Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Yeltzer on January 10, 2023, 01:42:05 PM
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Seems we have signed a deal with devil according to the Telegraph.
3 year deal with BK8 who Norwich ditched after 3 days after their tweets were linked with sex sites.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/01/10/aston-villa-agree-deal-gambling-firm-dropped-norwich-due-sexualised/
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It doesn't actually say front of shirt, mind.
Poor judgement on this one from the club, still.
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Aston Villa have signed a three-year deal with a controversial gambling sponsor axed by Norwich City over sexually provocative adverts.
Logos for online casino BK8 appear likely to feature on club jerseys, despite ongoing Premier League discussions around a voluntary betting ban on shirt fronts.
Precise details of the sponsorship deal have yet to be confirmed, but Villa were known to be in the market for a new front of shirt brand from next season. Cazoo, an online car retailer, says its current deal as lead sponsor expires at the end of the season. However, another source raised the possibility that the brand could feature on shirt sleeves.
Villa declined to comment on the deal, but anti-addiction campaigners expressed dismay that the club would consider any sort of partnership with BK8.
In the summer of 2021, Norwich had been forced to tear up a deal with the same Asian betting firm amid outrage among fans and locals who pointed out BK8 marketing on YouTube featured simulated sex acts with a sausage. One Instagram account that claimed to belong to a BK8 “ambassador” also claimed that they were linked directly to hardcore pornography.
Norwich clarified the adverts “do not align with the wider vision and values” of the club before eventually severing the shirt deal with BK8. The brand also apologised, removing some of the offensive content, and has since attempted to remarket itself, announcing recent smaller partnerships with Crystal Palace, Burnley and Huddersfield.
However, the deal with Villa is by far BK8’s biggest contract to date, and is already facing severe criticism from campaigners.
The deal comes to light just weeks before the Government is finally expected to publish its white paper on gambling reform next month.
Clubs have previously signalled privately that they were open to a voluntary clampdown on betting sponsors on shirts to fend off the threat of the Government bringing in legislation.
The Premier League was due to vote last summer on a ban on front-of-shirt sponsorship, but it was postponed, with top tier chief executive Richard Masters blaming the “political hiatus”.
However, doubt over a potential agreement has been fuelled by Everton, Fulham and Bournemouth agreeing shirt deals with betting operators for the current season.
Senior figures at the All Party Parliamentary Group on Gambling Related Harm said Villa’s incoming deal with BK8 for next season was “incredibly poor judgment”.
Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader who sits on the all-party group, told Telegraph Sport: “This is a very ill-judged move – particularly in the current context of clubs increasingly rejecting ties with gambling companies given the scale of harm they cause.”
James Grimes, founder of the Big Step campaign against gambling sponsorship, added: “This is a tone-deaf partnership in the face of inevitable government action on gambling ads and against a backdrop of mounting fan pressure – which caused the same online casino to be booted out of a club as recently as 2021.
“It is increasingly clear that desperate clubs can not be trusted on this issue – they continue to partner with gambling companies while lives are at stake. The Government must now take responsibility of this farcical situation and end gambling sponsorship in football in the imminent white paper.”
Villa are also one of eight Premier League clubs to have entered into recent partnerships with William Hill. The bookmaker sparked a recent outcry by launching “Home Shops” in club branding, which charities fear will lure in young supporters.
Villa declined to comment on the new arrangement with BK8, but outgoing sponsor Cazoo said in a statement: “The Cazoo sponsorship of Aston Villa Football Club was for three years and expires at the end of the current 2022/23 season. It has been a very strong and successful partnership for both parties and we are proud to have supported the club and raised over £120,000 for the Aston Villa Foundation during this time.”
BK8 has yet to respond, having been contacted by Telegraph Sport on Monday.
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It is a bit surprising that, despite the business acumen of the current regime, we can't raise our sponsorship appeal beyond the likes of BK8.
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What was the issue with Norwich (can't read Telegraph link)? Was it that their adverts were a bit close to the line or something more sinister?
While it isn't necessarily great judgement, I suspect you'd struggle to find many betting firms (particularly the ones linked with football who nobody has ever heard of) that are above reproach ... not saying that makes it ok though.
Edit: just read the article. Sounds like they lack taste in the extreme...
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The good news just keeps on coming...
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I think betting firms sponsoring football should be banned, but until they are then in a competitive league it's reasonable for Villa to seek similar sponsorship deals to our direct competitiors.
In terms of the individual firms, I'm sure they're allmuch of a muchness. Norwich dropped out because of some sexualised adverts (something to do with a sausage) That was 3 years ago and the campaign was dropped. It's a bit like an argument over whose despotic murdering owners are worse really, with Arsenal, Spurs and Man Utd fans currently twerking to the Qataris when they've spent the last 12 months slagging off Newcastle.
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It is a bit surprising that, despite the business acumen of the current regime, we can't raise our sponsorship appeal beyond the likes of BK8.
Is exactly what I was thinking. We're still incredibly second -rare in some areas.
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Add this to Duelbits as pretty shit companies to be associated with.
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I think betting firms sponsoring football should be banned, but until they are then in a competitive league it's reasonable for Villa to seek similar sponsorship deals to our direct competitiors.
I don't think there is anything wrong with gambling sponsors.
What I wonder is why we are poking around at the BK8 end of the gambling sponsor market.
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I think betting firms sponsoring football should be banned, but until they are then in a competitive league it's reasonable for Villa to seek similar sponsorship deals to our direct competitiors.
I don't think there is anything wrong with gambling sponsors.
What I wonder is why we are poking around at the BK8 end of the gambling sponsor market.
You're looking for the tallwest dwarf. They all destroy lives.
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I think betting firms sponsoring football should be banned, but until they are then in a competitive league it's reasonable for Villa to seek similar sponsorship deals to our direct competitiors.
I don't think there is anything wrong with gambling sponsors.
What I wonder is why we are poking around at the BK8 end of the gambling sponsor market.
You're looking for the tallwest dwarf. They all destroy lives.
Agree 100%, very disappointed in this deal.
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On top of this some suggestion the Qatari’s involved at PSG are meeting with our owners at some point over possible investment.
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You dont have to Google too much to see the issue. This is grim.
https://www.casino.org/news/epls-norwich-city-ditches-primary-sponsor-bk8-over-seedy-promos/
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Oh, but look who endorses them ...
(https://i.ibb.co/vVNttM9/MFW-070621a.jpg) (https://ibb.co/vVNttM9)
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In the summer of 2021, Norwich had been forced to tear up a deal with the same Asian betting firm amid outrage among fans and locals who pointed out BK8 marketing on YouTube featured simulated sex acts with a sausage. One Instagram account that claimed to belong to a BK8 “ambassador” also claimed that they were linked directly to hardcore pornography.
Not a turkey, then?
Just to add to those who disapproves of deals with gambling companies.
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Oh, but look who endorses them ...
(https://i.ibb.co/vVNttM9/MFW-070621a.jpg) (https://ibb.co/vVNttM9)
Come home, sweet prince.
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A gambling firm? Oh no!
A sausage used in an advert? Oh no!
More concerning is that Cazoo might be dropping us. They sponsored me having a poo last week.
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Certainly not desirable to have gambling firms on the shirts but that is just my layman view…without context it’s hard to quantify outrage ie how much a gambling firm will pay against how much a non-gambling firm would pay and how significant that income stream is to the club??
The Qatar one is concerning - I suspect either the Premier League or a European Super League will be owned by Saudi / Qatar etc in 5 years so all the clubs will follow PSG / Newcastle etc and get into bed with the devil which is why the league bending over to let them buy Newcastle so they could start to get a piece of the pie was so sickening.
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We should convince AB InBev to let us embalzon the new North Stand in Stella Artois regalia to improve our public image a bit.
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A gambling firm? Oh no!
A sausage used in an advert? Oh no!
Did you look at the link to the adverts further up the thread?
I hope you’re not okay with the use of young women barely older than girls to sell products.
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A gambling firm? Oh no!
A sausage used in an advert? Oh no!
Did you look at the link to the adverts further up the thread?
I hope you’re not okay with the use of young women barely older than girls to sell products.
I'd rather it was Cadbury's, or Mondelez, if you will.
This would be the lesser of three evils (after booze and gambling) while simultaneously pissing off the noses who would likely claim it to be their local world-famous manufacturer.
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I have a hard time accepting gambling companies being involved in football (or anything else) at all, but these seem particularly bad.
Hope the club see sense on this.
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A gambling firm? Oh no!
A sausage used in an advert? Oh no!
Did you look at the link to the adverts further up the thread?
I hope you’re not okay with the use of young women barely older than girls to sell products.
Best ignored to be honest. Just here on the wind-up.
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A gambling firm? Oh no!
A sausage used in an advert? Oh no!
Did you look at the link to the adverts further up the thread?
I hope you’re not okay with the use of young women barely older than girls to sell products.
I haven't looked to verify, but I understood they dropped that campaign back in 2021?
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I think betting firms sponsoring football should be banned, but until they are then in a competitive league it's reasonable for Villa to seek similar sponsorship deals to our direct competitiors.
I don't think there is anything wrong with gambling sponsors.
What I wonder is why we are poking around at the BK8 end of the gambling sponsor market.
I have to disagree, there's an awful lot wrong with
gambling companies and the damage their practices cause to communities including our own (Villa supporters). A public stand from the club that we will never "partner" with a betting company would generate far better PR and goodwill than whatever paltry amount this crowd are pumping in.
As an example, The GAA in Ireland has banned any sponsorship by gambling companies of any team in recent years. AVFC can certainly afford to do without BK8 and shouldn't need the FA stepping in to stop it outright. With the match ticket prices in the midst of a cost of living crisis also shooting up, it does give the sense of a club increasingly disconnected from it's community and supporters.
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How many people who are against gambling sponsors, gamble themselves?
I gamble and don't have a strong opinion either way about whether we should accept sponsorship money from a gambling company. The league Cup has been called the Worthington Cup, and the Carling Cup, and I think Carling has sponsored the Scottish teams. Alcohol also has the potential to ruin lives but drinking is part of the match day experience for a lot of fans.
Should alcohol sponsors be allowed?
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I think betting firms sponsoring football should be banned, but until they are then in a competitive league it's reasonable for Villa to seek similar sponsorship deals to our direct competitiors.
I don't think there is anything wrong with gambling sponsors.
What I wonder is why we are poking around at the BK8 end of the gambling sponsor market.
I have to disagree, there's an awful lot wrong with
gambling companies and the damage their practices cause to communities including our own (Villa supporters). A public stand from the club that we will never "partner" with a betting company would generate far better PR and goodwill than whatever paltry amount this crowd are pumping in.
As an example, The GAA in Ireland has banned any sponsorship by gambling companies of any team in recent years. AVFC can certainly afford to do without BK8 and shouldn't need the FA stepping in to stop it outright. With the match ticket prices in the midst of a cost of living crisis also shooting up, it does give the sense of a club increasingly disconnected from it's community and supporters.
re gambling, I worked in the industry for over 15 years (and am probably going to end up back in it soon enough) so obviously have a different stance re gambling per se, but if it's currently allowed (and TBH, I'd ban it) then we're not doing anything wrong IMO. I am far more bothered about the other crypto gambling wankers we'd in bed with, they're much dodgier.
I'd also suggest we do need the money, otherwise we'd have a more prestigious sponsor paying more money.
Revenue has to come from somewhere, it's pretty tough for us to say no to this sponsor or that one, no to more expensive tickets etc etc. It's easy to say "don't do that" but tougher to say "do that instead" and point at something realistic.
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I gamble and don't have a strong opinion either way about whether we should accept sponsorship money from a gambling company. The league Cup has been called the Worthington Cup, and the Carling Cup, and I think Carling has sponsored the Scottish teams. Alcohol also has the potential to ruin lives but drinking is part of the match day experience for a lot of fans.
Indeed - lots of things ruin lives if done irresponsibly, but there's not much opprobrium directed at the thousands and thousands of posts here which involve people talking about getting pissed up / needing a drink before, during and after the match etc.
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More concerning is that Cazoo might be dropping us. They sponsored me having a poo last week.
The way they're going, they'll be struggling to pay you for that dump, so I hope your payment terms reflected that.
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How many people who are against gambling sponsors, gamble themselves?
I gamble and don't have a strong opinion either way about whether we should accept sponsorship money from a gambling company. The league Cup has been called the Worthington Cup, and the Carling Cup, and I think Carling has sponsored the Scottish teams. Alcohol also has the potential to ruin lives but drinking is part of the match day experience for a lot of fans.
Should alcohol sponsors be allowed?
Don't gamble personally, my partner will put a beer on the grand national end occasionally but a scratch card. Do drink, albeit fairly irregularly now.
We don't allow people to advertise fags, and rightly so. I think exactly the same rules should apply to booze, gambling, sex workers, and recreational drugs personally. Shouldn't be illegal, but certainly shouldn't be allowed to advertise.
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I think betting firms sponsoring football should be banned, but until they are then in a competitive league it's reasonable for Villa to seek similar sponsorship deals to our direct competitiors.
I don't think there is anything wrong with gambling sponsors.
What I wonder is why we are poking around at the BK8 end of the gambling sponsor market.
I have to disagree, there's an awful lot wrong with
gambling companies and the damage their practices cause to communities including our own (Villa supporters). A public stand from the club that we will never "partner" with a betting company would generate far better PR and goodwill than whatever paltry amount this crowd are pumping in.
As an example, The GAA in Ireland has banned any sponsorship by gambling companies of any team in recent years. AVFC can certainly afford to do without BK8 and shouldn't need the FA stepping in to stop it outright. With the match ticket prices in the midst of a cost of living crisis also shooting up, it does give the sense of a club increasingly disconnected from it's community and supporters.
re gambling, I worked in the industry for over 15 years (and am probably going to end up back in it soon enough) so obviously have a different stance re gambling per se, but if it's currently allowed (and TBH, I'd ban it) then we're not doing anything wrong IMO. I am far more bothered about the other crypto gambling wankers we'd in bed with, they're much dodgier.
I'd also suggest we do need the money, otherwise we'd have a more prestigious sponsor paying more money.
Revenue has to come from somewhere, it's pretty tough for us to say no to this sponsor or that one, no to more expensive tickets etc etc. It's easy to say "don't do that" but tougher to say "do that instead" and point at something realistic.
Picking up on your comment re ‘What I wonder is why we are poking around at the BK8 end of the gambling sponsor market’. Which firms would you think would be more appropriate for Villa to approach and would a sudden improvement in fortunes in the League upen a few more doors?
I was rather irritated when I read about the BK8 / Norwich experience, which is why I’m asking. Why would our club want to be associated with anything like this kind of publicity, years ago or not? There have to be better betting business options for sponsoring our club.
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How many people who are against gambling sponsors, gamble themselves?
I gamble and don't have a strong opinion either way about whether we should accept sponsorship money from a gambling company. The league Cup has been called the Worthington Cup, and the Carling Cup, and I think Carling has sponsored the Scottish teams. Alcohol also has the potential to ruin lives but drinking is part of the match day experience for a lot of fans.
