The conclusion of the 2022-23 English Premier League season is approaching fast. As things stand, Manchester City is in pole position to win the league title for the third successive season. The Premier League table is not the only ranking chart on which City is on top. The City Football Group Limited-owned club also sits at the summit of the sponsorship revenue charts.
The soon-to-be nine-time Premier League winners have generated a revenue of £258.05 million from all their global and regional partners. The list comprising all partners is lengthy and includes several renowned entities like Etihad Airways, Puma, EA Sports, Cadbury, First Abu Dhabi Bank, and more.
Etihad Airways has been their main sponsor for over ten years. They are also the front-of-the-shirt sponsors for the Sky Blues. Additionally, the name of the home stadium of Manchester City was renamed from the City of Manchester Stadium to the Etihad Stadium as part of the massive deal with Etihad back in 2011.
Stadium naming rights are too precious to give away, but the deal works like a charm for the Manchester club. The Etihad sponsorship reaps £68 million yearly for City, boosting their total sponsorship income. Additionally, as part of this sponsorship deal, City-branded Etihad flights between Manchester and Abu Dhabi fly twice daily, increasing club visibility.
Another big boost to the annual revenue of the club comes via kit sponsors Puma. In 2019, Manchester City switched their kit sponsors from Nike to Puma. This sponsorship deal continues to add £69 million to City’s annual revenue annually. It is expected to do so till 2028, making it the biggest single sponsorship for the club this season.
Apart from the front-of-shirt and kit sponsors, teams in the Premier League also carry a sleeve sponsor. In 2017, Manchester City partnered with Nexen Tire as their sleeve partner on a multi-year contract. This deal may not add an amount as huge as the two main sponsors but does chip in with an annual sponsorship amount of £10 million.
The list of Global Partners for Manchester City in the 2022-23 season includes:
| Etihad Airways | Puma | OKX | e& |
| Experience Abu Dhabi | Nexen Tire | Nissan | Midea |
| EA Sports | Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental | Cisco | Asahi |
| Wix | QNET | Socios.com | Unilever |
| Aldar | Axi | JNC | Xylem |
| Hays | Sony Group Corporation | Gatorade | Masdar |
| Unilumin Sports | Dsquared2 | Acronis | Qualtrics |
| Therabody | Recast | WeWork | The Fold |
The list of Regional Partners for Manchester City in the 2022-23 season includes:
| LeoVegas | Cadbury | 8Xbet | Khmer Beverages |
| Sportium | Nestle | ABeam Consulting | First Abu Dhabi Bank |
| Healthpoint | Animoca Brands | Noon | DreamSetGo |
| Dude Wipes | Sports Interactive | Jio | SportyBet |
Incidentally, Manchester City is the only club in the Premier League to generate a revenue of over £200 million in the 2022-23 season. Their city rivals Manchester United are second on the list of the highest sponsorship revenue produced in the current season at £192.5 million.
In the record-breaking year revenue year for Manchester City, the club reportedly installed a ‘double size’ LED at their home ground to increase the visibility for the spectators, broadcast audience, and social and news media, leading to increased media and brand value.
In the 2021-22 season, Manchester City recorded an increase of 13 percent in revenue from £569 million to £645 million to become the richest club in the world, ahead of Spanish football giants Real Madrid who generated an annual revenue of £630 million last season.
