Why don’t Chelsea have a sponsor on the front of their jersey?

Chelsea, who host Aston Villa in the Premier League on Sunday, are one of few professional teams without a main sponsor on their shirts.

For the second year in succession, Chelsea have started the season without a main sponsor on the front of their jerseys, something of a rarity in the world of professional soccer.

The five-time Premier League winners have gone through a period of upheaval under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.

Blues' search for a sponsor

Following the expiry of a front-of-shirt sponsorship deal worth £120 million ($152m) with telecommunications firm Three, who sponsored Chelsea’s jerseys from 2020 to 2023, The Blues have yet to formally agree a new long-term sponsor.

Last season, they played the first seven games of the season without a sponsor, until Infinite Athlete, a sports technology company, stepped in for the remainder of the season.

According to iNews, Chelsea believed that if they qualified for the Champions League, the company could agree to a long-term extension which would see them earn more than Arsenal and Manchester City’s bumper deals with Emirates and Etihad respectively.

However, the Londoners finished sixth in the standings, missing out on the UCL.

That is also thought to be the reason a deal with Riyadh Airlines didn’t materialise. Launched by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, the airline had been linked with a multi-year sponsorship deal.

Chelsea had proposed deal with Paramount blocked

Previously, Chelsea had come to an agreement with streaming platform Paramount+ for sponsorship of their kit of the 2023/24 season, which was ultimately blocked by a Premier League ruling. However the league was concerned that the deal may upset existing broadcast rights holders, despite not being in direct competition for Premier League broadcast rights.

However, in other fields Paramount+ is considered a rival of CBS and other PL rights holders, sparking concern that a deal would affect that relationship.

The club subsequently considered a deal with Stake.com, an online gambling firm. Premier League teams are currently allowed betting companies as front-of-shirt sponsors but that will change after the end of the 2025/26 season after the league announced a forthcoming ban.

The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust found that 77% of fans opposed the proposed betting sponsorship and the club quickly moved away from the idea.

With the club still close to Financial Fair Play limits, officials will be eager to get the front-of-shirt sponsor deal agreed before long to ensure a much-needed injection of cash.

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