Revealed: Premier League Fair Market Sponsorship Values 2025
The Sponsor has once again published its annual Premier League fair market sponsorship values research covering all 20 clubs' front-of-shirt and sleeve sponsorship assets. The results show that some clubs and sponsors are getting a great deal while others are overpaying.
Fair market value in sponsorship refers to the income a team or event can reasonably expect to receive for its sponsorship on the open market without any existing associated party connections. Premier League fair market value (FMV) and Associated Party Transactions (APT) rules are in place to maintain the league’s competitiveness by preventing clubs from inflating sponsorship deals with companies associated with their owners.
Manchester United’s sponsorship value falls by £13.5m
The absence of European football next season has accelerated Manchester United’s commercial decline, wiping £13.4 million off the club’s front-of-shirt sponsorship value and £3.1 million off its sleeve sponsorship.
The timing couldn't be worse as the club's Principal Partner, Qualcomm, extended their Snapdragon partnership with Manchester United just last year for a reported £60m. That's £10m more than Standard Chartered pays to sponsor league champions Liverpool FC.
While Manchester United’s historic legacy still holds weight, the lack of exposure to European audiences means commercial partners will see significantly reduced visibility, impacting the value they receive in return.
But it’s not just about exposure. The Sponsor’s fair market research takes a 360-degree view of sponsorship strength and found that declines in perceived quality, infrastructure, and on-pitch performance have eroded United’s appeal to brands.
“There’s still time to turn it around,” said Sean Connell, Editor of The Sponsor. “United’s global fanbase and legacy remain incredibly strong, and its front-of-shirt sponsorship value is still greater than those of Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham at £51.1 million. However, the gap between reputation and performance is widening and sponsors are taking note.”
If the club hopes to retain its status as one of the world’s most commercially attractive sponsorship properties, it must act quickly. Without European football, positive media coverage, or a credible growth narrative, its sponsorship value is likely to fall further.
View the full Premier League Fair Market Sponsorship table here.
View sleeve sponsorship values here.
Liverpool’s sponsorship value grows to £65.9m
Liverpool has once again been named the Premier League's most valuable sponsorship opportunity, topping The Sponsor’s 2025 Premier League Fair Market Sponsorship Values report with a front-of-shirt valuation of £65.9 million, up from last year and maintaining its place at the summit of the commercial rankings.
The club’s commercial strength is underpinned by a rare combination of assets: sustained on-pitch success, global cultural relevance, an elite playing squad, and a global fanbase renowned for both scale and engagement. Star players like Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk, coupled with Liverpool’s visible commitment to social issues and community impact, make the club one of the most attractive and well-rounded platforms for global brands to partner with.
Keeping hold of stars like Mo Salah and Virgil van Dijk has been critical to Liverpool’s sponsorship value. Their presence helps partners activate more effectively. Salah’s recent viral celebration with Google Pixel shows how player moments can double as global brand endorsements. It keeps Liverpool culturally relevant, and that’s exactly what top-tier sponsors are buying into.
Liverpool’s infrastructure improvements and continued Champions League participation have further strengthened its sponsorship appeal. Meanwhile, the club’s sleeve sponsorship valuation has jumped 25% to £31.4 million, buoyed not only by its own brand strength but also by benchmark-setting deals elsewhere in the league, including Manchester City’s £55m sleeve partnership with OKX and Manchester United’s £20m deal with DXC Technology.
Liverpool’s current front-of-shirt partner, Standard Chartered, agreed its deal in July 2022 at a reported £50 million per year. Since then, the club’s fair market sponsorship value has risen by 32%, offering a significant uplift in value for the bank. If new head coach Arne Slot can continue Liverpool’s trajectory on the pitch, the club will be in a commanding position to renegotiate upwards when the deal expires at the end of the 2026/27 season.
View the full Premier League Fair Market Sponsorship table with historical results here.
View sleeve sponsorship values here.
Methodology
What is Fair Market Value (FMV)?
Fair market value in sponsorship refers to the amount a team or event can reasonably expect to achieve for its sponsorship on the open market where no associated party relationship exists.
Premier League fair market value (FMV) and Associated Party Transactions (APT) rules exist to maintain the league’s competitiveness by preventing clubs from artificially inflating sponsorship deals with associated parties or shared owners.
How is Fair Market Value calculated?
- Sponsorship Strength Assessment
Each club’s sponsorship strength is evaluated relative to its peers using a weighted scorecard based on the criteria most important to senior brand marketers. These criteria are identified via a survey of The Sponsor’s audience of marketing leaders and grouped into three categories:
- Reputation – club history, cultural relevance, facilities
- Audience – reach, frequency, demographics, engagement
- Contribution – community impact, sustainability, fan initiatives
Brand reach was weighted most heavily, reflecting its importance to sponsors.
- Deal Benchmarking
These strength scores were then compared with publicly reported sponsorship values from trusted outlets such as The Athletic to identify market trends and anchor points.
- Regression Modelling
Using polynomial regression, a market curve was generated to map sponsorship strength to value, producing an FMV for each Premier League club’s front-of-shirt and sleeve assets.
About the Valuation
The Sponsor is an independent valuer with no vested or commercial interests in the outcome.
The research methodology takes a point-in-time valuation as of 23:59 on 29th May 2025 and does not seek to forecast or predict the future performance of teams as it relates to European qualification or relegation. Consequently, clubs and sponsors may place higher or lower valuations on the sponsorship assets as a result of their own forecasts, assumptions and agreement length.
If you would like further information regarding a valuation of your sponsorship asset, email The Sponsor at info@thesponsor.com.
