The English Premier League will not have a
title sponsor from the 2016/17 season, the organisation revealed on Thursday.
Keen
to emulate major American sports leagues like the NBA and NFL in presenting a
'clean' brand, the Premier League's bosses have decided not to seek a new main
sponsor once their current deal with Barclays Bank expires.
Having
been sponsored by Barclays since 2004, in 2016 the competition will be known
simply as 'The Premier League'.
Premier
League sources have stressed their new sponsorship strategy will not impinge on
their clubs' ability to pursue their own individual commercial models.
"Barclays has been an excellent partner
for the League throughout their sponsorship of the competition and we look
forward to working with them in 2015/16, the final season of their title
sponsorship," a Premier League spokesperson said.
The Premier League
did not have a title sponsor in its inaugural season of 1992/93 before signing
a four-year, £12
million deal with brewers Carling.
Carling subsequently
paid triple that initial amount to secure a four-year extension to their
original deal, before Barclaycard paid £48
million for a three-year contract beginning in 2001.
Barclays paid £57
million for a three-year sponsorship deal in 2004 and subsequent extensions saw
the value rise to the £120
million paid for the existing three-year sponsorship in 2012.
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