show:
- Front-of-Shirt sponsorship value rises to £10.7 million
- Back-of-shirt sponsorship value rises to £3.6 million
- Sleeve sponsorship value rises to £2.8 million
These estimates are not based on guesswork; they reflect the commercial reality of how the market has already responded to similar owners in similar leagues and how sponsorship decisions are increasingly driven by cultural reach, not just team performance.
See how these values stack up against the fair market values of Premier League clubs' front-of-shirt sponsorship and sleeve assets.
How We Calculated the Value
To assess the commercial value Snoop Dogg and Luka Modrić could bring to Swansea City's sponsors, The Sponsor applied a three-part methodology:
- Compare their reach and engagement to other celebrity owners
We began by measuring the social reach, engagement and influence (star power) of Snoop and Modrić across major platforms, benchmarking their combined presence against known figures like Ryan Reynolds and Tom Brady.
2. Analyse the sponsorship deals secured by clubs with and without celebrity owners
We reviewed recent partnerships signed by clubs such as Wrexham and Birmingham City following their celebrity ownership announcements and compared these values against the fair market sponsorship value of similar assets at comparable clubs without celebrity owners.
3. Model the expected uplift for Swansea City based on Modrić and Snoop’s star power
Using the known commercial impact Reynolds and Brady had on their clubs, we calculated the likely uplift Modrić and Snoop would deliver based on their relative reach, reputation, and relevance. These were applied to Swansea’s current sponsorship portfolio to estimate the potential value now available to partners.
Documentaries, commercials and more…
The figures quoted above represent the value of moderate involvement by Snoop Dogg and Luka Modrić in Swansea City’s sponsorship campaigns. If these two global icons were to take a more active role, appearing in partner commercials, for example, as Ryan Reynolds does for Wrexham or Will Ferrell does for LAFC sponsors, the commercial value would increase significantly.
That value could climb even further if Swansea were to follow in the footsteps of clubs like Wrexham and Juventus by producing a behind-the-scenes documentary, offering sponsors global exposure and deeper fan engagement.
A unique opportunity for the right brand
The arrival of Snoop Dogg and Luka Modrić presents a rare opportunity for brands: the chance to benefit from everything a traditional football sponsorship offers - visibility, loyalty, and community connection. This, all with the added kicker of global star power delivered by not one, but two global icons.
Brands that get it right can unlock those elusive but incredibly valuable viral moments and the kind of cultural relevance that’s almost impossible to manufacture.
With no current stadium naming rights partner, and the front-of-shirt deal set to expire at the end of the season, Swansea City offers a unique window for the right brand, but it’s one that’s unlikely to stay open for long.
Measuring the value of brand ambassadors
The Sponsor will be hosting a Brand Briefing virtual roundtable on 23rd September, discussing how to calculate and maximise the commercial value of ambassadors. The session will feature insights from senior marketers who have successfully activated ambassador partnerships to drive measurable business returns.
Register your interest here.
