Newcastle suffer drop off in sponsorship value - Report

Newcastle United still has not secured a front-of-shirt sponsor for next season following the end of the £25m deal with Saudi Arabian events company, Sela.

The shirt sponsor landscape will change dramatically next season as gambling companies can no longer occupy the coveted spots on shirts following a new ruling.

Betting companies made up the majority of the Premier League's front-of-shirt sponsorship market, and now the ban is expected to lower the going rate for shirt sponsors as fewer companies will be willing to throw the same kind of money into it as gambling companies were. 

Newcastle ditched their gambling sponsor three years ago in favour of Sela, and while they are expected to remain a club partner, they're unlikely to adorn the front of the shirt next season. As things stand, Newcastle could kick off the next campaign without a sponsor.

Newcastle's sponsorship value has taken a huge hit

To make matters worse, a new report from The Sponsor (via The Chronicle) has compiled the current Fair Market Value of each Premier League club's sponsorship, and the Magpies have taken a significant hit.

The £25 million Sela deal is highly overvalued in 2026 money. Newcastle should only be expecting a deal worth £16.9m according to The Sponsor. Similarly, the £7m sleeve sponsor deal with Noon would now only be worth £4m.

Obviously, this doesn't mean that Newcastle can't secure deals above those fair market value estimates, but it's going to be significantly harder to do so.

The Sponsor's editor explains the dip in value

The editor of The Sponsor explained what has harmed Newcastle's valuation, saying that it's not just the gambling ban, but their performance last season.

"Main partners Sela and Noon have enjoyed increased exposure to European audiences through the club's involvement in the Champions League. The consequence of this season's 12th-place finish is not only the absence of European football at St James' Park next season, but also a reduction in the strength and value of its sponsorship assets.

"While clubs such as Manchester United have previously missed out on European football, their ability to continue delivering value to sponsors is maintained by their strong history and truly global fanbase. In Newcastle United's case, the reduction in sponsor visibility is far more acute, resulting in a 29% decline in sponsorship value.

"However, Newcastle still provides considerable value to commercial partners thanks to its status within the region, strong community ties and passionate fanbase.

"The club's front-of-shirt sponsorship asset has a fair market value of £16.9m, significantly below the reported £25m value of the current Sela deal. The market value of the club's sleeve sponsorship asset has also declined to £4m, £3.5m below the reported value of the current Noon partnership.

"With both partnerships up for renewal, Newcastle will need to once again secure increased audience exposure for sponsors if it hopes to command similarly lucrative fees at the next renewal."

We wouldn't be shocked to see Sela on next season's shirts

Given the poor reception to the new home kit, we're not sure how much difference a front-of-shirt sponsor can really make to the look of the top. It's unlikely to make or break the aesthetic in this case, but it does look like a shirt that could benefit from having something to break up all those lines.

Sela wants to remain a partner of Newcastle United. We wouldn't be surprised if they return as our sponsor next season, even if they just sign a one-year deal for the sake of getting a deal done. Although we suspect it will be at a reduced rate compared to the outgoing deal.

There's still plenty of time to get a sponsor in before the start of the new campaign, but the new kits will be ready to go on sale soon, and they're going to have to be released with blank fronts. Maybe they'll allow early buyers the option to add the sponsor for free at the club shops when it's all sorted.