Newcastle United have secured a $8-million-per-year agreement with KNOX Hydration for naming rights to their Darsley Park training ground and sleeve sponsorship on training wear, the club announced on Thursday.
The three-year deal, which begins on July 1 and runs until 2029, marks the club’s first-ever training ground naming rights partnership and first training-kit sleeve sponsor.
KNOX, a South African sports drinks company, is not affiliated with Newcastle’s majority owners, Saudi Arabia’s Public
Investment Fund.
The agreement is worth around $24 million across its three-year duration and represents the first step in chief executive David Hopkinson’s plan to expand the club’s commercial revenue streams.
“Is (PIF) the world’s richest owner? Yes,” Hopkinson said in January. “But we’re in the self-help business, they can’t use that money under PSR, which has now evolved to SCR — we’re only going to be able to spend on salaries a proportion of what we generate in revenue. You combine that with the fact the Premier League has the tightest correlation (of any major sports) between wage spend and points earned… You want more points earned, you’ve got to generate more revenue and you have to do it on your own efforts. This is the revenue business and this is my equation. I’ve got to get a bigger bag for the club to work with, Ross (Wilson) needs to spend that effectively, and then Eddie needs to manage the squad that he’s got.”
Newcastle’s commercial income has risen significantly since the 2021 takeover, yet it’s widely known that it still trails the Premier League’s so-called Big Six.
A more lucrative front-of-training-wear sponsor is still being sought, with interest registered, as it’s fair to say that this KNOX thing didn’t quite cut it, does it?
What the KNOX deal signals, however, is a clear Newcastle shift toward aggressively monetising previously unused commercial space as they attempt to close the gap on England’s highest earners. Let’s hope it works.
