English football club Chelsea has secured a short-term front-of-shirt sponsorship agreement with DAMAC Properties for the conclusion of the current season.
The Dubai-based property development company's logo will appear on the team's jerseys for the remaining four Premier League matches and any further games in their Europa Conference League campaign. The club's women's team will also wear the sponsor's logo.This marks the second consecutive season Chelsea has gone without a front-of-shirt sponsor for the full campaign. Infinite Athlete sponsored the club's kit on a short-term basis last season and continued for preseason fixtures this year.The current agreement with DAMAC does not include coverage for the Club World Cup tournament scheduled for this summer in the United States. The club states it is continuing a competitive process to find a long-term shirt sponsor for future seasons and potentially the summer tournament.
Football finance expert Rob Wilson described the short-term deal as unusual given the stage of the season. He suggested it indicates Chelsea faced difficulty securing a long-term sponsor at the price the club reportedly seeks, which is around £60 million per year.Wilson estimated the value of the short-term DAMAC deal to be in the region of £15 million to £20 million.
The partnership extends beyond the shirt sponsorship, including a collaboration on "Chelsea Residences by DAMAC" in Dubai. This development project, described as luxury living, is valued at upwards of £1 billion.
The new kit featuring the sponsor's logo debuted during the Conference League semifinal first leg match against Djurgården in Stockholm.
Chelsea's chief operating officer Jason Gannon commented on the property collaboration aspect of the agreement.
"the collaboration will bring Chelsea to life in Dubai," Gannon said.
