Highlight Reel: Willem II Doubles Sponsorship Revenue By Removing All Sponsors from Shirt 🇳🇱
Plus, Bandit Running launch Grand Prix in Brooklyn and Club Brugge launch revamped club membership offering...
This week, pangs of dread hit my chest as a former “Head of Mischief” entered the group chat. Luckily, he was both invited and came highly recommended.
Still, his arrival stirred up memories of one of the most talked-about campaigns in recent football marketing history: Huddersfield Town’s ‘Save Our Shirt.’ In that stunt, a garish sash-style logo from Paddy Power dominated a pre-season kit, only to be removed entirely for the actual season, as part of a campaign to “give the shirt back to the fans,” which ultimately lead to a surge in shirt sales that saw the club break the domestic ‘Big Six.’
Nearly six years on, that same debate is still playing out, both from the perspective of “what’s next?” (as betting brands are ushered from front of shirt to sleeve), but also, and perhaps more interestingly, whether front-of-shirt sponsors should exist at all?
Willem II are the latest to ask this question…
Now, on to this week’s stories:
Willem II Strip It Back… ⚽️
Club Brugge Reward Loyalty 💙
Introducing the Bandit Grand Prix 🏃
Let’s get into it:
STRIP IT BACK
Willem II Doubles Sponsorship Revenue By Removing All Sponsors from Shirt 🇳🇱
In a bold move to reconnect with fans and club heritage, Dutch second-tier club Willem II have committed to a three-year period with no sponsors on their iconic shirt.
The club’s kit, once voted the greatest in Dutch football history, will feature no branding: no front-of-shirt, back, or sleeve sponsors. The only word printed on the back? Tilburg, the club’s home city.
Instead of paying for visibility, 18 partners agreed to financially support the club without appearing on the shirt. “They didn’t want the visibility but just to support giving the shirt back to the fans,” said GM Merijn Goris.
Despite being relegated, the club saw a doubling of sponsorship income compared to the previous year. And they also currently rank 10th in ticket sales across all Dutch clubs.
Willem II sold more shirts in the first three days after the launch than in the whole previous season altogether, as highlighted by Dawid Prokopowicz (one of my favourite people to follow on LinkedIn).
Why It Matters:
By removing logos from the shirt, the most sacred object for many fans, the club has reinforced its identity, boosted its revenue, and deepened its community ties.
In doing so, they have also reframed the role of sponsors themselves.
The 18 partners have effectively paid to not be visible, aligning with the club’s values over logo placements. In a market that is full of noise, that choice to stay silent could potentially cut through louder their logo can.
Such a move is obviously easier said than done. A lot of credit belongs with the sponsors for both seeing and buying into that vision. And time will tell if they see the rewards for doing so.
IT PAYS TO BE LOYAL
Club Brugge’s Renewed Club Memberships Offer Provides a Loyalty Blueprint 💙
Club Brugge is revamping its membership experience ahead of the 2025–26 season, moving beyond pure transactions to reward fans for how they support as well as what they spend.
The club is replacing its cashback model with a points-based loyalty system that tracks both purchases and behaviour.
Fans now earn rewards not just for buying tickets, merch, food, and drink but for showing up early, attending U23 games, or forwarding their seats to others.
Points can be redeemed for everything from shop vouchers and exclusive gifts to a limited-edition collector’s shirt and Gold status, which unlocks future perks.
It’s all integrated into the Club Brugge app, where fans can also access their Club Wallet and track rewards in real time.
From July, every member can also request a free Club Pay bank card. Using this with Club Pay partners (like DAZN, Emma Sleep, and Just Russel), fans receive rewards from their everyday purchases, which go directly into their Club Wallet.
Why It Matters:
Where most loyalty programs stop at e-commerce, Brugge’s model transforms everyday fan habits into measurable, meaningful actions. It acknowledges that emotional investment often comes before financial and smartly uses incentives to steer fan behaviour in ways that benefit the club.
As Lotte Denoo, Head of Loyalty at Club Brugge, explained:
“We reward our fans not just for what they buy, but also for how they engage with the Club. Whether it's attending matches, supporting us online, or shopping at the Club, every action brings them closer to exclusive benefits and recognition.”
The addition of Club Pay and a partner network makes the announcement even more interesting, extending Brugge’s reach beyond the stadium. This move enables fan’s loyalty for the club to be leveraged to influence consumer spend, which ultimately benefits the fans, the club, and the partners.
