When universities sponsor football teams

Just yesterday, National League South club Torquay United announced their new kits for the 2023-2024 season. This would normally be an ordinary piece of news, if it wasn’t for the fact that the club’s new sponsor is a high school: South Devon College in Torbay. 

If you know your football sponsorships, you’ll be aware that very few teams - if any - get involved with academic institutions. It is simply an uncommon practice, perhaps because sports and academia are completely separated in Europe. It seems like the Old Continent dwarfs in comparison to the US and its college sports system, but, as it turns out, football clubs seek out partnerships with universities more often than you would think. 

Portsmouth FC x University of Portsmouth

The most famous example is probably Portsmouth FC and its shirt sponsorship deal with the University of Portsmouth that has stood since 2018. Being the club’s main partner entails close collaboration in many spheres, from work placement and scholarships for students, to collective research projects, facility sharing, and match ticket discounts. Representatives from both sides also often visit schools and colleges together in an attempt to inspire young people to get into higher education, proving how truly local and community-driven this partnership is.

Bolton Wanderers x University of Bolton

Apart from the university purchase of naming rights of the Wanderers’ stadium in 2018, this collaboration also saw the construction of a £31 million, state-of-the-art sports complex on campus, for locals and students to use alike. Similar to Portsmouth and the University of Portsmouth, the Wanderers and the University of Bolton also encourage the pursuit of higher education through advertisements, messages, and increased brand awareness on the team’s multi-platform channels.

Aston Villa x Aston University

Both rooted in the city of Birmingham, the two institutions most frequently collaborate for charitable projects within their local community. There are also a number of LGBTQ+ and Black History Month initiatives, while the Player Education Pathway is a unique chance for Aston Villa footballers to career, business, and academic support for whatever extra-football endeavor they may have in mind.

Walsall FC x University of Wolverhampton

This sponsorship deal sees the University of Wolverhampton as an away stand sponsor at Walsall’s stadium, with its logo appearing in matchday sponsorship as well as the digital scoreboard. The University’s Institute of Sports also helps with the preparation and testing of first team and academy players alike, and, like the Portsmouth partnership, Walsall offers many opportunities for work experience and placement to Wolverhampton students.

Brentford FC x University of West London

The University of West London is a long-standing partner of Brentford’s, and they keep up this relationship with numerous social media campaigns on the club’s website, apps, and online page, as well student work placement opportunities. Interestingly, during the 2016-2017 season, UWL appeared as a back shirt sponsor for the Bees, though the university’s branding is now only scattered in and around club facilities.

Ternana x Unicusano

And finally, the only non-British team: Ternana, also known as Ternana Unicusano. Owned from 2017 to 2023 by the university's president Stefano Bandecchi, the club played with "Unicusano" as their jersey's main sponsor for 6 years straight. Less collaborations between the two entities in this case, except for the purchase of a campus in Kent, England, for the university in 2019, financed in part with revenue from Ternana Calcio. Starting on July 15th of this year, however, we'll see the "Unicusano era" come to an end and make way for new sponsor Pharmaguida.

Clearly, this is a British dominated list and a purely British practice. There may be several factors that would help explain this one-sidedness, but the fact that the UK university athletic system is the closest thing we have in Europe to American college sports is probably more than just a coincidence. The athletic opportunities and facilities available to students in the UK simply outshine those of other countries in the continent, and this list fully reflects that.