Arsenal Announce Record £150m Deal

Arsenal have announced a new £150m deal with Emirates that will see the international airline extend it’s shirt sponsorship for a further five years.

The current shirt sponsorship deal, worth around £5.5m per year, was up for renewal at the end of the 2013/14 season and the Club have struck an impressive extension that will run until the end of the 2018/19 season.

As well as the shirt sponsorship, the deal includes a naming rights extension that will see the Stadium continue to be called ‘Emirates Stadium’ up until 2028. The original deal that Arsenal entered into with Emirates began in 2004 when the airline secured naming rights to the stadium until 2021 and a the shirt sponsorship began in 2006/2007 season.

This new deal is one of the biggest ever agreed in sport and is worth £30m-a-year for the Club, so this is truly an exciting day for Gooners and is the first sign that we are going to be improving our ‘outdated’ commercial deals.

Chief executive Ivan Gazidis said of the deal on Arsenal.com:

“This is an exciting day for Arsenal Football Club and all our supporters,” said Ivan Gazidis. “This agreement is a testimony to Arsenal’s approach and to the capabilities we have developed in recent years as well as the strength of our partnership with Emirates.

“The original deal with Emirates was a key facilitator of our move from Highbury and this next phase of our relationship will be just as critical to keep us at the top of the game in England and Europe.

“Emirates is the perfect partner for Arsenal and we are delighted to have agreed a new partnership. Emirates is a world-class brand and by flying to more than 120 destinations across six continents has a truly global reach. This reach will play an important role in our own ambitions to further extend the depth of our following around the world. The fact this partnership will continue for many years to come underlines how much both organisations value and benefit from the relationship.”

The Emirates brand will also continue to appear on the front of Arsenal’s playing and training kits and the new deal also includes various marketing initiatives to ensure Arsenal engage with their fan base in the UK and abroad.

You can read the full official statement on Arsenal.com. How do Gooners feel about the new £150m deal? Get involved in the comments section.