30 Sep 2008Economic turmoil hits more sponsors

Football Sponsors/ Sponsorship and Media

Two more football clubs have been dragged into concerns over sponsorship as the current economic crisis continues to manifest itself in the English game.

Premier League side Wigan Athletic are sponsored by sports retailer JJB Sports, who have expressed concern over their stability in recent days following a £10 million downturn in revenue.

Meanwhile, top-flight new boys Hull City are also now fretting over the plight of KCom Group - which is the parent company of the club's shirt sponsors Karoo - after seeing its shares slump by nearly half since May.

The latest grim news follows the collapse and subsequent nationalisation of Northern rock, Newcastle United's sponsor, and the fall of travel company XL, whose logo no longer appears on West Ham's shirts.

In addition, major insurer AIG, which has a deal with Manchester United, narrowly avoided going to the wall in recent weeks following a dramatic plunge in share price.

Stoke City have already suffered a scare this season after their sponsor Britannia posted a 36 per cent slump in profits ahead of the new campaign and Middlesbrough sponsor Garmin also had around 50 per cent wiped off its share price.

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