Should alcohol sponsors be allowed?
I gamble occasionally but gambling advertising is vile. That utter gimp Paddy Power and their hilarious ads, if you want an expose of a top tier betting partner, have a read of 'Tony10,' it's a shocking tale. The pervasive influence of their mass advertising around nearly every sporting event, like that twat Ray Winstone "have a bang on that". You ever start having a winning streak with some of these companies and they won't be long restricting your stakes but losers always welcome.
Alcohol is a whataboutery argument but still I would be in favour of banning advertising. People will still drink and beer will still be part of the matchday experience without advertising. Gambling is a far more corrosive influence on society I think.
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I don't have a massive issue with gambling advertising - I understand the damage etc - but football sold its soul long ago and we have long accepted some of the prices you have to pay as a result.
I have a problem with the kind of adverts they use
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Poor show.
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The sooner there’s a blanket ban on all sports sponsorship for all sports the better. The whole industry is a blight on our game.
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I have a problem with the kind of adverts they use
Yes, the numerous adverts (Harry Redknapp etc.) irritate me far more than the shirt sponsorship as do the 'footie plus cash' competitions ITV features in its football coverage. I'll be really miffed though if the BK8 logo incorporates Chinese script as it always makes any shirt look like sh!t.
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I don't have a massive issue with gambling advertising - I understand the damage etc - but football sold its soul long ago and we have long accepted some of the prices you have to pay as a result.
I have a problem with the kind of adverts they use
Used. I'm sure they are still no angels, but on the face of it they cleaned up their act after the Norwich issues and appear to have (possibly token) involvement with community work and charities etc with their current clubs.
They are currently Palace, Burnley & Huddersfield's betting partners and were involved with a few La Liga clubs including Villarreal - all agreed after the Norwich problems.
Any gambling firm tie up is problematic, but I'm not sure there's much to get worked up about Bk8 in comparison to most of the other gambling sponsors out there.
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I think betting firms sponsoring football should be banned, but until they are then in a competitive league it's reasonable for Villa to seek similar sponsorship deals to our direct competitiors.
I don't think there is anything wrong with gambling sponsors.
What I wonder is why we are poking around at the BK8 end of the gambling sponsor market.
I have to disagree, there's an awful lot wrong with
gambling companies and the damage their practices cause to communities including our own (Villa supporters). A public stand from the club that we will never "partner" with a betting company would generate far better PR and goodwill than whatever paltry amount this crowd are pumping in.
As an example, The GAA in Ireland has banned any sponsorship by gambling companies of any team in recent years. AVFC can certainly afford to do without BK8 and shouldn't need the FA stepping in to stop it outright. With the match ticket prices in the midst of a cost of living crisis also shooting up, it does give the sense of a club increasingly disconnected from it's community and supporters.
re gambling, I worked in the industry for over 15 years (and am probably going to end up back in it soon enough) so obviously have a different stance re gambling per se, but if it's currently allowed (and TBH, I'd ban it) then we're not doing anything wrong IMO. I am far more bothered about the other crypto gambling wankers we'd in bed with, they're much dodgier.
I'd also suggest we do need the money, otherwise we'd have a more prestigious sponsor paying more money.
Revenue has to come from somewhere, it's pretty tough for us to say no to this sponsor or that one, no to more expensive tickets etc etc. It's easy to say "don't do that" but tougher to say "do that instead" and point at something realistic.
Picking up on your comment re ‘What I wonder is why we are poking around at the BK8 end of the gambling sponsor market’. Which firms would you think would be more appropriate for Villa to approach and would a sudden improvement in fortunes in the League upen a few more doors?
I was rather irritated when I read about the BK8 / Norwich experience, which is why I’m asking. Why would our club want to be associated with anything like this kind of publicity, years ago or not? There have to be better betting business options for sponsoring our club.
The better we do, the more exposure we get, the more appealing we are to sponsors, the higher profile sponsors look at us. Look at the sponsors of the top clubs, none of them are gambling industry. BK8 are not a big player even in the gambling industry, so will not have paid much for the right to be associated with us.
It just surprises me that, despite our new clued up commercial overlords, we're still attracting unimpressive small-fry sponsors.
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I would not be bothered if as a country we ban all booze, illegal drugs, gambling, and smoking (including vapes).
I do not do any of the above and have no interest in doing them
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I would not be bothered if as a country we ban all booze, illegal drugs, gambling, and smoking (including vapes).
Ban illegal drugs?
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It looks shit on a shirt, that sponsor. Fuck me.
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I would not be bothered if as a country we ban all booze, illegal drugs, gambling, and smoking (including vapes).
I do not do any of the above and have no interest in doing them
Thats very kind of you Sid.
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How much are we being paid to have a gambling logo on our shirt? I hate all this shit
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BK8 was previously axed by Norwich City in the summer of 2021 over sexually provocative adverts. The brand apologised and has since attempted to remarket itself, announcing partnerships with Crystal Palace, Burnley and Huddersfield.
Sound like a lovely company. Do the club no longer have any morals or standards? Are we really that desperate for dodgy money
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Yes, to make up for all the empty seats
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BK8 was previously axed by Norwich City in the summer of 2021 over sexually provocative adverts. The brand apologised and has since attempted to remarket itself, announcing partnerships with Crystal Palace, Burnley and Huddersfield.
Sound like a lovely company. Do the club no longer have any morals or standards? Are we really that desperate for dodgy money
We've hit bedrock.
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I would not be bothered if as a country we ban all booze, illegal drugs, gambling, and smoking (including vapes).
Ban illegal drugs?
I think he means banning making drugs illegal. Each to their own i suppose.
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I would not be bothered if as a country we ban all booze, illegal drugs, gambling, and smoking (including vapes).
Ban illegal drugs?
I think he means banning making drugs illegal. Each to their own i suppose.
Either that or he really seems to think the current Afghan social model has something going for it.
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A gambling firm? Oh no!
A sausage used in an advert? Oh no!
Did you look at the link to the adverts further up the thread?
I hope you’re not okay with the use of young women barely older than girls to sell products.
I can only access the casino.org article, which under closer inspection shows a woman enjoying a chocolate-covered banana, rather than a highly suggestive hotdog-eating competition as the image caption describes.
The caption points out this is a separate campaign to the pictures on the right which shows some adult women lying around doing not a lot.
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Having not bought a Villa shirt since Woodhall was hawking knock-offs via the inside back cover of some magazine or other, I'd stopped noticing sponsors. Just seen Moreno holding up a shirt and realised it looks like a darts top. I expect the Electric Avenue car knacker yard to be down near the arse on the back and Lambert & Butler shifting cancer sticks via the belly button. How many logos do we need before we can compete with the Stevenages of this world?
Mark sponsors down as reason 16,037 I hate modern football. May as well just have ISIS plastered across our tits.
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I would not be bothered if as a country we ban all booze, illegal drugs, gambling, and smoking (including vapes).
Ban illegal drugs?
I think he means banning making drugs illegal. Each to their own i suppose.
Either that or he really seems to think the current Afghan social model has something going for it.
I would ban the God-fearing folks of Dudley from stopping the rest of the world having fun. But then I'm a woke lefty fascist.
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Mark sponsors down as reason 16,037 I hate modern football. May as well just have ISIS plastered across our tits.
Well, as long as the logo was plain white (similar to Acorns and Cazoo) and not too large or obtrusive.
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Fellow subtle and unobtrusive types. I suspect they'd only hint at male domination in their logo.
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I don't think there is anything wrong with gambling sponsors.
What I wonder is why we are poking around at the BK8 end of the gambling sponsor market.
Picking up on your comment re ‘What I wonder is why we are poking around at the BK8 end of the gambling sponsor market’. Which firms would you think would be more appropriate for Villa to approach and would a sudden improvement in fortunes in the League upen a few more doors?
I was rather irritated when I read about the BK8 / Norwich experience, which is why I’m asking. Why would our club want to be associated with anything like this kind of publicity, years ago or not? There have to be better betting business options for sponsoring our club.
The better we do, the more exposure we get, the more appealing we are to sponsors, the higher profile sponsors look at us. Look at the sponsors of the top clubs, none of them are gambling industry. BK8 are not a big player even in the gambling industry, so will not have paid much for the right to be associated with us.
It just surprises me that, despite our new clued up commercial overlords, we're still attracting unimpressive small-fry sponsors.
[/quote]
Thanks, I agree that it’s a bit of a mystery, put in the NSWE context.
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I would not be bothered if as a country we ban all booze, illegal drugs, gambling, and smoking (including vapes).
Ban illegal drugs?
Yeah, that'll stop the fuckers from taking them!
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I don't think there is anything wrong with gambling sponsors.
What I wonder is why we are poking around at the BK8 end of the gambling sponsor market.
Picking up on your comment re ‘What I wonder is why we are poking around at the BK8 end of the gambling sponsor market’. Which firms would you think would be more appropriate for Villa to approach and would a sudden improvement in fortunes in the League upen a few more doors?
I was rather irritated when I read about the BK8 / Norwich experience, which is why I’m asking. Why would our club want to be associated with anything like this kind of publicity, years ago or not? There have to be better betting business options for sponsoring our club.
The better we do, the more exposure we get, the more appealing we are to sponsors, the higher profile sponsors look at us. Look at the sponsors of the top clubs, none of them are gambling industry. BK8 are not a big player even in the gambling industry, so will not have paid much for the right to be associated with us.
It just surprises me that, despite our new clued up commercial overlords, we're still attracting unimpressive small-fry sponsors.
Thanks, I agree that it’s a bit of a mystery, put in the NSWE context.
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My concern would not be so much the owners - but the commercial team they have put in place.
I am not convince that CP "gets" certain things
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I’d agree with that. I realise in a post covid world the sponsorship opportunities are probably limited, the fact we aren’t in Europe is also a drawback but the fact our commercial team seem to swoon with delight every time some two bit betting company shows us a bit of ankle is ever so slightly worrying. Then again if they’re paying what we think it’s worth then 🤷🏼♂️. I must admit in an NSWE world I’d be expecting something a bit more blue chip.
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Mark sponsors down as reason 16,037 I hate modern football. May as well just have ISIS plastered across our tits.
If they had ISIS in a white font, Mita Copiers-style, I could live with it.
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Maybe not if we have a black third shirt. Bad optics.
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I think betting firms sponsoring football should be banned, but until they are then in a competitive league it's reasonable for Villa to seek similar sponsorship deals to our direct competitiors.
I don't think there is anything wrong with gambling sponsors.
What I wonder is why we are poking around at the BK8 end of the gambling sponsor market.
I know very little about the gambling market. Some of the named sponsors in this field on football shirts I've never heard of, BK8 being one. What is the BK8 end of the market? Not as big as Ladbrokes, Genting 365 or who ever is it? Sounds to me that the lower end of this market is for those who haven't been successful at extracting expendable or non expendable income quickly enough from punters. In other words, not that efficient or successful in gaining a bigger slice of the causing misery pie. Have I got it wrong?
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A small operation in the wider picture of things, basically.
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How much are we being paid to have a gambling logo on our shirt? I hate all this shit
Me too
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A gambling firm? Oh no!
A sausage used in an advert? Oh no!
Did you look at the link to the adverts further up the thread?
I hope you’re not okay with the use of young women barely older than girls to sell products.
I'd rather it was Cadbury's, or Mondelez, if you will.
Has a local connection but I suspect Cadbury's wouldn't be acceptable either for many that object to BK8.
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From the Supporters Trust
Dear Bastard,
Following a report in the Daily Telegraph on 10th January 2023, the Aston Villa Supporters’ Trust, in conjunction with the Aston Villa Fans Consultation Group (FCG) supported by Gambling with Lives charity and The Big Step campaign, is extremely disappointed to learn of Aston Villa’s alleged Principal Partnership Agreement with gambling firm, BK8.
The Trust actively raised the issue of problematic sponsorship arrangements, including gambling, at the last Annual General Meeting in September 2022 with Aston Villa CEO Christian Purslow. He assured the Trust that unless financial circumstances dramatically changed, there would be no gambling front of shirt sponsor in the short term. This sentiment had previously been expressed in Villa FCG meetings.
While we appreciate that gambling firms typically pay above the average rate for Premier League shirt sponsorships, considering the club's promises we feel Aston Villa is not holding itself to a high enough standard, especially when it comes to the ethics of sponsorship arrangements. It also seems there is an element of opportunism in taking advantage of the serially delayed government white paper on gambling reform within football - notably the outlawing of gambling shirt sponsors.
It would appear fans have potentially been misled, given BK8’s highly publicised past misogynistic marketing practices. Our Club is not holding itself to a high enough standard, especially when it comes to the ethics of sponsorship arrangements.
The message this arrangement sends to fans about our Club's commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion, and indeed to the Aston Villa Women's team and all other females at the Club is unacceptable. Sexualising women to promote a gambling company and induce fans into betting is definitely not what Aston Villa Football Club is all about. Younger fans will also be unfairly penalised by this move. They will endure three seasons of exposure to harmful marketing, all the while unable to look like their Villa heroes in the same shirts they wear on the pitch.
While the Club has acknowledged supporter concerns to the potential sponsor we have not received any explanation or clarification of the deal. We remind them of their duty to protect fans from the harms of gambling and to not bring its name or reputation into disrepute. With over 400 gambling-related suicides each year and millions more being harmed, promoting yet more online casinos to supporters, let-alone during a cost-of-living crisis, is extremely irresponsible.
The Trust actively works with charities like Gambling with Lives, the FCG, and other official Supporters’ Trusts to ensure fans are informed and supported about the dangers of gambling addiction and will continue to do so.
Sadly, this incident is not the first occasion upon which the Club has entered into a controversial sponsorship arrangement. It is unlikely to be the last unless the Club urgently acknowledges the issues mentioned in this statement and, without delay, re-evaluates its agreement with BK8.
Signed by:
Aston Villa Fans Consultation Group
Gambling With Lives
The Big Step
Football Supporters Against Gambling Adverts
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I wonder how many more errors of judgement Purslow is going to get away with?
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That statement suggests this is a front-of-shirt deal but I don't think that has been confirmed has it?
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I hope the push back causes embarrasment at the club and the deal is either cancelled or if it still does happen it is a minor deal and certainly not front and centre on the kit.
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There hasn't been anything confirming this as a main shirt sponsor.
The Trust might have wanted to do some research on that, as they're going to look a bit dim if it's not.
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Yup, 'Principle Partner' is currently the terminology used for the current sleeve sponsor, Kaiyun, which I didnt know until two minutes ago. Also a betting firm.
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From the Supporters Trust
Younger fans will also be unfairly penalised by this move. They will endure three seasons of exposure to harmful marketing, all the while unable to look like their Villa heroes in the same shirts they wear on the pitch.
Laying it on a bit thick, aren't they?
