Until 1974, the football shirts worn by professional footballers contained nothing more than the crest of the team they were playing for and a large number on the back that gave you a pretty good idea of the position in which they played.

These days, of course, shirts worn in the Premier League are likely to be covered with several sponsors’ logos, plus that of the shirt’s manufacturer, the player in question’s name and a number that bears more resemblance to something called out at bingo rather than any recognisable position on a football pitch.

Which is all well and good, you might be thinking, but what does any of this have to do with Weightron? Well, let’s take a look at some of the most iconic shirt sponsorship deals in history and all will become clear.

 

1. Sheffield FC and Weightron

Clearly, we’re a bit biased here, but it does seem fair that the number one spot in this list should go to the world’s oldest football club. Sheffield FC was formed in 1857, five years before Notts County, still the oldest professional club in the world, despite their relegation to the National League in 2019. We’re immensely proud of our deal, which will mean new kits and equipment for all Sheffield’s community teams, as well as supporting the women’s development team, the junior disability teams and the boys’ and girls’ under 18s teams.

 

2. Coventry City and Talbot

Coventry City were the first English club to display a sponsor’s name on their shirts and that sponsor was the then local carmaker Talbot. Not exactly a match made in heaven, with Talbot, after a period in the ownership of Peugeot, eventually going out of business in 1994. Coventry City, meanwhile, have had a few problems of their own, and have spent the last few years playing their home games in places like Northampton and Birmingham.

 

3. Barcelona and Unicef

In 1996, having for years held out against the tide of shirt sponsorships, Barcelona made the magnanimous gesture of doing what can only be described as a reverse sponsorship, paying Unicef €1.5 million a year to display its logo on their shirts. Inevitably, the reality of modern football finances eventually caught up and in 2010, Unicef was ditched in favour of the far less charitable Qatar Foundation.

 

4. Brighton and Hove Albion and Skint Records

Skint Records – whose roster included dance music legend Fatboy Slim – sponsored the Seagulls for 9 years between 1999 and 2008. The club had come dangerously close to going out of business altogether in 1997, so the irony of the team running out with Skint written across their shirts was not lost on anyone. As it happens, the sponsorship marked an upturn in the club’s fortunes and today they are happily ensconced in the Premier League.

 

5. Atletico Madrid and Columbia Pictures

Atletico Madrid are one of the biggest clubs in Europe, but at the turn of the century, things weren’t looking so rosy on the financial front, which meant that in many ways they were delighted to secure a sponsorship deal with Columbia Pictures. But there was a downside, because as part of the deal, their shirt would display whichever new movie Columbia wanted to promote. As a result, fans were treated with the sight of their players running out with things like ‘White Chicks’, ‘Hellboy’ and a large ‘Spider-Man 2’ image emblazoned across their chests.

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