Paddy Power launches campaign against jersey sponsorship

The bookmaker Paddy Power launched a new campaign that urges companies not to have their logos on football jerseys.

UK.- Paddy Power has launched a new campaign that asks betting operators to stop sponsorship on football jerseys. The campaign launched after images emerged of the company’s logo across the Huddersfield Town’s jersey, which received multiple critics due to the space that it occupied in it. However, the company said that the sponsorship was a hoax in order to draw attention to the campaign.

“Save Our Shirt” is the campaign that urges organisations and companies not to have their logos crowd the football kits. Paddy Power believes that the kits should be symbolically returned to the fans.

“Shirt sponsorship in football has gone too far. We accept that there is a role for sponsors around football, but the jersey should be sacred,” said Victor Corcoran, the Paddy Power MD. “So we’re calling on other sponsors to join the Save Our Shirt campaign, and give something back to the fans. As a sponsor, we know our place, and it is not on your shirt,” he added.

“So yeah, our Huddersfield shirt WAS a fake. We’re not just sponsoring them this season, we’re UNsponsoring them too, through our Save Our Shirt campaign,” said Paddy Power on social media.

Michelle Spillane, Paddy Power’s Brand Marketing Director, said: “As a brand, we always try to be on the side of the fans. We know they love to wear their club colours with pride, but they don’t love being a walking advertising hoarding. Which is what Save Our Shirt is all about. At Paddy Power, we know our place as a sponsor – and it’s not on your jersey.”

The campaign aims to have a lasting legacy

Henry Nash, Head of Strategy, Octagon commented: “In the face of football’s crass commercialisation and relentless exploitation of fans, our ambition was to do something good for the game. There was really only one brand brave enough to pull this off. We’re beyond thrilled that Paddy Power has taken a stand with Save Our Shirt. We believe this idea will have a lasting legacy  – not just on the brand but on the game itself.”