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The gambling industry is disgusting and ought to be banned from all sports advertising. I don't want Villa advertising gambling firms at all, but in all fairness they already are, along with every team who appear on TV where Sky and the other leaches never stop with the gambling ads.
So while it doesn't look great, and people can criticise us, our hands will be dirty with or without this deal. Every PL and EFL team's hands are dirty as long as they get money from Sky.
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From the Supporters Trust
Younger fans will also be unfairly penalised by this move. They will endure three seasons of exposure to harmful marketing, all the while unable to look like their Villa heroes in the same shirts they wear on the pitch.
Laying it on a bit thick, aren't they?
Nope, it's true.
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Trust spot on with it's response IMHO.
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Aston Villa refuse to U-turn on new controversial shirt sponsor after fan backlash
Telegraph Sport disclosed details earlier this month of the club's new advertising deal with online casino BK8
By
Tom Morgan,
SPORTS NEWS CORRESPONDENT
31 January 2023 • 5:18pm
Aston Villa have dismissed a campaign from their own supporters to abandon a shirt sponsorship deal with controversial online casino BK8. Christian Purslow, the club's chief executive, met with fan groups protesting after Telegraph Sport revealed details of the new three-year arrangement.
But the club is refusing to budge despite outrage over the brand axed by Norwich City in 2021 over sexualised adverts with young women. The Aston Villa Fans Consultation Group said following the meeting that BK8 now appears certain to be "the new front-of-shirt sponsor for the next three seasons".
"While some fans will be disappointed after Villa’s current front-of-shirt sponsor moved away from gambling companies, the commercial reality is that to teams outside the top six, such sponsors offer clubs twice as much financially as non-gambling companies," the supporter group added.
The decision is a major blow for anti-gambling campaigners who had been hoping Premier League clubs would press ahead with a voluntary ban on betting shirt sponsors.
Thousands of supporters expressed anger as Purslow had previously suggested the club was moving away from gambling front of shirt sponsors.
"While we appreciate that gambling firms typically pay above the average rate for Premier League shirt sponsorships, considering the club's promises we feel Aston Villa is not holding itself to a high enough standard, especially when it comes to the ethics of sponsorship arrangements," the Villa fan groups previously said in a letter to the club.
Villa's deal with Cazoo, the current sponsor, expires this summer. As disclosed by Telegraph Sport earlier this month, the club will confirm a new sponsorship arrangement with BK8, probably by May
In the summer of 2021, Norwich had been forced to tear up a deal with the same Asian betting firm amid outrage among fans and locals who pointed out marketing on YouTube featured simulated sex acts with a sausage.
One Instagram account that claimed to belong to a BK8 "ambassador" also reportedly linked directly to hardcore pornography. BK8 have since deleted the adverts, apologised and rebranded themselves.
The Big Step campaign group against gambling advertising in football said in a statement that the situation was indicative of clubs failing to put "people before profit".
"In the last few days, we have seen Preston put a gambling advert on their shirt for a televised match one season after ditching betting sponsorship due to 'grave misgivings' from fans," a statement added.
"Days later it is now all but confirmed that Aston Villa have signed a multi-year shirt sponsorship deal with an online casino despite the club telling fan groups they had taken the 'ethical decision' not to have such sponsors just three months ago. These aren't isolated examples."
A Government white paper on gambling legislation reform is imminent, but the campaign group added: "Time and again so many clubs say one thing about gambling before doing another. The commendable clubs who put people before profit are sadly in the minority. As a community of people harmed by gambling, largely made up of huge football fans, we would love for our teams to voluntarily move away from gambling sponsorship, and we will continue to persuade them to do so.
But it is now clear that most clubs cannot be trusted on gambling - they are not listening to their own supporters who are consistently and increasingly opposed to these harmful deals."
Villa have repeatedly declined to comment on the sponsorship arrangements.
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Covering ourselves in glory again.
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Between that and the socios deal, i think it's pretty clear purslow couldn't give a shit about the fans.
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Between that and the socios deal, i think it's pretty clear purslow couldn't give a shit about the fans.
He's the very definition of a mid-ranking Tory cabinet minister. All spin and weasel words. He looks like he'd love nothing more than a round of redundancies for season-ticket holders 'for the future of the business'. Twat.
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Between that and the socios deal, i think it's pretty clear purslow couldn't give a shit about the fans.
He's the very definition of a mid-ranking Tory cabinet minister. All spin and weasel words. He looks like he'd love nothing more than a round of redundancies for season-ticket holders 'for the future of the business'. Twat.
Ffs can we keep politics out of it just for once
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Between that and the socios deal, i think it's pretty clear purslow couldn't give a shit about the fans.
He's the very definition of a mid-ranking Tory cabinet minister. All spin and weasel words. He looks like he'd love nothing more than a round of redundancies for season-ticket holders 'for the future of the business'. Twat.
Ffs can we keep politics out of it just for once
Tell me about your politics without telling me about your politics.
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Sounds like we got the best deal if they're paying double.
Just tell the kids it stands for Burger King.
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Between that and the socios deal, i think it's pretty clear purslow couldn't give a shit about the fans.
He's the very definition of a mid-ranking Tory cabinet minister. All spin and weasel words. He looks like he'd love nothing more than a round of redundancies for season-ticket holders 'for the future of the business'. Twat.
Ffs can we keep politics out of it just for once
Awkward.
Who let Trotsky back in?
Working class....at what salary level do you move into and out of working class?
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Aston Villa refuse to U-turn on new controversial shirt sponsor after fan backlash
Telegraph Sport disclosed details earlier this month of the club's new advertising deal with online casino BK8
By
Tom Morgan,
SPORTS NEWS CORRESPONDENT
31 January 2023 • 5:18pm
Aston Villa have dismissed a campaign from their own supporters to abandon a shirt sponsorship deal with controversial online casino BK8. Christian Purslow, the club's chief executive, met with fan groups protesting after Telegraph Sport revealed details of the new three-year arrangement.
But the club is refusing to budge despite outrage over the brand axed by Norwich City in 2021 over sexualised adverts with young women. The Aston Villa Fans Consultation Group said following the meeting that BK8 now appears certain to be "the new front-of-shirt sponsor for the next three seasons".
"While some fans will be disappointed after Villa’s current front-of-shirt sponsor moved away from gambling companies, the commercial reality is that to teams outside the top six, such sponsors offer clubs twice as much financially as non-gambling companies," the supporter group added.
The decision is a major blow for anti-gambling campaigners who had been hoping Premier League clubs would press ahead with a voluntary ban on betting shirt sponsors.
Thousands of supporters expressed anger as Purslow had previously suggested the club was moving away from gambling front of shirt sponsors.
"While we appreciate that gambling firms typically pay above the average rate for Premier League shirt sponsorships, considering the club's promises we feel Aston Villa is not holding itself to a high enough standard, especially when it comes to the ethics of sponsorship arrangements," the Villa fan groups previously said in a letter to the club.
Villa's deal with Cazoo, the current sponsor, expires this summer. As disclosed by Telegraph Sport earlier this month, the club will confirm a new sponsorship arrangement with BK8, probably by May
In the summer of 2021, Norwich had been forced to tear up a deal with the same Asian betting firm amid outrage among fans and locals who pointed out marketing on YouTube featured simulated sex acts with a sausage.
One Instagram account that claimed to belong to a BK8 "ambassador" also reportedly linked directly to hardcore pornography. BK8 have since deleted the adverts, apologised and rebranded themselves.
The Big Step campaign group against gambling advertising in football said in a statement that the situation was indicative of clubs failing to put "people before profit".
"In the last few days, we have seen Preston put a gambling advert on their shirt for a televised match one season after ditching betting sponsorship due to 'grave misgivings' from fans," a statement added.
"Days later it is now all but confirmed that Aston Villa have signed a multi-year shirt sponsorship deal with an online casino despite the club telling fan groups they had taken the 'ethical decision' not to have such sponsors just three months ago. These aren't isolated examples."
A Government white paper on gambling legislation reform is imminent, but the campaign group added: "Time and again so many clubs say one thing about gambling before doing another. The commendable clubs who put people before profit are sadly in the minority. As a community of people harmed by gambling, largely made up of huge football fans, we would love for our teams to voluntarily move away from gambling sponsorship, and we will continue to persuade them to do so.
But it is now clear that most clubs cannot be trusted on gambling - they are not listening to their own supporters who are consistently and increasingly opposed to these harmful deals."
Villa have repeatedly declined to comment on the sponsorship arrangements.
thousands of supporters, nobody asked me
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thousands of supporters, nobody asked me
Nor me.
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What I don't understand is why six clubs have access to premium sponsors while the rest of us have to scramble around with the disreputable companies left over? It seems to me that FFP rules are as much a cause of this unedifying situation as anything else and if OCI, Fortress or any other affiliated company were allowed to sponsor Villa, we wouldn't have to sell our souls to these awful entities. It all stinks of an uneven playing field.
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how much is this deal worth do we know ?
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What I don't understand is why six clubs have access to premium sponsors while the rest of us have to scramble around with the disreputable companies left over? It seems to me that FFP rules are as much a cause of this unedifying situation as anything else and if OCI, Fortress or any other affiliated company were allowed to sponsor Villa, we wouldn't have to sell our souls to these awful entities. It all stinks of an uneven playing field.
good point
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I don't have a problem with gambling sponsors, as discussed before.
What I do have a problem with is Purslow telling fans we had decided we wouldn't have them as shirt sponsors, only to then do exactly that, and to refuse to engage when it is pointed out to him.
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Between that and the socios deal, i think it's pretty clear purslow couldn't give a shit about the fans.
He's the very definition of a mid-ranking Tory cabinet minister. All spin and weasel words. He looks like he'd love nothing more than a round of redundancies for season-ticket holders 'for the future of the business'. Twat.
Ffs can we keep politics out of it just for once
Tell me about your politics without telling me about your politics.
SE, I thought a man of your lingustic lexicon was beyond parroting social media mots du jours.
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Between that and the socios deal, i think it's pretty clear purslow couldn't give a shit about the fans.
He's the very definition of a mid-ranking Tory cabinet minister. All spin and weasel words. He looks like he'd love nothing more than a round of redundancies for season-ticket holders 'for the future of the business'. Twat.
Ffs can we keep politics out of it just for once
Tell me about your politics without telling me about your politics.
SE, I thought a man of your lingustic lexicon was beyond parroting social media mots du jours.
You thought wrong bad things about my thinks.
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What I don't understand is why six clubs have access to premium sponsors while the rest of us have to scramble around with the disreputable companies left over? It seems to me that FFP rules are as much a cause of this unedifying situation as anything else and if OCI, Fortress or any other affiliated company were allowed to sponsor Villa, we wouldn't have to sell our souls to these awful entities. It all stinks of an uneven playing field.
Is it not that we’re ‘allowed’ to get them, just not able?
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What I don't understand is why six clubs have access to premium sponsors while the rest of us have to scramble around with the disreputable companies left over? It seems to me that FFP rules are as much a cause of this unedifying situation as anything else and if OCI, Fortress or any other affiliated company were allowed to sponsor Villa, we wouldn't have to sell our souls to these awful entities. It all stinks of an uneven playing field.
Is it not that we’re ‘allowed’ to get them, just not able?
I suspect it’s because they’re likely offering paying a premium because of the change of rules likely to come in soon and other clubs having way, way more of a conscience than our hierarchy to reject them. I mean, didn’t Norwich quickly remove themselves from this very sponsor after a backlash recently? Norwich. Obviously they’ll be offering us more than Norwich but the point remains. I suspect that Purslow either doesn’t have the ability to get a more reputable sponsor or thinks that we won’t care enough as a supporter base or just plain doesn’t care as it’s job done for him. We know he’s not in favour of the fan led review and increased compliance in football governance. You’d have to question why.
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Given the obscene wealth in the PL, based on global viewing figures, I am amazed at how obscure the sponsorships are.
I'm not especially touchy about these things, but If the audience is that vast, why do we have to rely on a gambling company that adopts borderline paedophilia as a marketing strategy?
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Given the obscene wealth in the PL, based on global viewing figures, I am amazed at how obscure the sponsorships are.
I'm not especially touchy about these things, but If the audience is that vast, why do we have to rely on a gambling company that adopts borderline paedophilia as a marketing strategy?
They pay double what non-gambling sponsors pay.
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He was insistent that the dodgy advert was from an affiliate rather than them and they have a compliance unit to ensure nothing like that happens again. They are also very keen to get involved with our community work and the women's team don't have a problem with the deal.
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He was insistent that the dodgy advert was from an affiliate rather than them and they have a compliance unit to ensure nothing like that happens again. They are also very keen to get involved with our community work and the women's team don't have a problem with the deal.
That's good to hear Dave.
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Given the obscene wealth in the PL, based on global viewing figures, I am amazed at how obscure the sponsorships are.
I'm not especially touchy about these things, but If the audience is that vast, why do we have to rely on a gambling company that adopts borderline paedophilia as a marketing strategy?
I don’t get this either. Are they all based in Asia. I see all these various online betting apps and I have never heard of them. So where does the revenue come from to buy shop window space on a PL shirt? Is it all generated in Asia.
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Given the obscene wealth in the PL, based on global viewing figures, I am amazed at how obscure the sponsorships are.
I'm not especially touchy about these things, but If the audience is that vast, why do we have to rely on a gambling company that adopts borderline paedophilia as a marketing strategy?
I don’t get this either. Are they all based in Asia. I see all these various online betting apps and I have never heard of them. So where does the revenue come from to buy shop window space on a PL shirt? Is it all generated in Asia.
They're basically (or have been accused of being) money-laundering fronts for China, Philippines and Macau-based gangsters. And it's pretty disgraceful that football, and us in particular are anything to do with them.
https://josimarfootball.com/the-trillion-dollar-gambling-game/
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What I don't understand is why six clubs have access to premium sponsors while the rest of us have to scramble around with the disreputable companies left over? It seems to me that FFP rules are as much a cause of this unedifying situation as anything else and if OCI, Fortress or any other affiliated company were allowed to sponsor Villa, we wouldn't have to sell our souls to these awful entities. It all stinks of an uneven playing field.
Is it not that we’re ‘allowed’ to get them, just not able?
I don't know, to be honest Percy. I've had a quick Google around and I think the whole driver of what a club is allowed to earn through sponsorship is "fair market value". Now just what "fair market value" is, how it is worked out, and when it first became a "thing" is beyond me. My hunch is it was dreamt up by a certain six clubs some time over the past decade.
Looking at current sponsorship deals between those six clubs and the rest of the league, the gap is enormous and, in my opinion, totally artificial. The sixth highest sponsorship deal in the Premier League (Arsenal's 40 million a year deal) is roughly four times more than West Ham (who have the seventh highest deal). West Ham's shirt deal is nearly double ours. How is this all worked out?
