Barclays extend partnership with Premier League

The Premier League and Barclays have announced a new three-year sponsorship deal through to the 2024/25 season. 

The renewal comes as Barclays and the Premier League celebrate 20 years since the bank first partnered with the League under the Barclaycard brand in 2001.

The extension was announced at the same time as Barclays extends its sponsorship deal of women's football with The Football Association (The FA) for a similar period from the start of the 2022/23 season until the end of the 2024/25 season. 

Will Brass, Premier League Chief Commercial Officer, said: "Barclays has always been a fantastic partner of the Premier League, and we are very pleased to be extending our long-standing association for another three years.

"Over two decades Barclays has demonstrated their support for football, both on and off the pitch. And together we share an ambition of creating opportunities at all levels and ensuring everyone is welcome to enjoy the game. We look forward to further developing our relationship over the coming years."

Barclays will also invest more than £30million in women and girls’ football over the period from 2022-2025, doubling the existing investment, and setting a record for investment in UK women’s sport.

Barclays agreed an initial deal with The FA in 2019 when the bank became the inaugural title sponsor of the FA Women’s Super League.

Barclays will also increase its investment in girls’ grassroots development, extending its sponsorship of The FA Girls’ Football School Partnerships (FAGFSP) with the aim of giving girls equal access to football in schools. Since Barclays became sponsor of the FAGFSP in 2019 it has seen 9,700 new schools join the scheme taking the total to over 12,000.

The increased funding will help The FA expand the number of people working on the programme and achieve the aim of 20,000 schools offering football to girls by 2024.

Sasha Wiggins, Group Head of Public Policy and Corporate Responsibility, Barclays said: “We are delighted to announce the agreements with The FA and Premier League at a time when we are celebrating our long term commitment to English football. Collectively we have been through extraordinarily difficult times over the last 18 months and over that time football has done much to help raise spirits and bring people together.

"Yet we are also aware that this is an important time to drive equity across the game. The doubling of our investment in women’s and girls’ football, whilst continuing to support men’s football, and providing finance to the smallest football organisations through the new community fund, is the right way to support the future of the game for everyone’s benefit.”

Kelly Simmons, The FA’s Director of Women’s Professional Game, said: “Barclays have played a crucial role in the growth of women’s and girls’ football, so it is excellent news that they are committing to a new record investment in the women’s and girls’ pyramid until 2025.

"As part of The FA’s 2020-2024 Women’s and Girls’ strategy, Inspiring Positive Change, we set ourselves the ambition of providing equal access for all girls at 90% of primary and secondary schools in the UK, and Barclays continued support and investment has allowed us to make great strides in achieving this ambition.

“From grass roots to the top tiers of women’s football, we are also extremely excited to welcome Barclays as the new title sponsor of the FA Women’s Championship. The FA Women’s Championship plays a pivotal role in the ongoing development of the pyramid structure and the credible history and association to football that Barclays has will make the league even stronger.”