Shirt Sponsor 23/24 - BK8

[Brend'Watkins]

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?

[pauliewalnuts]

A small operation in the wider picture of things, basically.

[darren woolley]

How much are we being paid to have a gambling logo on our shirt? I hate all this shit

Me too

[Brazilian Villain]

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.

[PeterWithe]

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

[Jon Crofts]

I wonder how many more errors of judgement Purslow is going to get away with?

[Drummond]

That statement suggests this is a front-of-shirt deal but I don't think that has been confirmed has it?

[Toronto Villa]

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.

[pauliewalnuts]

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.

[PeterWithe]

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.

[bob]

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?

[Dogtanian]

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.

[Drummond]

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.

[simon ward 50]

Trust spot on with it's response IMHO.

[eamonn]

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.