My Googling also tells me the owner-related sponsorship ban is now no longer a thing (Amanda Staveley fought against it) so it would seem there is now nothing stopping clubs being sponsored by entities connected to their owners as long as the sponsorship reflects "fair market value". Bringing it all back to Villa and this current deal with BK8, a question I'd ask Christian Purslow is why can't OCI or Fortress etc step in and pick up the deal?
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Given the obscene wealth in the PL, based on global viewing figures, I am amazed at how obscure the sponsorships are.
I'm not especially touchy about these things, but If the audience is that vast, why do we have to rely on a gambling company that adopts borderline paedophilia as a marketing strategy?
I don’t get this either. Are they all based in Asia. I see all these various online betting apps and I have never heard of them. So where does the revenue come from to buy shop window space on a PL shirt? Is it all generated in Asia.
It's all about logos on television in Asia, not the UK.
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Around 500 people a year, mostly young men, commit suicide, after getting hooked on gambling by these greedy betting companies. That is why I am extremely disappointed with Villa agreeing this deal with BK8. The government has to take control of this and kick gambling ads out football.
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After the Monster partnership this comes as little surprise.
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Between that and the socios deal, i think it's pretty clear purslow couldn't give a shit about the fans.
He's the very definition of a mid-ranking Tory cabinet minister. All spin and weasel words. He looks like he'd love nothing more than a round of redundancies for season-ticket holders 'for the future of the business'. Twat.
Ffs can we keep politics out of it just for once
Awkward.
Who let Trotsky back in?
Working class....at what salary level do you move into and out of working class?
Why is that awkward?
I asked genuinely at what point is someone working class - is it someone who is working? What if they work in a job that is £250K per year?
The Trotsky comment was based on some posters could talk about the weather and it would be Tory this and Brexit that and...... its like they have an obsession to factor it into every thread and discussion.
Surely there are always several threads in off topic about politics - can we not just keep this main thread to football content?
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Between that and the socios deal, i think it's pretty clear purslow couldn't give a shit about the fans.
He's the very definition of a mid-ranking Tory cabinet minister. All spin and weasel words. He looks like he'd love nothing more than a round of redundancies for season-ticket holders 'for the future of the business'. Twat.
Ffs can we keep politics out of it just for once
Awkward.
Who let Trotsky back in?
Working class....at what salary level do you move into and out of working class?
Why is that awkward?
I asked genuinely at what point is someone working class - is it someone who is working? What if they work in a job that is £250K per year?
The Trotsky comment was based on some posters could talk about the weather and it would be Tory this and Brexit that and...... its like they have an obsession to factor it into every thread and discussion.
Surely there are always several threads in off topic about politics - can we not just keep this main thread to football content?
Personally I've gone off the basis that class differences are largely (but not entirely) to do with a single factor. If your actions are directly related to what you earn, you're working class. So a binman gets paid a wage to collect bins for N hours a week, something like that.
Someone who's middle class, what they earn is based on what other people do. So management, you're not doing the day-to-day actual work of, I dunno, selling stuff in Tesco - you're hiring and firing, you're ordering stuff for them to sell. However, your fate is directly tied to those actions - the company fails, you lose your job.
Someone who's upper class, like management they don't do the day-to-day work. However, they're also to some extent abstracted away from how successful those businesses are too. Maybe the own loads of land and whether the businesses on them succeed or fail makes no difference. Maybe, like the king, there's mechanisms in place which largely prevent them from failing. You know, folk like the Duke of Westminster who owns most of the city of Chester (and huge lumps of London), so as long as people live in those places he's alright really, it doesn't matter whether they're poor or rich, successful or not really - he gets his money either way.
It's not so black and white of course, and there's plenty of examples that don't fit in to that rigid definition. But I find it useful as a jumping off point when considering class.
Anyway, shirt sponsorship. I really, really wish we wouldn't get involved with gambling companies. Absolutely not against people gambling if that's what they want to do, but there's a huge gap between that and promoting / endorsing it
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Between that and the socios deal, i think it's pretty clear purslow couldn't give a shit about the fans.
He's the very definition of a mid-ranking Tory cabinet minister. All spin and weasel words. He looks like he'd love nothing more than a round of redundancies for season-ticket holders 'for the future of the business'. Twat.
Ffs can we keep politics out of it just for once
Awkward.
Who let Trotsky back in?
Working class....at what salary level do you move into and out of working class?
Why is that awkward?
I asked genuinely at what point is someone working class - is it someone who is working? What if they work in a job that is £250K per year?
The Trotsky comment was based on some posters could talk about the weather and it would be Tory this and Brexit that and...... its like they have an obsession to factor it into every thread and discussion.
Surely there are always several threads in off topic about politics - can we not just keep this main thread to football content?
I agree Comrade
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It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that a Premier League club will strike a deal with the devil, but what never ceases to amaze me is that adults will buy and wear shirts with these logos on.
Why pay good money to walk around advertising their company for them?
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It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that a Premier League club will strike a deal with the devil, but what never ceases to amaze me is that adults will buy and wear shirts with these logos on.
Why pay good money to walk around advertising their company for them?
or moan about sponsorship shirt deals when those making the shirts are getting paid pennies and working in atrocious conditions and buy them
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It doesn’t surprise me in the slightest that a Premier League club will strike a deal with the devil, but what never ceases to amaze me is that adults will buy and wear shirts with these logos on.
Why pay good money to walk around advertising their company for them?
Blaming supporters now?
Fair play to the supporters trust for exposing Purslow and the board for this appalling decision. Are we that hard up for cash that we need a betting "partner"? Is the damage this disgusting industry causes to our community not considered by the club at all??
Forget the transfer window, this business decision should cause a lot more concern as to the direction of the club.
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The Norwich problems with the porny advertising - was that actually BK whatever they're called, or was it just some affiliate marketer doing it?
Because they're two totally different things if so.
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Affiliate.
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Well, TBF to them, that's a massive difference.
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The government has to take control of this and kick gambling ads out football.
The government took control 3 years ago; they'll sort it.
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BK8 appear to have done everything a reasonable person would hope they would do, in order to prevent affiliates from engaging in behaviours which didn't fully align with their brand.
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Around 500 people a year, mostly young men, commit suicide, after getting hooked on gambling by these greedy betting companies. That is why I am extremely disappointed with Villa agreeing this deal with BK8. The government has to take control of this and kick gambling ads out football.
Annual suicide figures are much higher (in the UK, at least).
Some may or may not be attributed to problems with gambling.
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/64717364
We get a paragraph in this article. I assume, as the ban is voluntary, that we'll be ploughing on with the deal with BK8. :(
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Gambling sponsors will be removed from the front all PL kits starting 25/26. Which is great news long term. Still means we get BK8 for 2 seasons.
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Which is good news but then wonder which appalling industry will Football be then willing to pander to for easy riches and morals and priniciples be damned.
Severn Trent Water it is then.
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A shame really. Betting can be a lot of fun, and can teach a person plenty.
I see some off-shoot of XR is planning another misplaced protest at Aintree this weekend.
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David Michael on the MOMS podcast was saying that the club viewed this as the last opportunity to get a bumper shirt sponsorship deal before the ban kicks in. It sounds like gambling firms pay a lot more than anyone else to sponsor mid-ranking EPL teams.
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A shame really. Betting can be a lot of fun, and can teach a person plenty.
So can cocaine, but I wouldn't want that on the front of a shirt either.
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Apparently 18 out of the 20 PL clubs voted for with two abstentions. I wonder which camp the Villa was in?
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David Michael on the MOMS podcast was saying that the club viewed this as the last opportunity to get a bumper shirt sponsorship deal before the ban kicks in. It sounds like gambling firms pay a lot more than anyone else to sponsor mid-ranking EPL teams.
They do.
It's all about eyes on TV in Asia, and the Asian gambling market is huge. A lot of the PL gambling sponsors don't even have a UK presence.
I am pretty sure Dafabet didn't when they sponsored us, for example.
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A shame really. Betting can be a lot of fun, and can teach a person plenty.
I see some off-shoot of XR is planning another misplaced protest at Aintree this weekend.
Which side of history are you going to be on I wonder?
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A shame really. Betting can be a lot of fun, and can teach a person plenty.
So can cocaine, but I wouldn't want that on the front of a shirt either.
Terrible waste spilling it down your front.
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Wonder how much the disparity between offers is? Am I niaive in thinking it can't be a massive amount.
One of the things I don't like about having a betting firm is that the kids shirts look a bit rubbish without a sponsor on.
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Wonder how much the disparity between offers is? Am I niaive in thinking it can't be a massive amount.
One of the things I don't like about having a betting firm is that the kids shirts look a bit rubbish without a sponsor on.
Disagree.
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Wonder how much the disparity between offers is? Am I niaive in thinking it can't be a massive amount.
One of the things I don't like about having a betting firm is that the kids shirts look a bit rubbish without a sponsor on.
Disagree.
Me too, I’ve always liked our shirts without the sponsors.
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Just tell your seven year old neph or niece that not being a walking billboard is actually cool as fcuk, m'lord, unlike the dumb adult versions.
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Wonder how much the disparity between offers is? Am I niaive in thinking it can't be a massive amount.
One of the things I don't like about having a betting firm is that the kids shirts look a bit rubbish without a sponsor on.
Disagree.
Me too, I’ve always liked our shirts without the sponsors.
Same here, I'd be more inclined to buy a shirt if they sold versions without the sponsor's logo (like Celtic, West Ham etc. do).
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Wonder how much the disparity between offers is? Am I niaive in thinking it can't be a massive amount.
One of the things I don't like about having a betting firm is that the kids shirts look a bit rubbish without a sponsor on.
Disagree.
Me too, I’ve always liked our shirts without the sponsors.
Same here, I'd be more inclined to buy a shirt if they sold versions without the sponsor's logo (like Celtic, West Ham etc. do).
Is the change in sponsorship for the upcoming season confirmed?
It makes sense why the prices of all Cazoo kits are reduced then
Does anyone have a sponsorship they would like to see on the front of the Villa jersey in an ideal world?
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'acorns' again.
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'acorns' again.
Randy Lerners sister idea for Villa to pioneer that.
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Does anyone have a sponsorship they would like to see on the front of the Villa jersey in an ideal world?
SpaceX.
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Does anyone have a sponsorship they would like to see on the front of the Villa jersey in an ideal world?
SpaceX.
Gazprom.
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Does anyone have a sponsorship they would like to see on the front of the Villa jersey in an ideal world?
SpaceX.
I would like the sponsor to be AliExpress.
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Holte End Holdings
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Durex
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This crowd would be ideal if they had the dosh. https://www.unai.com
Same ethos as well.
"Unai is a bespoke software consultancy focused on taking complex problems involving enormous datasets and creating clarity and insights"
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Seems we have signed a deal with devil according to the Telegraph.
3 year deal with BK8 who Norwich ditched after 3 days after their tweets were linked with sex sites.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/01/10/aston-villa-agree-deal-gambling-firm-dropped-norwich-due-sexualised/
So yet, there has been no clarity on this sponsor.
I don't believe this BK8 is a confirmed playing jersey sponsor.
My research has led me to find they have 3 deals with Palace, Burnley and Huddersfield.
The contract with Villa rather than sponsor our playing kit might be that they are our worldwide betting partner, which means they have a presence on the stadium's advertisements, like the deal at Crystal Palace , or they sponsor the training gear, as they do at Burnley or the women's playing kit as they did with Huddersfield women.
My Prediction would be that BK8 will not actually be the front sponsor of the men's playing kit
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I can see Chris Heck making a commercial deal for Villa front jersey sponsor with an established brand with American links if not a general worldwide brand.
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Seems we have signed a deal with devil according to the Telegraph.
3 year deal with BK8 who Norwich ditched after 3 days after their tweets were linked with sex sites.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2023/01/10/aston-villa-agree-deal-gambling-firm-dropped-norwich-due-sexualised/
So yet, there has been no clarity on this sponsor.
I don't believe this BK8 is a confirmed playing jersey sponsor.
My research has led me to find they have 3 deals with Palace, Burnley and Huddersfield.
The contract with Villa rather than sponsor our playing kit might be that they are our worldwide betting partner, which means they have a presence on the stadium's advertisements, like the deal at Crystal Palace , or they sponsor the training gear, as they do at Burnley or the women's playing kit as they did with Huddersfield women.
My Prediction would be that BK8 will not actually be the front sponsor of the men's playing kit
I hope you're right, Footy. The logo on Smirker's mock-ups looks horrific.
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Aston Villa have agreed a multi-year partnership with BK8, which sees the brand join as the new Principal and Front of Shirt Partner.
Urgh.
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Aston Villa have agreed a multi-year partnership with BK8, which sees the brand join as the new Principal and Front of Shirt Partner.
Urgh.
From the club website
https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2023/june/22/aston-villa-agree-principal-partnership-with-bk8-/
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Aston Villa have agreed a multi-year partnership with BK8, which sees the brand join as the new Principal and Front of Shirt Partner.
Urgh.
Yeah, I was hoping for an all-white logo but it looks like the 8 and crown will be orange which will clash terribly with the claret and blue.
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Aston Villa have agreed a multi-year partnership with BK8, which sees the brand join as the new Principal and Front of Shirt Partner.
Urgh.
From the club website
https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2023/june/22/aston-villa-agree-principal-partnership-with-bk8-/
That is so bad and Blose colours urgh
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No mention of what they actually do in that release. Almost like they’re embarrassed.
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The club’s third kit, which will be unveiled later in the summer, will see BK8 make a contribution per adult third shirt sold, to a local charity in Birmingham. The move comes off the back of BK8’s previous work over the past two years, working with charities and programmes involving mental health awareness and this initiative is the first of what will be a number of collaborations with the Club.
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No mention of what they actually do in that release. Almost like they’re embarrassed.
"The club are delighted to announce the partnership with these shady bastards in a desperate attempt to wring every last penny before the rule changes on betting sponsorships"
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No mention of what they actually do in that release. Almost like they’re embarrassed.
Shyster Gambling Company, They should be ashamed.
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I note with interest that the old badge remains ever present.
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We’ve never been able to attract the cream of shirt sponsors. Rovers were shit cars. Davenports was shit beer. Mita copiers everyone had a Xerox. Muller maybe? But everyone preferred Ski. Same as everton with Hafnia and the like.
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We’ve never been able to attract the cream of shirt sponsors. Rovers were shit cars. Davenports was shit beer. Mita copiers everyone had a Xerox. Muller maybe? But everyone preferred Ski. Same as everton with Hafnia and the like.
Hopefully the curse of sponsoring us then going under will continue with this lot, and with any luck spread to every other betting firm
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Aston Villa have agreed a multi-year partnership with BK8, which sees the brand join as the new Principal and Front of Shirt Partner.
Urgh.
Urgh indeed.
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God our sponsorship has made the News on Radio 5 Live , great start for them
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A bad day for our club. We should be nowhere near endorsing a betting or gambling company and I couldn't care less what anyone else does.
A grubby deal.
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Wanky sponsor
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Announced Trade Nation as official sleeve sponsor now.
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We knew this some time ago didn't we? Why all the hand-wringing now?
