BoyleSports Renews Wolves Sponsorship
Author:
Megan Butler
BoyleSports has extended its sponsorship deal with Premier League football club the Wolverhampton Wanderers. The extended deal will see the Irish bookmaker continue as the club’s official in-stadia betting partner. Fans can also look forward to an array of special offers, competitions and experiences.
The football club is keen to welcome spectators back to the Molineux Stadium this season. ?Dom Le Roy/Pexels
Fan Engagements
BoyleSports’ latest deal comes as part of its mission to improve awareness of its brand in the UK sports betting market. Following on from the success of its 2020/21 season sponsorship of the Wolves stadium, the bookmaker is happy to renew that deal. It will now continue as the club’s official Molineux betting partner for the 2021/22 Premier League season.
BoyleSports will continue to work closely alongside the Wolves, as it has done for the last year. The partnership will see it launch a number of special offers, activations, competitions and exclusive experiences for the club’s supports. While fans will reap the rewards and excitement of these engagements, the bookmaker will benefit from a boost to its brand recognition.
The betting firm’s branding will be promoted across the club’s social media channels and web pages, its matchday programs and the stadium’s LED screens during games. The Molineux Stadium has been the home ground of the Wolverhampton Wanderers since 1889, and is one of the most historic stadiums in British football.
The stadium has a seated capacity for 32,050 spectators, making it’s LED screens a great advertising opportunity for BoyleSports. However, for the first year of the partnership, the stadium remained empty during the Wolves’ matches. During the pandemic, football fans could not watch games in person, due to the risk of spreading the virus.
That rule has since been lifted, thanks to the success of the vaccine program. Clubs are now eager to welcome fans back safely and make up for the revenue lost last year. Speaking in a press release the club’s Partnerships Sales Manager, Kieron Ansell, welcomed the renewal of the partnership, stating:
“We are delighted to extend our partnership with BoyleSports following a successful first season working together while games were behind closed doors. We look forward to continuing our flourishing partnership as supporters return to Molineux for what we expect to be another exciting Premier League campaign.”
UK Expansion
The deal comes as part of BoyleSports extensive marketing strategy to build its operations in the UK. Earlier in August, it also signed a brand-new sponsorship deal with another Premier League club, Newcastle United. As part of that deal, it became the club’s latest UK and Ireland betting partner.
BoyleSports was first launched by John Boyle in 1982. The company started out with just one betting shop in County Armagh, but by 1989 a further five had been opened in Drogheda. By 2006, it had a hundred stores. One of its most significant acquisitions came in 2020, when it took over 33 Northern Irish William Hill shops.
That deal cemented its position as Ireland’s biggest and most successful independently owned retail sportsbook. BoyleSports ambitions haven’t stopped there though. In 2019 it acquired independent bookie Wilf Gilbert, which ran thirteen betting shops in the Midlands. That was its first foray into the UK betting market, in which it is keen to expand.
The bookmaker now runs more than 340 retail outlets in the UK and Ireland. Headquartered in Dundalk, County Louth, the firm employs 2,500 staff. CEO of BoyleSports, Mark Kemp, was pleased to announce the latest deal, which will help the company to grow its presence in the British market. Kemp said:
“As an official partner, we look forward to BoyleSports betting being available on our app, online and at Molineux for the new season. We both have great ambitions this season, and we wish Wolves and their fans all the best of luck for a successful campaign.”
While BoyleSports is best known for its sports betting offerings, the company has also branched out into providing online casino, bingo, poker and lottery products. Players can enjoy these offerings online and via its highly rated app, available at both the Google Play and App Stores.
Sponsorship Deals
Throughout August, the Wolverhampton Wanderers have been tying up a number of other partnerships ready for the 2021/22 season. The club has struck a new deal with global payment platform AstroPay, making it an official club sponsor. Just like BoyleSports, AstroPay is keen to expand and build on its name.
It too will benefit from advertising at the Molineux stadium, as well as branding on media backdrops behind player interviews. Astro Pay is channeling its growth across Latin America and Asia, and will soon become a familiar brand to Premier League fans around the world.
The club has also named a number of other new sponsors ahead of the upcoming Premier League season. YO·GYM, a sports and fitness center in Guangdong Province, has been named as the club’s official Chinese regional fitness partner, while Monster Energy is its new official energy drink partner. Another new sponsor is local construction company, A&H Constructions and Developments.
The Wolverhampton Wanderers have also renewed their partnership with Reconomy for the tenth year running. Reconomy offers waste management and recycling services in the UK, and acts as the Wolves’ official waste partner. It sponsors an executive box at Molineux Stadium and its logo is featured on player shirts.
These sponsorship deals are testament to the popularity and success of the Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League. The pandemic has been a difficult period for the club, and for football as a whole. These deals will help to plug the financial holes created last year.
However, UK football clubs may not be able to enjoy sponsorship deals with betting firms for much longer. The government is currently reviewing its gambling legislation, and it has been widely reported that a ban on gambling firms sponsoring player shirts could be imminent.
For now, some clubs have chosen to distance themselves from bookmakers, while others are keen to capitalize on such partnerships while it is still possible. The Wolves could be affected if a change to the law is brought in, as its official shirt sponsor is Asian sports betting platform ManBetX.
