While Chelsea FC actually began the season without a shirt sponsor, they finally have one now. According to reports, the deal, which will run until the end of this season, is worth £40 million ($49m).
The contract with the previous shirt sponsor, telecom company Three, had expired.
Chelsea FC at Fulham FYIs
Kickoff: Mon. Oct. 2, 8pm, Craven Cottage, London, UK
Chelsea Preview Material: Full Fitness/Injury Report Starting XI Prediction
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
PL Position, Form: Chelsea 14th, 5 pts, LDLWL Fulham 8th, 9 pts, DWLDL
Google Result Probability: Chelsea 48% Draw 27% Fulham 25%
The new partner is sports technology company Infinite Athlete. (Hope you enjoy all the photos of Chelsea players in shirts that are emblemless.
“We have a like-minded partner in Infinite Athlete,” reads a club statement attributed to Chelsea Chief Executive Chris Jurasek.
“The speed at which our relationship has grown, alongside the evolution of Infinite Athlete’s business, made this an obvious extension to our partnership.”
Infinite Athlete is based in San Francisco, California, and is considered a company that would be a part of the greater concept of “Silicon Valley.” They’re heavy into A.I. and partnered with Tempus Ex Machina, who acquired Biocore. Tempus Ex Machina has partnered in the past with the NFL and the hype machine that is the Deion Sanders led Colorado Buffaloes football program.
Despite breaking the all-time summer transfer window spending record this preseason, Chelsea currently sit only 15th in the table, entering Monday night’s Fulham Road derby.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.