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I hate gambling and would love to see it gone from sports.
But, I find it funny how everyone ignores the fact that we were already sponsored by gambling companies anyway and have been for years.
Sky use coverage of our matches to sell SkyBet and sell advertising slots for our matches to other gambling companies. That money then comes to us through their rights payments.
When we were in the Championship the prize money came from SkyBet.
We, and every other club, is already neck deep in it. The only difference here is that the filthy cash isn’t first being washed by another party first.
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We knew this some time ago didn't we? Why all the hand-wringing now?
Yeah, it's already been discussed ad nauseam. Dogtanian also makes some good points above.
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Yep, good post Doggy.
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“ BK8 EMEA Managing Director Michael Gatt, said: “We are really delighted to be able to announce our support for local charities as part of our exciting new partnership with Aston Villa. Being able to give something back to the supporters for their dedication is a hugely significant part of the reason we want to be involved with a prestigious institution, which is what Aston Villa Football Club are.
“As a brand working in football for the last few years, we have committed to working closely with our partners’ local community initiatives and ensure we continue our commitment to delivering on our ambitions in this area.”
I didn’t realise it was a charity that’s sponsoring us.I thought it was one of those grubby, opaque gambling organisations.
What a relief
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Local gambling charities?!
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We knew this some time ago didn't we? Why all the hand-wringing now?
Maybe because it's now been confirmed and announced formally. And because no matter what, it's fucking shit. And given it's on a dedicated thread, it seems like a good place to continue saying gambling is dangerous and shouldnt' be our sponsor.
On a separate note, the kids will be happy with their shirts looking different to their heroes again.
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Surprisingly awful decision by the club and we deserve the media shit coming our way. I would suggest that you don't buy the shirts and donate a third of what you save to charity so they dont miss out.
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Surprisingly awful decision by the club and we deserve the media shit coming our way. I would suggest that you don't buy the shirts and donate a third of what you save to charity so they dont miss out.
Miss out how?
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Surprisingly awful decision by the club and we deserve the media shit coming our way. I would suggest that you don't buy the shirts and donate a third of what you save to charity so they dont miss out.
Miss out how?
Aren't they promising to donate a third of profits on the third kit to charity or did I misunderstand
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Today, I love Aston Villa just a little bit less.
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Wrexham have managed to get an American airline company to sponsor their shirt for next season
I can honestly say I do not know who BK8 are.
I suppose if someone is offering you 3 times more than anyone else then you take the money that is the best offer.
You dont have to buy the shirt, the choice is yours, similarly if you feel that strongly about the shirt sponsor, return your season ticket etc..
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I hate gambling and would love to see it gone from sports.
But, I find it funny how everyone ignores the fact that we were already sponsored by gambling companies anyway and have been for years.
Sky use coverage of our matches to sell SkyBet and sell advertising slots for our matches to other gambling companies. That money then comes to us through their rights payments.
When we were in the Championship the prize money came from SkyBet.
We, and every other club, is already neck deep in it. The only difference here is that the filthy cash isn’t first being washed by another party first.
I’m not sure people are “ignoring” that are they? You can be dissatisfied at the general influence of gambling/gambling money in football and still be pissed off that your club signs one up as “Principal Partner”.
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Wrexham is hardly a typical example. They've got a Disney documentary and two US megastars promoting the club worldwide.
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You dont have to buy the shirt, the choice is yours, similarly if you feel that strongly about the shirt sponsor, return your season ticket etc..
Yeah, suck it up, long suffering, loyal fans. Like it or lump it but don’t dare complain. Pay up or let the person in the queue behind you through.
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Wrexham have managed to get an American airline company to sponsor their shirt for next season
And if that airline had sponsored us people would still be complaining saying, "FFS, we're not Newton Heath".
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I hate gambling and would love to see it gone from sports.
But, I find it funny how everyone ignores the fact that we were already sponsored by gambling companies anyway and have been for years.
Sky use coverage of our matches to sell SkyBet and sell advertising slots for our matches to other gambling companies. That money then comes to us through their rights payments.
When we were in the Championship the prize money came from SkyBet.
We, and every other club, is already neck deep in it. The only difference here is that the filthy cash isn’t first being washed by another party first.
I’m not sure people are “ignoring” that are they? You can be dissatisfied at the general influence of gambling/gambling money in football and still be pissed off that your club signs one up as “Principal Partner”.
I think there’s a lot of ignorance, yes. The articles appearing this morning fail to mention the betting advertising that’s already everywhere in football and on reading them you’d think we were the only ones accepting gambling cash. The same goes for the posts on here and what I’ve seen on social media.
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Oh and Trade Nation are our new sleeve partner. Yet more of the same.
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I hate gambling and would love to see it gone from sports.
But, I find it funny how everyone ignores the fact that we were already sponsored by gambling companies anyway and have been for years.
Sky use coverage of our matches to sell SkyBet and sell advertising slots for our matches to other gambling companies. That money then comes to us through their rights payments.
When we were in the Championship the prize money came from SkyBet.
We, and every other club, is already neck deep in it. The only difference here is that the filthy cash isn’t first being washed by another party first.
I’m not sure people are “ignoring” that are they? You can be dissatisfied at the general influence of gambling/gambling money in football and still be pissed off that your club signs one up as “Principal Partner”.
I think there’s a lot of ignorance, yes. The articles appearing this morning fail to mention the betting advertising that’s already everywhere in football and on reading them you’d think we were the only ones accepting gambling cash. The same goes for the posts on here and what I’ve seen on social media.
I haven’t seen the articles, but that’s commentary from the outside on Aston Villa. I think that’s different from people being aware and dissatisfied about the influence of gambling in football. The point being that being dissatisfied about the general state of the game, but not actively calling it out all the time doesn’t preclude people from being more actively vocal about the club signing up with a gambling firm as principal partner.
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Wrexham have managed to get an American airline company to sponsor their shirt for next season
And if that airline had sponsored us people would still be complaining saying, "FFS, we're not Newton Heath".
And that this is an absolutely disgraceful decision by the club and is a catastrophe for the environment.
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I hate gambling and would love to see it gone from sports.
But, I find it funny how everyone ignores the fact that we were already sponsored by gambling companies anyway and have been for years.
Sky use coverage of our matches to sell SkyBet and sell advertising slots for our matches to other gambling companies. That money then comes to us through their rights payments.
When we were in the Championship the prize money came from SkyBet.
We, and every other club, is already neck deep in it. The only difference here is that the filthy cash isn’t first being washed by another party first.
I’m not sure people are “ignoring” that are they? You can be dissatisfied at the general influence of gambling/gambling money in football and still be pissed off that your club signs one up as “Principal Partner”.
I think there’s a lot of ignorance, yes. The articles appearing this morning fail to mention the betting advertising that’s already everywhere in football and on reading them you’d think we were the only ones accepting gambling cash. The same goes for the posts on here and what I’ve seen on social media.
I haven’t seen the articles, but that’s commentary from the outside on Aston Villa. I think that’s different from people being aware and dissatisfied about the influence of gambling in football. The point being that being dissatisfied about the general state of the game, but not actively calling it out all the time doesn’t preclude people from being more actively vocal about the club signing up with a gambling firm as principal partner.
...again.
I think that's the most important part here. I don't remember anything like this amount of angst from either our own fans or from outside when we signed up with various gambling and trading partners in the past.
Personally I don't like us having sponsors like this but a quick look across the sport suggests that there's a very limited number of companies willing to put in the sort of offers we'd be interested in and most of them want Champions League exposure. Hopefully Heck can work on getting us something much better and we can look at killing this deal early by next summer but I don't think we had the time or financial flexibility to walk away from this right now.
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Looking at it plain and simply - they offer the most money. End of discussion in the boardroom.
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Oh and Trade Nation are our new sleeve partner. Yet more of the same.
I don't think they are the same at all. I know nothing about Trade Nation, specifically, but everyone should have a brokerage account and investment principles should be taught in school.
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I hate gambling and would love to see it gone from sports.
But, I find it funny how everyone ignores the fact that we were already sponsored by gambling companies anyway and have been for years.
Sky use coverage of our matches to sell SkyBet and sell advertising slots for our matches to other gambling companies. That money then comes to us through their rights payments.
When we were in the Championship the prize money came from SkyBet.
We, and every other club, is already neck deep in it. The only difference here is that the filthy cash isn’t first being washed by another party first.
I’m not sure people are “ignoring” that are they? You can be dissatisfied at the general influence of gambling/gambling money in football and still be pissed off that your club signs one up as “Principal Partner”.
I think there’s a lot of ignorance, yes. The articles appearing this morning fail to mention the betting advertising that’s already everywhere in football and on reading them you’d think we were the only ones accepting gambling cash. The same goes for the posts on here and what I’ve seen on social media.
I'd argue the greater ignorance is lumping the likes of BK8 and other white-label, south-east Asian gambling companies in with the likes of SkyBet and Bet365. They're not the same thing.
There are two issues - gambling being a social problem is one of them that applies to all the points that you correctly raise.
However, the examples that you give are not unregulated, opaque entities that have been accused by some investigative journalists of being used for some very unsavoury practices that I won't repeat here (but are easily Googleable). So it's not really the only difference.
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How many people buy Nike or Adidas gear, made by cheap labour?, don't hear any moaning about that
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It's because it's on the shirt.
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How many people buy Nike or Adidas gear, made by cheap labour?, don't hear any moaning about that
Spot on
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Speaking of ignorance, I had never heard of BK8 or Trade Nation until today.
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I hate gambling and would love to see it gone from sports.
But, I find it funny how everyone ignores the fact that we were already sponsored by gambling companies anyway and have been for years.
Sky use coverage of our matches to sell SkyBet and sell advertising slots for our matches to other gambling companies. That money then comes to us through their rights payments.
When we were in the Championship the prize money came from SkyBet.
We, and every other club, is already neck deep in it. The only difference here is that the filthy cash isn’t first being washed by another party first.
I’m not sure people are “ignoring” that are they? You can be dissatisfied at the general influence of gambling/gambling money in football and still be pissed off that your club signs one up as “Principal Partner”.
I think there’s a lot of ignorance, yes. The articles appearing this morning fail to mention the betting advertising that’s already everywhere in football and on reading them you’d think we were the only ones accepting gambling cash. The same goes for the posts on here and what I’ve seen on social media.
I'd argue the greater ignorance is lumping the likes of BK8 and other white-label, south-east Asian gambling companies in with the likes of SkyBet and Bet365. They're not the same thing.
There are two issues - gambling being a social problem is one of them that applies to all the points that you correctly raise.
However, the examples that you give are not unregulated, opaque entities that have been accused by some investigative journalists of being used for some very unsavoury practices that I won't repeat here. So it's not really the only difference.
Sky don't own Skybet....
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If people have an issue with BK8 or gambling that’s fine. But there could have been any number of sponsors that if you dig deep enough there would have been something distasteful in their practices or past. Where do you draw the line at moral condemnation or outrage?
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I hate gambling and would love to see it gone from sports.
But, I find it funny how everyone ignores the fact that we were already sponsored by gambling companies anyway and have been for years.
Sky use coverage of our matches to sell SkyBet and sell advertising slots for our matches to other gambling companies. That money then comes to us through their rights payments.
When we were in the Championship the prize money came from SkyBet.
We, and every other club, is already neck deep in it. The only difference here is that the filthy cash isn’t first being washed by another party first.
I’m not sure people are “ignoring” that are they? You can be dissatisfied at the general influence of gambling/gambling money in football and still be pissed off that your club signs one up as “Principal Partner”.
I think there’s a lot of ignorance, yes. The articles appearing this morning fail to mention the betting advertising that’s already everywhere in football and on reading them you’d think we were the only ones accepting gambling cash. The same goes for the posts on here and what I’ve seen on social media.
I'd argue the greater ignorance is lumping the likes of BK8 and other white-label, south-east Asian gambling companies in with the likes of SkyBet and Bet365. They're not the same thing.
There are two issues - gambling being a social problem is one of them that applies to all the points that you correctly raise.
However, the examples that you give are not unregulated, opaque entities that have been accused by some investigative journalists of being used for some very unsavoury practices that I won't repeat here. So it's not really the only difference.
Sky don't own Skybet....
I didn't suggest that they did.
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Oh and Trade Nation are our new sleeve partner. Yet more of the same.
I don't think they are the same at all. I know nothing about Trade Nation, specifically, but everyone should have a brokerage account and investment principles should be taught in school.
Oh. Right. So they're not like Selco, then?
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I hate everything about this deal.
I despise betting being so prominent in football & I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that Sky have their own betting tentacle with Stelling whoring himself out to advertise a product that is so potentially harmful, that while advertising to get you to use the product, they actively tell you that using the product is bad for you, so stop using the product they are advertising.
I know there was some controversy over the "overly sexual & sexist" marketing practices of BK8, but I found the "uproar" nothing more than virtue signalling by the same organisations & media outlets that use & glorify sex as a sales tool themselves every single day.
And by the same people whose web browser history would embarrass a Catholic Priest...
Here is a link to a picture of the sponsor on a shirt that is so big it has become the 8th wonder of the world & is now visible from space...
https://norwichcity.myfootballwriter.com/2021/06/08/goodbye-dafabet-hello-erm-bk8/ (https://norwichcity.myfootballwriter.com/2021/06/08/goodbye-dafabet-hello-erm-bk8/)
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Oh and Trade Nation are our new sleeve partner. Yet more of the same.
I don't think they are the same at all. I know nothing about Trade Nation, specifically, but everyone should have a brokerage account and investment principles should be taught in school.
Oh. Right. So they're not like Selco, then?
More like B&Q
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Who's it aimed at? Do or did any of our sponsors ever attract the patronage of anybody on here because they were our sponsor? Acorns, maybe? Anybody ever look at that Mita copier gathering dust in the back of the garage and think they chose wisely? Anybody buy a Rover because of it? Anybody hooked on deconstructed yogurts? Anybody buy a cow, whatever that one was all about? If I'd had to have a guess at what BK8 is, I'd have guessed at Harry Kane's inside-right playing brother Barry's social media tag. I've already outed myself about Trade Nation.
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How much is the deal rumoured to be worth?
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How much is the deal rumoured to be worth?
More than everyone else we entertained I would guess. Which is also why we probably moved on from Purslow if this is the best we can do.
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https://twitter.com/TyBracey/status/1671860173479067648?t=toZvwgkbFIkim-sbg8CODQ&s=19
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https://twitter.com/TyBracey/status/1671860173479067648?t=toZvwgkbFIkim-sbg8CODQ&s=19
2/10
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Hmmm. All a bit West Ham.
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If people have an issue with BK8 or gambling that’s fine. But there could have been any number of sponsors that if you dig deep enough there would have been something distasteful in their practices or past. Where do you draw the line at moral condemnation or outrage?
There isn’t a line is there? It’s about people’s own values and what the ascribe importance to.
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Looks cack.
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Not a huge fan. 4/10
The crest looks great though.
