Coral has been named the principal partner of Championship club Birmingham City for the 2026-27 season, marking the Entain-owned brand’s first front-of-shirt deal in its 100-year history.
Having been the club’s official betting partner for the past two seasons, the agreement will now see Coral branding appear on the men’s and women’s home, away and third kit as the front-of-shirt sponsor.
As part of the deal, the two parties will also work on delivering “further opportunities for supporters, strengthen their community impact and build on a partnership that has already made a significant contribution both on and off the pitch”.
Last season, the Entain brand pledged £500 to charity for every goal scored at home for the men’s and women’s team, leading to £40,000 being raised for the Birmingham City Foundation. The initiative will be repeated for the upcoming season.
Jeremy Dale, Birmingham City CEO, said the Coral partnership “represents much more than a sponsorship agreement”.
“Coral has become a trusted and valued partner of ours over the past 18 months, consistently putting supporters at the heart of everything they do,” he added.
“From creating memorable experiences for fans to raising more than £40,000 for the Birmingham City Foundation through their support of both our men’s and women’s teams, they have demonstrated a genuine commitment to our club and the city we represent.”
Bejay Patel, Entain UK and Ireland managing director, added: “We are very proud of the partnership we have developed with Birmingham City Football Club and delighted to take this relationship to the next level.
“This is the first time in Coral’s history that we have become a front-of-shirt football sponsor and who better to do that with than Blues, a club that shares our long history and our passion in putting fans first.”
From the 2026-27 season in the Premier League, teams will no longer be able to have gambling sponsors on the front of their shirt after announcing a voluntary agreement in 2023.
Last season, 11 of the 20 Premier League clubs had principal partnerships with gambling firms.
Three of those sides, West Ham, Burnley and Wolves, were all relegated to the Championship, a league where the self-imposed ban does not apply.
The Coral deal is the latest to be signed with Championship clubs over the course of the summer, with Midnite particularly active.
The UK challenger brand secured front-of-shirt deals with both Middlesbrough and Wolves. It also extended the partnership with Sheffield United.
Similarly, the Premier League ban does not extend beyond front-of-shirt and so there have been a spate of alternative deals signed in recent weeks.
These include Bournemouth announcing that UK bingo and casino operator Mr Q will serve as its official sleeve partner for the season, Betano inking a training kit partnership with Tottenham Hotspur as well as a sleeve deal with Aston Villa and Stake moving from front-of-shirt to sleeve sponsor at Everton.
The Stake deal comes despite the crypto brand being banned from operating in the UK. Earlier this month, Entain CEO Stella David called on football clubs to voluntarily end all sponsorship or advertising deals with unlicensed operators.
The post Coral signs front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Birmingham City first appeared on EGR Intel.
Entain brand to appear on a football shirt for first time in its 100-year history this season, and comes amid CEO’s call for unlicensed sponsorships to be terminated
The post Coral signs front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Birmingham City first appeared on EGR Intel.