Why do international football teams have no sponsorship on their shirts?

Sponsorship of International Football Teams

Many international football teams participating in international competitions are sponsored by various companies. For example the English national football team has been sponsored by Nationwide for an extended period of time.

However, the names of these sponsors are not seen on the front of the shirts worn by the players in international matches.

What is the purpose of this?

The reason for this is that the teams are not prohibited under the FIFA Regulations for the international tournament in which they are participating.

For example when international football teams are participating in an international tournament such as the World Cup they must adhere to the FIFA Regulations regarding the tournament.

Why would the FIFA Regulations state that there should be no sponsorship on the front of the shirts?

One of the reasons behind the notion of there being no sponsorship on the front of the international shirts is to protect the integrity of the competition in not having the names of sponsors all over the event. However, FIFA also has the requirement to protect the exclusivity of the official sponsors of the event which is clearly one of the reasons behind this requirement.

Does this just apply to the final stages of an international tournament such as the World Cup?

This does not simply apply to the final stages of an international tournament such as the World Cup. It will apply to the qualifying stages of the tournament as well as these matches are all considered part of the tournament and thus come under the regulations of FIFA.

This also applies to other international football tournaments such as the UEFA European Championships.

Does this apply to friendly matches that international teams participate in?

This does not necessarily extend to friendly international football matches as these matches are not subject to the rules and regulations of FIFA. Accordingly an international team could have sponsorship on the front of their shirt in these matches – this is something which has been seen by international teams such as Ireland.

However, it is not usual for international teams to do this.

Does the ban on sponsorship on the front of the shirts extend to the manufacturer of the shirt?

The prohibition of sponsorship on the front of international football shirts does not extend to the company with manufactures the kit which the players wear. For example the brand which manufactures the England national football team kit will be able to be displayed on the front of the shirt during an international match.

Are there any restrictions on the sponsorship of domestic teams playing in the FA Premier League?

All of the teams playing in the FA Premier League have a variety of sponsorship agreements with different companies and in most cases the name of one of these companies – the principal sponsor of the team – will appear on the front of the shirt.

However, this right to have the sponsor on the front of the shirt does not come without its restrictions.

What restrictions are placed on the domestic teams and by whom?

The advertising and sponsorship restrictions on the kit of English football teams is administered by the Football Association through their various regulations.

What do these regulations state?

The Football Association clothing regulations state the following:

• That the name of sponsors can appear in a single area not exceeding 200 square centimeters on the front of the shirt
• That the name of the sponsor can appear in an area not exceeding 100 square centimeters
• That the name of the sponsor can appear in an area not exceeding 100 square centimeters on the back of the shorts
• That the name of the sponsor can appear once only on each sock tie-up in an area not exceeding 100 square centimeters

The FA Rules exists again to protect the integrity of the competition to ensure that teams are not covered in sponsorship detracting from the spectacle of the game.

Title and Description

Sponsorship of International Football Teams

Why do international football teams have no sponsorship on their shirts, Sponsorship of International Football Teams, FIFA Regulations, reasoning behind this, application to qualifying matches, application to friendly matches, are there any restrictions placed on domestic teams in relation to sponsorship.

URL: sponsorship-of-international-football-teams