HIGHLIGHTS
Innovation
T-Pain and Clinton Sparks have launched the Global Gaming League (GGL), a new entertainment sports league blending gaming, celebrity, and culture 🎮
Ahead of the debut of "Happy Gilmore 2" on Netflix on tonight (July 25), Callaway has dropped limited-edition golf balls and hockey stick putters inspired by the film 🏒
Liverpool FC has opened its 20th standalone store, and first in Hong Kong, cementing the club’s global dominance in sports retail 🛍️
Marketing
Arsenal has signed a multi-year global deal with Guinness, bringing the iconic stout to Emirates Stadium from the 2025–26 season 🏟️
SKIMS, the Kim Kardashian-founded brand, is now the official loungewear and intimates partner of League One Volleyball (LOVB) 🏐
Formula E has partnered with Feastables, MrBeast’s snack brand, combining sustainability with creator-led commercial appeal 🍫
Media
DAZN will drop PPV charges for Riyadh Season and The Ring boxing events, moving toward a full subscription model from November 22 (potentially influenced by the likes of Netflix) 🥊
England v Italy Women’s Euro 2025 semi-final on ITV was watched by 10.2m, delivering the commercial broadcaster’s biggest audience of the year ⚽️
The PGA TOUR and its media partners (CBS Sports, ESPN, Golf Channel and NBC) have launched "Rapid Rounds," a new way for fans to catch up on every shot from the biggest names across their telecasts.
Finance
The Green Bay Packers' national revenue climbed 7.5% to $432.6 million and 13.7% to $286.4 million locally, boosted by an extra home game 🏈
Tipt Ventures, co-founded by Ami Galani and Fielding Jamieson, has closed an initial fund targeting $50M to invest in how women engage with the sports economy 💸
Washington Commanders’ Bobby Wagner is joining the Seattle Storm ownership group, becoming the first active NFL player to have equity in a WNBA team 🏀
RUNNING WITH IT
Bandit Grand Prix Brings High-Energy Race Format to Brooklyn 🏁
Bandit Running has launched a new kind of race experience in New York this summer. The Bandit Grand Prix, held earlier this month at the Brooklyn Storehouse, mixed 5K heats, a 3K Super Final, and a warehouse afterparty into a format designed for spectators and social energy.
Created by Bandit Running, a Brooklyn-based brand expanding into events, content, and community.
Participants competed in 5K open heats, with top finishers advancing to a 3K Super Final after dark.
Directed by David Trimble (Red Hook Crit), the course looped through the interior and exterior of the Brooklyn Storehouse.
Free to attend, with food, drinks, and action-packed race viewing. The night ended with podium awards and a DJ-led afterparty.
Why It Matters:
As drinking culture declines and people increasingly chase challenge-led ways to socialise, events like this are filling the gap. Like Hyrox or Tough Mudder, the Bandit Grand Prix taps into a broader desire to test limits, seek out discomfort, and earn your fun, in a setting that’s equal parts aspirational and accessible.
It also proves that live sport doesn’t need big-name athletes or legacy IP to feel premium. With the right mix of performance, music, and atmosphere, Bandit has positioned the event in an appealing and community-first manner.
For traditional rightsholders, this is both a playbook and a warning. The demand for in-person connection is real and if they don’t create those moments for fans, challenger brands will.
GROUP CHAT
That’s a wrap for this week - huge thanks to everyone who’s part of our growing community.
A special shoutout to Lee Price for his contributions this week, notably his entry to the group, which prompted a discussion and teed me up perfectly for this week’s intro. This earns him our (most easily earned) Contributor of the Week title 👑🙏
Welcome to all of our new members, too:
Phil Bowers (O’Connors)
Lee Price (Mr Beige)
Jake Goldklang (Cartan Capital)
Doug Wright (Wilson)
Emily Hughes (Reco HQ)
Stuart Lang (PROPELLANT)
Not part of the group yet? What are you waiting for? Apply to join us by filling out a simple form on the website. Feel free to share this link with (your favourite) colleagues.
P.S. You can see a full list of all the current members, here.
ON THE PODCAST
Performance #03
Nick Davies: Developing Elite Premier League Academy Talent Like Aaron Wan-Bissaka
On this week’s episode, Rich is joined by Nick Davies, the Head of Academy Performance at Crystal Palace.
Nick brings a wealth of experience and insight into how a structured process and a multidisciplinary approach serves both the sporting objectives and business goals of an elite football organisation.
In this conversation, they explore the people, the philosophies, and the practices that shape player developments in elite academies, diving deep into how high performance systems impact not just player development, but also the long-term sustainability and success of a Premier League football club.
JOBS BOARD
We're not a recruitment agent, but we have created a custom search on LinkedIn to help to you to find some the most exciting job opportunities within the sports industry a little bit more easily…`