Interview: “I think there’s going to be a lot more sponsors coming into the game on different packages”

Dugout is seeing growing demand from clubs for help with short-term, digital-only marketing campaigns to complement top-tier sponsorship deals.

The trend is accelerating due to incumbent brands pausing their media spending during Covid-19 lockdowns, as clubs look for new commercial revenue streams.

 In the future, clubs may, for instance, strike deals worth £1 million with around 20 different sponsors for short-term campaigns every year, believes Elliot Richardson, Dugout’s founder and chairman.

His company is targeting 1 billion video views per month by the end of this year, and the innovative startup, co-owned by 10 of the world’s biggest football clubs, aims to help eliminate the £6 billion of leakage in football sponsorship.