Im wondering if the white, yellow & claret hooped flag on one of Watkins pics is a hint of the away shirt?
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Awful sponsor, but probably the best deal on the table at the time when we were staring down the barrel of relegation.
A higher finish next season & hopeful UEFA Cup qualification will see bigger & better kit & shirt sponsors coming to us.
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Article in the Athletic about the sponsor, the badge, and the kit;
https://theathletic.com/4632314/2023/06/23/aston-villa-kit-gambling/?source=user_shared_article (https://theathletic.com/4632314/2023/06/23/aston-villa-kit-gambling/?source=user_shared_article)
“Villa’s three-year deal with BK8 — a club-record agreement worth considerably more than the £6million-a-year agreement with previous sponsor Cazoo — takes them right up to the cut-off point for having gambling companies on the front of shirts.”
Didn’t Purslow say before that these companies were offering double what others in the market were? If we are getting £10m+ a year from it, you can see why they have been tempted within the current FFP rules.
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From the Supporters Trust. Short of putting 'Fuck you Purslow' they cant be any more damning.
Dear PW
The Trust released the following statement this evening regarding today's BK8 sponsorship announcement by the Club.
The Aston Villa Supporters’ Trust is highly disappointed with the Club’s announcement of a Principal Partnership with BK8 as its front-of-shirt sponsor for the next three seasons.
In January, several Villa fan groups put together a joint statement expressing concerns over the reported discussions with BK8, highlighting the social and mental health harms caused by problem gambling, with over 400 gambling suicides annually in the UK and millions more harmed. We also expressed concerns about BK8’s misogynistic marketing practices and the reversal of the Club’s stance on not having a front-of-shirt gambling sponsor.
At the time, we were given assurances over the Club’s due diligence process and advised that the misogynistic marketing practices were that of a BK8 affiliate. Though we acknowledge the commercial reality, we sadly feel that the Club has failed to listen to the legitimate concerns of fans about the role of gambling sponsorship in sports.
Furthermore, as part of the agreement, BK8 will contribute a portion of the sales of the third shirt to a local charity. Whilst we welcome funding for good causes, it should not come at the expense of others. Similarly, whilst we understand fans, players and Club staff alike want Villa to be as successful as possible, that should not come at the expense of exposing fans to the exploitative practices of gambling operators, especially during a cost-of-living crisis.
The BK8 agreement is a cynical last-minute attempt to scoop the financial gains ahead of the voluntary ban on front-of-shirt gambling sponsors taking effect from the 2026-27 season.
The Trust sincerely hopes that the Club, under the leadership of newly appointed Global President of Business Operations - Chris Heck, will be guided by fan representation in future matters.
Kind regards
Mo Razzaq
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Seems a bit convenient to blame everything on Purslow but obviously our owners signed off on the deal.
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From the Supporters Trust. Short of putting 'Fuck you Purslow' they cant be any more damning.
Certainly raises a question or two, like "Who the f*ck is Mo Razzaq?"
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From the Supporters Trust. Short of putting 'Fuck you Purslow' they cant be any more damning.
Certainly raises a question or two, like "Who the f*ck is Mo Razzaq?"
Chair of the Trust. If you were a member you should know that.
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On the subject of AVST what happened to Peter Warrilow?
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On the subject of AVST what happened to Peter Warrilow?
Stepped down. He's in his seventies now.
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From the Supporters Trust. Short of putting 'Fuck you Purslow' they cant be any more damning.
Certainly raises a question or two, like "Who the f*ck is Mo Razzaq?"
Chair of the Trust. If you were a member you should know that.
I'm not, and have no plans to become one.
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From the Supporters Trust. Short of putting 'Fuck you Purslow' they cant be any more damning.
Certainly raises a question or two, like "Who the f*ck is Mo Razzaq?"
I still want to know who Dan Bardell is.
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From the Supporters Trust. Short of putting 'Fuck you Purslow' they cant be any more damning.
Certainly raises a question or two, like "Who the f*ck is Mo Razzaq?"
I still want to know who Dan Bardell is.
One of our YouTube generation.
He's ok to be fair, and I'm just a miserable fucker. He's much better than Max Stokes and Ty Bracey, that's for sure, but I realise that I'm not the demographic they're doing stuff for.
Shame you can't go on Twitter to read about Villa without one of that lot knowing everything in the world about anything going on regarding Villa.
As I said, I'm a miserable fucker.
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And Bad English is a cheeky scamp!
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Aston Villa’s new kit: ‘Tone-deaf’ gambling sponsor, crest confusion and plenty of debate
Gregg Evans
Jun. 23, 2023
Kit-reveal days are supposed to be a lively and engaging way to get supporters through the vacant summer days when football is sorely missed.
Inevitably there are moans and groans at the design, the price or the use of certain colours, but typically there’s an overwhelming feeling of positivity.
There was plenty of optimism at Villa already after last season’s seventh-place finish helped them return to European football for the first time in 13 years.
That was until the 2022-23 kit was released on Thursday, sparking widespread debate and a fair share of criticism, most of it pointed towards Villa’s new front-of-shirt sponsors…
BK8 and the controversial sponsorship
It was already known that online betting company BK8 — a firm dropped after three days by Norwich City in 2021 following outrage over sexualised adverts involving young women — were in the running to strike a partnership with the Premier League club.
The Aston Villa Fans Consultation Group wrote to ex-CEO Christian Purslow asking for a deal to be reconsidered and citing the “ethics” of sponsorship deals with such gambling firms.
In April, Premier League clubs voted to ban betting firms on the front of shirts from the start of the 2026-27 campaign, although sleeve sponsorships and LED pitchside advertising will still be permitted.
Before that, Purslow, alongside his chief commercial officer, Nicola Ibbetson, agreed to meet with the fans’ group, but their message was clear. In order to stay competitive with the clubs already established in higher positions, Villa needed to increase revenue streams.
Villa’s three-year deal with BK8 — a club-record agreement worth considerably more than the £6million-a-year agreement with previous sponsor Cazoo — takes them right up to the cut-off point for having gambling companies on the front of shirts.
Villa said the partnership with BK8 was “a further statement of both the success and ambition of this club”, but users on social media labelled it “tone-deaf” and “disappointing”.
BK8 has pledged to “make a contribution from every adult third shirt sold to a local charity in Birmingham”. The club’s third kit has not been released yet and BK8 could not specify which charity it will be supporting, but said it was “working closely with Aston Villa, who will help us to identify a number of charities in the local area that we will work on with this”.
What is BK8?
BK8 is a gambling company that has already sponsored other English football clubs, including Crystal Palace, Burnley and Huddersfield Town.
It is an example of what is known as a “white-label” gambling firm. This means it pays an intermediary firm — in this case TGP Europe Ltd, brd on the Isle of Man — so it is able to be licensed and regulated to operate in Great Britain.
This white-label process involves setting up a website that is designed to “look and feel like a company or brand, but the contents and services provided on the website are operated and managed by a licensed gambling company”, says the UK Gambling Commission. “This is typically a commercial arrangement where both parties share any profit from the website.”
BK8’s major market, however, is Asia, and its social media activity suggests close ties to Malaysia and Indonesia. A Villa spokesman said the club looked forward “to exciting collaborations together that will help to grow both brands, particularly within south east Asia”.
It is not clear where BK8 is actually brd, however. When The Athletic asked where the company is run from and the address of its HQ, BK8 said: “We have European operational functions and working practices that are brd in our European headquarters in Malta and Curacao.”
The white-label arrangement means BK8 is not required to list its directors on Companies House, the UK’s register of companies. The Athletic asked who runs BK8 and who the firm’s CEO is and was told: “We have a number of directors/CEOs responsible for their work in various regions. Managing director Michael Gatt is responsible for BK8 operations in Europe.”
What happened with BK8 and Norwich City?
Norwich cancelled their shirt sponsorship for the 2021-22 Premier League season with BK8 in June 2021 after the company was found to be using highly sexualised images of young women in social media promotions that would have been banned by the UK Advertising Standards Agency.
The Instagram account of a BK8 “ambassador” with more than a quarter of a million followers also linked directly to hardcore pornography, as revealed by The Athletic.
It led to a backlash from Norwich supporters on Twitter, more than 100 complaints sent to the club and video statements from supporters’ groups.
BK8 said it would “review its marketing strategy” after the Norwich deal ended, yet a quick search for #BK8 on Instagram this week still brings up images of glamorous women and men promoting its products.
The Advertising Standards Authority’s code of conduct states that advertising must not “link gambling to seduction, sexual success or enhanced attractiveness”. In Asia, it is legal for BK8 to offer games like “Sweet Bonanza” online and use provocative images to promote their product.
A BK8 spokesperson said: “Over the past two years we have worked extremely hard to address previous mistakes and have since developed a clear strategy where we work with our partners (football clubs) on good causes and address issues such as sexism, equality and mental health awareness – doing some fantastic work in the community with our ambassadors such as (former England footballers) Kelly Smith and Faye White. We are passionate about continuing to give back to great causes in football.
“We have worked with organisations like Her Game Too (a voluntary campaign of UK football fans) to work hard to address issues of equality. We are in the planning phase of identifying specific opportunities where we can leverage support from HGT to help promote this partnership with Aston Villa, alongside our football ambassadors.”
New crest/old crest
At 10am on Thursday, when Villa announced BK8 with a social media graphic splitting the claret of Aston Villa and the blue of the online casino, the image contained the old club crest.
Aston Villa have agreed a multi-year partnership with BK8, which sees the brand join as the new Principal and Front of Shirt Partner.
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) June 22, 2023
Last November, however, a news story on the official club website had stated that the new crest would be used on the 2023-24 kits.
All was explained in the kit release statement just three hours later.
The new playing and training kit will include the new crest, which was voted for by 77 per cent of the 21,500 supporters involved during the consultation period last year, but the club will “continue to use the existing shield design around Villa Park and on our digital channels, as well as in other areas”.
And there was more: “Aston Villa will monitor local, national and global reaction along with feedback to use of both the crest and kit moniker as the 2023-24 campaign progresses. With our landmark 150th anniversary on the horizon next season, the club will further engage with supporters on the future identity of Aston Villa and how it should look for the next 150 years and beyond.”
So how much life does the round crest, which now includes the words “Aston Villa” and a redesigned lion, actually have?
What may seem like a marketing mess-up is in fact a consequence of changes within the management structure at the club, with Chris Heck, a commercial expert, now arriving as the president of business operations. His brief is to globalise the Aston Villa brand, so changes to the crest are a big deal in his world.
The club wants more time to see which crest is better suited to helping further increase revenue streams.
Former CEO Purslow was in charge of this area but has since moved on, so new ideas are floating around.
Villa Park holds around 40,000 supporters every week and there’s now a 35,000 season-ticket waiting list, so more views are likely to be welcomed as the club plans further engagement around the topic.
So, are people going to buy this shirt?
There is still a lot of optimism around the design of the Castore shirt, especially with so much excitement ahead of the new season.
While there was criticism towards the sponsors and confusion around the crest, the shirt has actually been well received by many supporters who like the new style.
Fans enjoyed the kit-reveal video, too, which featured Harry Potter actors David Bradley and Oliver Phelps — both followers of the club.
The “Pro” shirt costs £115, an adult version is £70 and a kids’ shirt — which does not feature the BK8 branding — is £55.
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I just found some of their commercials , dear me that doesn't make me want to bet! Like something from the 70s
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I will be very surprised if this deal lasts any longer than just this season
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I will be very surprised if this deal lasts any longer than just this season
Yeh completely agree. I think what has happened is a full stop on future plans. We’ve gone with what we’ve committed to for this season and what couldn’t be stopped due to production. I can see one badge and new sponsor to go with a new kit to celebrate 150 next season
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I will be very surprised if this deal lasts any longer than just this season
They've announced a three year deal though.
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I will be very surprised if this deal lasts any longer than just this season
They've announced a three year deal though.
It’s only money. Norwich got out of their deal. The club may look at the total cost of keeping it too great considering opportunities that may be created by exiting.
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I will be very surprised if this deal lasts any longer than just this season
They've announced a three year deal though.
It’s only money. Norwich got out of their deal. The club may look at the total cost of keeping it too great considering opportunities that may be created by exiting.
But contracts between companies can’t just be walked away from because one side changes their mind.
Ending early will depend on if there are clauses in the deal that allows us to walk away and under what circumstances, or we have to negotiate an acceptable end with the other party who would be free to ask for compensation.
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And none of us know that one way or another. But if we want to break the contract and there is a strong enough willingness we would find a way.
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I think it's far more likely that we'll have them for three years than not.
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Maybe. I guess we will find out. There is going to be a lot of negative press around this deal and especially when we see it splashed all over the ground. I think the whole thing will be looked at from top to bottom by Heck and team heading into our 150th celebrations. They are going to want that to be as positive as possible.
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Oh oh.
https://josimarfootball.com/2023/06/23/in-the-name-of-charity/
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Well I won’t be buying anything with this sponsors name on
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I think it's far more likely that we'll have them for three years than not.
From that video on the Chris Heck thread, he seemed quite focused on brand image & community building, neither of which are something which I think the current sponsors help with at all.
Think you might be right and we'll be stuck with them, mind, but I can't imagine that Chris Heck is going to think much of the bad publicity & first disconnect with people's sentiments that surround it. If we can get out of the deal early, I think we will.
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On the subject of AVST what happened to Peter Warrilow?
Stepped down. He's in his seventies now.
How many members does the supporters trust have? I was a member for a while but it feels to me they have become a bit of an irrelevance, no more influential that the websites that are invited to the fsc meetings. I'm happy to be persuaded otherwise, this is just my perception from the outside.
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On the subject of AVST what happened to Peter Warrilow?
Stepped down. He's in his seventies now.
How many members does the supporters trust have? I was a member for a while but it feels to me they have become a bit of an irrelevance, no more influential that the websites that are invited to the fsc meetings. I'm happy to be persuaded otherwise, this is just my perception from the outside.
No idea, but regardless of membership numbers they're the only supporter group that has any sort of democratic structure.
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On the subject of AVST what happened to Peter Warrilow?
Stepped down. He's in his seventies now.
How many members does the supporters trust have? I was a member for a while but it feels to me they have become a bit of an irrelevance, no more influential that the websites that are invited to the fsc meetings. I'm happy to be persuaded otherwise, this is just my perception from the outside.
No idea, but regardless of membership numbers they're the only supporter group that has any sort of democratic structure.
I get that, but if it's a relatively small amount of members, most of whom don't get actively involved and the Trust has no influence other than sending angry letters, then are they really that much different to David Michael? (for example). I guess this is more a criticism of supporter apathy than the Trust itself.
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Pretty envious that Birmingham City are now going to be wearing Undefeated. I'm not sure how they got that either considering it's not very apt in name for that lower level lot!
Villa should consider a collaboration the next time around with a decent brand and or/be more brand mindful because sponsors Cazoo and BK8 are not inspiring.
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I'm not envious of anything related to those tramps.
