The EFL has extended its partnership agreement with Sky Bet until 2029 - with the betting company paying an extra 50 percent to retain its title sponsorship deal. It means the Championship, in which Sunderland compete, along with the EFL's other two divisions - League One and League Two - will continue to have the Sky Bet name attached, as will the play-offs, and the official manager, player and goal of the month awards, as well as the seasonal 'Golden Boot' and 'Golden Glove' awards in each division.
The deal, which has been confirmed by the EFL, runs until the end of the 2028-29 season and will see Sky Bet invest £1m per year into a community fund held by the EFL and which will be used to support communities across England and Wales where EFL clubs are located. The EFL statement said: "The EFL and Sky Bet will use the funding to deliver activity via the EFL Trust and the network of Club Community Organisations (CCOs), with the initiatives in focus to be mutually agreed by the organisations."
The partnership between the EFL and Sky Bet began in 2013 and, according to the statement, the extension includes provisions designed to ensure that concerns around safer gambling are taken into account. Those provisions include Sky Bet committing not to actively market themselves or their products in family areas of stadia, or advertise to young fans.
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The EFL will also promote safer gambling messaging, and Sky Bet will fund a player education programme across the league's 72 member clubs that will focus on the dangers of gambling and that will provide support and advice. EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said: "For over a decade, Sky Bet has been a valuable partner for EFL clubs, offering sustained investment to help clubs navigate a volatile financial landscape and ensure fans can enjoy fantastic footballing entertainment in every corner of the country.
"We have consistently seen our partnership evolve to move with the times and, with community at the heart of the EFL, a new community investment fund is perfectly aligned and will help strengthen the partnership's commitment to social responsibility. The Government’s recent Gambling White Paper highlighted the social responsibility measures that have accompanied our partnership with Sky Bet as being an example of good practice for the wider sports sector to learn from and we will look to deepen our commitment to the promotion of safer gambling as part of this extension.
"On behalf of our clubs, we thank Sky Bet for its ongoing support to English football and we look forward to seeing our much-loved competition develop yet further with the additional certainty this investment provides."
Sky Bet chief commercial officer Steve Birch added: "I'm extremely proud of Sky Bet's ongoing partnership with the EFL and delighted to have reached today's agreement. Football is central to who we are and it’s great to be able to support the game and provide investment for clubs across the pyramid.
"I'm particularly delighted that we can go one step further today with the announcement of our Sky Bet EFL Community Fund, seeking to make a real difference for people across England and Wales. As the recent Sky Bet Play-Off Finals demonstrated, the EFL is going from strength to strength with packed grounds and millions watching games here in the UK and around the world.
"We are absolutely committed to Safer Gambling, and I'm delighted that our partnership with the EFL shows how responsible betting and gaming operators, and sporting organisations can work together to promote safer gambling and tackle the issue of gambling harm."