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Pretty envious that Birmingham City are now going to be wearing Undefeated. I'm not sure how they got that either considering it's not very apt in name for that lower level lot!
Villa should consider a collaboration the next time around with a decent brand and or/be more brand mindful because sponsors Cazoo and BK8 are not inspiring.
From what I’ve seen it’s a cheap trashy brand. Rather well suited.
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I'm not envious of anything related to those tramps.
No, me neither.
Man City have had some collaboration/brand type nonsense going on out here in Tokyo connected to their new kit, I think.
It looked tacky and shit.
Fuck them.
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Pretty envious that Birmingham City are now going to be wearing Undefeated. I'm not sure how they got that either considering it's not very apt in name for that lower level lot!
Villa should consider a collaboration the next time around with a decent brand and or/be more brand mindful because sponsors Cazoo and BK8 are not inspiring.
You should write to Mr Heck and express your concerns….branding and everything around it is his bag.
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Pretty envious that Birmingham City are now going to be wearing Undefeated. I'm not sure how they got that either considering it's not very apt in name for that lower level lot!
Villa should consider a collaboration the next time around with a decent brand and or/be more brand mindful because sponsors Cazoo and BK8 are not inspiring.
You should write to Mr Heck and express your concerns….branding and everything around it is his bag.
Best to wait till the transfer window closes as Mr. Heck will be busy scouting American players.
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I'm not envious of anything related to those tramps.
No, me neither.
Man City have had some collaboration/brand type nonsense going on out here in Tokyo connected to their new kit, I think.
It looked tacky and shit.
Fuck them.
BK8 looks trashy and shit
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Nevertheless, it is what it is, so let's move on.
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Nevertheless, it is what it is, so let's move on.
Yeah, a nice tribute to Bouba and his squad number, and it's here for the season no matter what.
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Nevertheless, it is what it is, so let's move on.
Yeah, a nice tribute to Bouba and his squad number, and it's here for the season no matter what.
3 seasons isn’t it?
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I'm not envious of anything related to those tramps.
No, me neither.
Man City have had some collaboration/brand type nonsense going on out here in Tokyo connected to their new kit, I think.
It looked tacky and shit.
Fuck them.
BK8 looks trashy and shit
Agreed, mate
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Interesting, wonder if there's anything to it. https://twitter.com/thetrees80/status/1756699655650369966
Coca-Cola would be quite a step up in terms of our sponsor's profile.
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I do suspect our next big sponsor will be a big American company.
Do we currently serve Coke or Pepsi at the ground, though? ;D
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Would not be surprised if stadium sponsorship was high on the list of deals to be done
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I'm not envious of anything related to those tramps.
No, me neither.
Man City have had some collaboration/brand type nonsense going on out here in Tokyo connected to their new kit, I think.
It looked tacky and shit.
Fuck them.
They are being sued by Superdry the clothing Brand over their Use of Superdry the Assahi beer.
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Well Coke would be a slight improvement on BK8 I suppose, but personally I wouldn't be happy for Villa to be advertising that severely unhealthy, shit toxic slurry on our shirts.
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Well Coke would be a slight improvement on BK8 I suppose, but personally I wouldn't be happy for Villa to be advertising that severely unhealthy, shit toxic slurry on our shirts.
I reckon you'd feel better if you had one right now.
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It would be the first time Coke would be on a Villa shirt since Merson played for us.
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Well Coke would be a slight improvement on BK8 I suppose, but personally I wouldn't be happy for Villa to be advertising that severely unhealthy, shit toxic slurry on our shirts.
I reckon you'd feel better if you had one right now.
Sorry, you've lost me.
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Well Coke would be a slight improvement on BK8 I suppose, but personally I wouldn't be happy for Villa to be advertising that severely unhealthy, shit toxic slurry on our shirts.
I reckon you'd feel better if you had one right now.
Sorry, you've lost me.
Coke, have one. The sugar and caffeine hit would make you feel better. (not much, granted, but as a short-term hit.....)
*no hidden meaning, not having a go, not falling out with you. I know you're pissed off, as we all are that we've lost to those wankers again.
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That would be great, we could all do the 'I'd like to teach the world to sing' bit.
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That would be great, we could all do the 'I'd like to teach the world to sing' bit.
Have some coke and a smile stupid wide-eyed, inane fucking grin.
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Ah I see, no worries. FWIW I wouldn't touch that stuff with a bargepole, it's poison.
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I talk enough ill informed nonsense without coke amplifying it.
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TheTrees lives! VillaTalk's most useful poster of the year, a decade on the trot.
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Makes sense. After all there's enough coke down the shirts of our away support, we may as well get paid for having it on the home as well.
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It would be the first time Coke would be on a Villa shirt since Merson played for us.
Bravo Sir.
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Really suprised cadburys hasnt been on a midlands teams shirt tbh
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Really suprised cadburys hasnt been on a midlands teams shirt tbh
I do wonder if they try not to get involved because of the fear of being boycotted by other fans ?
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Really suprised cadburys hasnt been on a midlands teams shirt tbh
I do wonder if they try not to get involved because of the fear of being boycotted by other fans ?
They should have thought of that before plastering Chelsea badges on their bars a few years back!
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I’m sure Cadbury’s sponsor the Australian rugby team?
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They used to have a deal with the Premier League, but apparently now prefer just the 'big 6';
https://foodactive.org.uk/blog-cadbury-teams-up-with-the-big-six-premier-league-clubs-as-global-chocolate-partner/#:~:text=After%20deciding%20not%20to%20renew%20their%20three-year%20deal,help%20sell%20chocolate%20and%20build%20their%20brand%20globally. (https://foodactive.org.uk/blog-cadbury-teams-up-with-the-big-six-premier-league-clubs-as-global-chocolate-partner/#:~:text=After%20deciding%20not%20to%20renew%20their%20three-year%20deal,help%20sell%20chocolate%20and%20build%20their%20brand%20globally.)
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We annonuced an extended partnership with Cadbury yesterday - https://www.avfc.co.uk/news/2024/february/14/aston-villa-renews-partnership-with-cadbury-uk/ - I have no idea what is involved but we clearly do work with them.
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Really suprised cadburys hasnt been on a midlands teams shirt tbh
Some fans would probably complain that Villa were exacerbating the obesity crisis by encouraging people to eat chocolate.
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Really suprised cadburys hasnt been on a midlands teams shirt tbh
Some fans would probably complain that Villa were exacerbating the obesity crisis by encouraging people to eat chocolate.
Hahahha aint that true
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Really suprised cadburys hasnt been on a midlands teams shirt tbh
Some fans would probably complain that Villa were exacerbating the obesity crisis by encouraging people to eat chocolate.
Wispa it quietly but I think it would give us a Boost
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Really suprised cadburys hasnt been on a midlands teams shirt tbh
I do wonder if they try not to get involved because of the fear of being boycotted by other fans ?
They should have thought of that before plastering Chelsea badges on their bars a few years back!
to be fair it would take alot to stop me eating any chocolate
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However nice it would look I doubt companies like Cadbury would get anywhere near the upper end of sponsorship values that top clubs would need. I'm not sure they'd see much value given the brand recognition they already have in the UK.
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There aren't many examples in the PL of FMCG brands being shirt sponsors.
Basically down to the demographics of the audience on screen and in-ground - males, 25+, affluent - hence the betting, cars, tech with a few odd ones (travel, energy).
Look at Cricket's Hundred - aimed at families and in turn has a crisp and snack sponsor. (KP, Doritos, Pom Bears)
With the US influence, I hope it is tech brand, rather than a gambling company.
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With the US influence, I hope it is tech brand, rather than a gambling company.
Depends how big the 'X' on the shirt would be.
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Really suprised cadburys hasnt been on a midlands teams shirt tbh
Some fans would probably complain that Villa were exacerbating the obesity crisis by encouraging people to eat chocolate.
Wispa it quietly but I think it would give us a Boost
I don't think we should take much notice of fans with a short Fuse
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Really suprised cadburys hasnt been on a midlands teams shirt tbh
I do wonder if they try not to get involved because of the fear of being boycotted by other fans ?
They should have thought of that before plastering Chelsea badges on their bars a few years back!
to be fair it would take alot to stop me eating any chocolate
I stopped at Christmas. 2st lost, lower blood pressure and less headaches have softened the blow I have to say.
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Really suprised cadburys hasnt been on a midlands teams shirt tbh
I do wonder if they try not to get involved because of the fear of being boycotted by other fans ?
They should have thought of that before plastering Chelsea badges on their bars a few years back!
to be fair it would take alot to stop me eating any chocolate
I stopped at Christmas. 2st lost, lower blood pressure and less headaches have softened the blow I have to say.
That is really impressive well done !! what did you replace it with ?
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Ah I see, no worries. FWIW I wouldn't touch that stuff with a bargepole, it's poison.
Didn't have you down as a Pepsi man, Risso. I guess all that money they paid Messi was worth it after all.
As an aside, it's quite funny how many urban legends were created about Coca Cola, almost none of them true. McDonald's and Monsanto also attract more than their fair share. They've all been seen as the big bad at some point.
Basically, any large corporation probably not going to be whiter than white. We could have Jamie Oliver as our sponsor but I don't everything is squeaky clean there either.
As for tech companies, not sure Musk's X or whatever would be an improvement on Coke...
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I don't normally care about sponsors/manufacturers, but I'd love, in our 150th year, for us to walk out on the opening day of next season in a Slazenger shirt, with Anusol as the sponsor. If we can't get Anusol I'd settle for Canesten, Lambert & Butler (the post-Villa, post-Suede collaboration that just might have worked), Bwise, Wickes, White Lightning or FineFare.
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No sponsor at all would be preferable.
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On the shirt, but obviously one in the background giving us billions in sponsorship.
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No sponsor at all would be preferable.
Wouldn't that be great, and a proper nod to the anniversary.
That, or Ansells.
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Really suprised cadburys hasnt been on a midlands teams shirt tbh
I do wonder if they try not to get involved because of the fear of being boycotted by other fans ?
They should have thought of that before plastering Chelsea badges on their bars a few years back!
to be fair it would take alot to stop me eating any chocolate
I stopped at Christmas. 2st lost, lower blood pressure and less headaches have softened the blow I have to say.
That is really impressive well done !! what did you replace it with ?
Crack and whores.
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Really suprised cadburys hasnt been on a midlands teams shirt tbh
I do wonder if they try not to get involved because of the fear of being boycotted by other fans ?
They should have thought of that before plastering Chelsea badges on their bars a few years back!
to be fair it would take alot to stop me eating any chocolate
I stopped at Christmas. 2st lost, lower blood pressure and less headaches have softened the blow I have to say.
That is really impressive well done !! what did you replace it with ?
Crack and whores.
well i am out of ideas then.
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Are there any corporations that started around the same time, from Brum preferably, but I know that’s pushing it.
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Are there any corporations that started around the same time, from Brum preferably, but I know that’s pushing it.
Banks's Brewery (1875) is about as close as I can get. A.G. Barr (also 1875) if you go further afield with our Scottish connections.
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Are there any corporations that started around the same time, from Brum preferably, but I know that’s pushing it.
Blues. We could get them to sponsor us.
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Kynoch was started in 1862 ,then became IMI.
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New sponsor rumoured i.e. Greek online sports betting platform Betano, paying £20 million annually for two years.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/03/21/aston-villa-shirt-sponsorship-greek-online-betting-firm/
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Disappointed it is another betting company but £40 mil is not to be sniffed at. Twitter also mention Adidas as the new maker as well.
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Betting company or not, that is an absolutely incredible deal for us.
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Wonder what the cost of terminating the BK8 deal early was.
But yes, great bit of business to get so much more.
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They also sponsor my Brazilian team, Fluminense, if you want an idea of how the logo might look.
(https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/VfwAAOSwFvBkVRkb/s-l1600.jpg)
Not too bad, and certainly better than BK8's.
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Not sure on the team but they also do mono-colour as well.
(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GJNpY1MWAAAQRmU?format=jpg&name=small)
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This is a great short term deal It will be the last of its kind because of the upcoming betting company sponsoring ban so with this and Adidas it will help a lot with FFP
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Disappointed it is another betting company but £40 mil is not to be sniffed at
There are betting companies though and there are betting companies and there's a world of difference between this lot and BK8.
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Disappointed it is another betting company but £40 mil is not to be sniffed at
There are betting companies though and there are betting companies and there's a world of difference between this lot and BK8.
I'd never heard of either to be honest. Are Betano, er, better?
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Not sure on the team but they also do mono-colour as well.
Looks pretty decent (and less like an arse) when it's all white. I'd seen it on the Flu shirts but hadn't made the gambling connection, just assumed it was a Brazilian company of some description.
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Disappointed it is another betting company but £40 mil is not to be sniffed at
There are betting companies though and there are betting companies and there's a world of difference between this lot and BK8.
I'd never heard of either to be honest. Are Betano, er, better?
If my rudimentary Googling is anything to go by, yes. They just seem to be a Bet365 / Betfair / William Hill sort of operator. So all the usual issues about the morality of gambling advertising apply.
That's not the problem with BK8 and their ilk, who are a whole other kettle of unpleasantness and something we should never have gone near for reasons that are nothing to do with the morality of gambling advertising.
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Does this mean we have to say well done Heck?
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If the rumour is true and the deal done at that sort of offer, does this count towards FFP? Asking for a friend.
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Does this mean we have to say well done Heck?
Not really, I was expecting a non-gambling firm/household name. Depends on the circumstances, if Betano (thinking it's likely we'll make CL this year) came in and offered 20m then even one of The Apprentice contestants could have done that deal.
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Seems like Heck has done a pretty good job there to me.
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If the rumour is true and the deal done at that sort of offer, does this count towards FFP? Asking for a friend.
Yes, it's a key reason we're doing it.
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Seems like Heck has done a pretty good job there to me.
Credit where credit is due.
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Does this mean we have to say well done Heck?
He is doing what the owners have tasked him to do so yep.
Milking the last two years of gambling sponsors….would have been nice to get a non gambling firm but guess top bidder wins.
Guess stadium naming rights will be next
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New sponsor rumoured i.e. Greek online sports betting platform Betano, paying £20 million annually for two years.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/03/21/aston-villa-shirt-sponsorship-greek-online-betting-firm/
Behind a paywall, can anyone put an open link up?
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New sponsor rumoured i.e. Greek online sports betting platform Betano, paying £20 million annually for two years.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2024/03/21/aston-villa-shirt-sponsorship-greek-online-betting-firm/
Behind a paywall, can anyone put an open link up?
As requested
https://archive.ph/KPOyI
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Good work
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If you're reading an article on the Torygraph web site on your laptop / pc, as the page loads just repeatedly hit the ESC key, it breaks the paywall protection.
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Seems like Heck has done a pretty good job there to me.
Credit where credit is due.
Isn't that how Randy and Edens earned their fortunes?
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As a greek delighted its a greek company but annoying its a gambling one. I guess its only a short term deal but the numbers are massive for us so i can see why we opted for it
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A few examples of how the logo looks on other shirts
(https://www.sportspromedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PortoKit.jpg)
(https://igamingbrazil.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Betano-assina-acordo-de-patrocinio-com-o-time-brasileiro-Fluminense.jpg)
(https://i2-prod.birminghammail.co.uk/incoming/article28865388.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/0_GettyImages-1821107105.jpg)
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The all black logo looks quite nice on the Galo shirt.
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All white or all black please. Orange clashes with Claret.
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Seems like Heck has done a pretty good job there to me.
Credit where credit is due.
Isn't that how Randy and Edens earned their fortunes?
Randy didn't, his dad did.
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Yeah the logo looks nowhere near as bad as that burger king one
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That logo looks like a bell end to me…..
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The money is good but it’s a piss poor sponsor
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That logo looks like a bell end to me…..
Yeah, it's not great.
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Hopefully we get it in all white on the home kit. The orange makes it look 10x worse.
We'll forget about this once Heck finally unveils the new badge monstrosity! 😁
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They’re just a betting firm aren’t they? (Normal morality issues apply as someone else posted). BK8 are much worse aren’t they?
Does anyone know how much the BK8 deal was worth?
The money is good but it’s a piss poor sponsor
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i would agree about the sponsor being not good, but this is the best deal that we can do at this time.
Hopefully continued success in Europe over the next couple of seasons means that we can get a major brand in the next shirt sponsorship deal.
It will be interesting to see what happens when they ban gambling companies sponsorship.
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They’re just a betting firm aren’t they? (Normal morality issues apply as someone else posted). BK8 are much worse aren’t they?
Does anyone know how much the BK8 deal was worth?
The money is good but it’s a piss poor sponsor
In one of the threads, someone reckons that changing to Adidas and Betano makes us £23mil better off a season. So I don't think it was high.
Edit: Percy in the FFP.
Pretty impactful figures. Reported annual amounts here, no ITK, but Castore (£3m) to Adidas (£12m), and BK (£6m) to Betano (£20m). Dare we say well done Heck?
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Bk8 was about £8m per season.
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If it's £20m a season then it's a fantastic deal. A betting company isn't ideal, but we've had one for a number of years now and in our situation we need to take the income whilst it's available. £20m a season covers the first 2 years amortisation of £100m of expenditure (assuming 5 year contracts) and could be the difference between having to sell a player like Douglas Luiz or not.
According to Wiki
Man C - £68m
Liverpool - £50m
Man U - £48m
Arse - £40m
Chelsea - £40m
Spurs - £40m
Newcastle - £25m
Everton - £10m
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When you start looking at kit manufacturer deals and sponsorship, you realise how far away we are from the "greedy six".
We have been pulling in about £10M a year, where they are easily pulling in £100M+ per year, add in CL money, and there is a massive gap.
Hopefully now we are well positioned to start competing both on and off the pitch with them for the top prizes.
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This new sponsorship deal is very exciting. Reminds me of Dalian's goal Vs Wimbledon.
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That logo looks like a bell end to me…..
I had no idea what you were talking about. Then once you've seen it you can't unsee it.
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This new sponsorship deal is very exciting. Reminds me of Dalian's goal Vs Wimbledon.
We should be sponsored by Legal & General for the brolly .
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This new sponsorship deal is very exciting. Reminds me of Dalian's goal Vs Wimbledon.
We should be sponsored by Legal & General for the brolly .
Ha!
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It will be interesting to see what happens when they ban gambling companies sponsorship.
It will be. Presumably if there were a decent amount of companies queuing up to offer the same sort of money, clubs would have gone with these instead, but there doesn't seem to be.
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That logo looks like a bell end to me…..
I had no idea what you were talking about. Then once you've seen it you can't unsee it.
Yep, let's hope that our away kit isn't light with the sponsor logo in a purpley claret...
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It will be interesting to see what happens when they ban gambling companies sponsorship.
It will be. Presumably if there were a decent amount of companies queuing up to offer the same sort of money, clubs would have gone with these instead, but there doesn't seem to be.
It'll probably make it tougher for us, the likes of Citeh and the Jaudis will still have their state sponsors chucking money at them.
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Personally I would mud wrestle my own grandmother if it meant another £22m coming onto the revenue stream per season. It’s what’s needed to have happened for years. Fleecing the fans inside the ground I’m against this I’m not.
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Personally I would mud wrestle my own grandmother if it meant another £22m coming onto the revenue stream per season. It’s what’s needed to have happened for years. Fleecing the fans inside the ground I’m against this I’m not.
Never fear, we can do both!
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It gives is 2 years of extensive CL exposure to bag a 'blue chip' deal.
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2024 Sponsors in Europe (prices are Euro, I just can't be arsed to change them all)
£70m Real Madrid each from Fly Emirates and HP
£65m PSG - Qatar
£57m Barcelona - Spotify
£55m ManU - Teamviewer
£55m ManC - Etihad
£53.5 Liverpool - Standard Chartered
£51m Juventus - Jeep
£50m Bayern - T-Mobile
£45m Arsenal -Fly Emirates
£45m Tottenham - AIA
Sponsors per Industry in Premier LEague
8 - Gambling
5 - Finanical Services
2 - Airlines
1 Car retailer, Energy, Hospitality, Software, Technology/Media
Only 4 sponsors of Premier League teams are UK based they are for Wolves, Luton, Liverpool and Palace.
Top Kit deals (per season)
£106m - ManU
£87.9m - Arsenal
£76.2m - Man City
£70.4m - Chelsea
£35.2m - Liverpool
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2024 Sponsors in Europe (prices are Euro, I just can't be arsed to change them all)
£70m Real Madrid each from Fly Emirates and HP
£65m PSG - Qatar
£57m Barcelona - Spotify
£55m ManU - Teamviewer
£55m ManC - Etihad
£53.5 Liverpool - Standard Chartered
£51m Juventus - Jeep
£50m Bayern - T-Mobile
£45m Arsenal -Fly Emirates
£45m Tottenham - AIA
Sponsors per Industry in Premier LEague
8 - Gambling
5 - Finanical Services
2 - Airlines
1 Car retailer, Energy, Hospitality, Software, Technology/Media
Only 4 sponsors of Premier League teams are UK based they are for Wolves, Luton, Liverpool and Palace.
Top Kit deals (per season)
£106m - ManU
£87.9m - Arsenal
£76.2m - Man City
£70.4m - Chelsea
£35.2m - Liverpool
There's some serious money in that lot.
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The TeamViewer one at ManU for the past how many seasons has always been strange for me. Pretty much every other one has something purchasable by individuals (apart from actually buying Qatar but we all know why that sponsorship is there and so much). But TeamViewer is a free piece of software for individuals and how many people want to remote into multiple PC's anyway. And companies would probably look at all the competition and costs and benefits and being a sponsor of the Reds would not really be a factor considered.
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Not knowing who HP were and what they were paying Madrid such a lot of money for I looked it up, in amongst the other partners are Italian fashion house Zegna. I was somewhat struck by what utter cobblers they came up with for their profile
'Inspired by our visionary founder, Zegna follows its own path down the road that Ermenegildo built over 110 years ago in the mountains in Piedmont, Northern Italy. His 232 road, crossing the 100 km2 Oasi Zegna natural territory surrounding the wool mill, has been turned into a graphic abstraction and signifier of the Zegna brand identity where history is expressed in the family name of the founder.'
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Not knowing who HP were and what they were paying Madrid such a lot of money for I looked it up, in amongst the other partners are Italian fashion house Zegna. I was somewhat struck by what utter cobblers they came up with for their profile
'Inspired by our visionary founder, Zegna follows its own path down the road that Ermenegildo built over 110 years ago in the mountains in Piedmont, Northern Italy. His 232 road, crossing the 100 km2 Oasi Zegna natural territory surrounding the wool mill, has been turned into a graphic abstraction and signifier of the Zegna brand identity where history is expressed in the family name of the founder.'
They make a lot from brown sauce.
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Teamviewer is the market leader in its field, with >47,071 companies worldwide using it.
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Which means they're paying manyoo a grand a year per customer.
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Not knowing who HP were and what they were paying Madrid such a lot of money for I looked it up,
Credit where credit is due.
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2024 Sponsors in Europe (prices are Euro, I just can't be arsed to change them all)
£70m Real Madrid each from Fly Emirates and HP
£65m PSG - Qatar
£57m Barcelona - Spotify
£55m ManU - Teamviewer
£55m ManC - Etihad
£53.5 Liverpool - Standard Chartered
£51m Juventus - Jeep
£50m Bayern - T-Mobile
£45m Arsenal -Fly Emirates
£45m Tottenham - AIA
Sponsors per Industry in Premier LEague
8 - Gambling
5 - Finanical Services
2 - Airlines
1 Car retailer, Energy, Hospitality, Software, Technology/Media
Only 4 sponsors of Premier League teams are UK based they are for Wolves, Luton, Liverpool and Palace.
Top Kit deals (per season)
£106m - ManU
£87.9m - Arsenal
£76.2m - Man City
£70.4m - Chelsea
£35.2m - Liverpool
So Man Cheaty are worth £40 million more than Liverpool when it comes to kit deal and sponsorship? Nothing suspicious about that at all.
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Yeah, Liverpool as a global brand are far bigger than Arse and Sheikhy. Summat odd there.
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Personally I would mud wrestle my own grandmother if it meant another £22m coming onto the revenue stream per season. It’s what’s needed to have happened for years. Fleecing the fans inside the ground I’m against this I’m not.
Never fear, we can do both!
Yep, I reckon we are coming into the area of multitasking in the fleecing department on all fronts
It’s the price of success
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Personally I would mud wrestle my own grandmother if it meant another £22m coming onto the revenue stream per season. It’s what’s needed to have happened for years. Fleecing the fans inside the ground I’m against this I’m not.
Never fear, we can do both!
Great, when and where can we see kippax wrestling his grandma?! Erm, asking for a friend.
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We would have to exhume both of them first so let’s start off at Brandwood end cemetery.
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Personally I would mud wrestle my own grandmother if it meant another £22m coming onto the revenue stream per season. It’s what’s needed to have happened for years. Fleecing the fans inside the ground I’m against this I’m not.
Never fear, we can do both!
Great, when and where can we see kippax wrestling his grandma?! Erm, asking for a friend.
Haha, brilliant.
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We would have to exhume both of them first so let’s start off at Brandwood end cemetery.
I'm picturing the scene in Jason and the Argonauts and frankly I'm in.
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i take it HP isn't the sauce people but more the printer people
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i take it HP isn't the sauce people but more the printer people
They pay the sponsorship money in small amounts over 150 weeks.
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i take it HP isn't the sauce people but more the printer people
They pay the sponsorship money in small amounts over 150 weeks.
Bastards .
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i take it HP isn't the sauce people but more the printer people
They pay the sponsorship money in small amounts over 150 weeks.
Round of applause.
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We would have to exhume both of them first so let’s start off at Brandwood end cemetery.
Was about to say watch out you don’t disturb my grandparents on my Mum’s side.
I went to Rotterdam with my Dad and Grandpa Ladd. He used to have my Nan ring his phone at the Opticians he had in Cotteridge or Cradley Heath a certain number of coded times on a Saturday afternoon to indicste if Villa or the opposition had scored. Now that’s a couple working in harmony eh?
No idea how his eldest turned out a bluenose, but I’m sure he was glad my Mum married a Villa lad.
I’m working late at the hospital and this has actually triggered a forgotten memory. I’m sure I lobbed my smaller villa Ted into the grave there along with some soil at the appropriate time (there was no blue teddy provided by other relatives).
I’m glad to recall this as now I have little ones, you wonder what happened to stuff like that. I’d forgotten.
My Nan was buried there 2010 it must have been then, I don’t think I went to my Gramps funeral age 12 in 1986.
I think this was the same one craftily placed by my mum next to my younger nephew just after birth in his hospital crib previous year (bro in law a Reading fan).
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Personally I would mud wrestle my own grandmother if it meant another £22m coming onto the revenue stream per season. It’s what’s needed to have happened for years. Fleecing the fans inside the ground I’m against this I’m not.
Shirts deals are also based on being able to royally fleece loyal fans, but I accept that it's a much wider pillaging than just those who go to Villa Park.
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The small downsides:
1. It’s a gambling company
2. The deal expires at the same time gambling sponsorship becoming banned, so there will be 8 clubs fishing in the same pond for a new deal.
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2024 Sponsors in Europe (prices are Euro, I just can't be arsed to change them all)
£70m Real Madrid each from Fly Emirates and HP
£65m PSG - Qatar
£57m Barcelona - Spotify
£55m ManU - Teamviewer
£55m ManC - Etihad
£53.5 Liverpool - Standard Chartered
£51m Juventus - Jeep
£50m Bayern - T-Mobile
£45m Arsenal -Fly Emirates
£45m Tottenham - AIA
European Super League says hello!!
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Although I don't like the whoring itself out football has done for the betting industry, when it comes to FFP/PSR/whatever the fuck its called this week, the new deal is good news.
It will be interesting to see how much our latest deal compares to others making deals with betting companies within its last two years within football to see how much of a good deal we actually got.
But, as things stand, it's much better than the current deal, so credit must go to Heck & his team for this.
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Makes you real how underperforming Purslow and co had been in the last few years including the monumental Gerrard fuck up. Set us back a couple of years .
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More to do with having just come back up and having limited brand presence vs where we are today. Mind you didn’t help us appointing carpet head at the end. But under Emery our profile has increased massively and with it our performances. That helps in selling the club and our trajectory to potential commercial partners.
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Guess we have hedged our bets a bit and done the deal now, might have been able to squeeze more juice out once champions league is confirmed but got the deal done now without being greedy .
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A bit tangential to the shirt sponsor discussion, but seeing in the news that Sports Direct is taking Newscastle Utd to court over their "exclusive" deal with JD Sports to sell their new Adidas kit next season (effectively cutting them out entirely, and stopping them from selling the new Adidas kit at all), I noticed one very interesting element to the story:
"The tribunal heard Sports Direct currently pays Adidas £16.55 per shirt for other Premier League clubs supplied by the German manufacturer, and wants to buy 51,000 - or about 14% - of the Newcastle United kits produced."
So firstly, clearly Sports Direct get a decent volume discount, but I'm sure the other retailers are probably only paying £20-ish for each shirt, which means their margin is enormous. Even more if you buy direct from the club. I always thought the retailers were heavily squeezed in that respect. Clearly not the case. Secondly, Adidas are making 360,000(ish) Newcastle shirts for next season. I'd be interested to know what numbers we are planning to have made...
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In fairness Newcastle fans are sad twats so buy 7 a season, one for each day of the week. Probably a few more as well to keep aside in case of posh functions.
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Not enough will be my guess.
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In fairness Newcastle fans are sad twats so buy 7 a season, one for each day of the week. Probably a few more as well to keep aside in case of posh functions.
Except matchday, based on years of evidence.