Midnite is taking over the EFL Championship, with the company extending its partnership with Sheffield United and signing a new deal with Middlesbrough.
The London-headquartered betting firm is now a front-of-shirt partner of three Championship clubs, having partnered with newly relegated side Wolverhampton Wanderers a month ago.
Front-of-shirt deals in the Premier League will be banned from the 2026/27 season onwards, but the EFL remains fully available to betting marketers, making the second division Championship lucrative real-estate for branding.
“The Championship is one of the most viewed football leagues in the world, with some iconic and historical names from English football competing in it,” said Andrew Mook, Midnite’s Head of Brand Marketing.
“We are looking forward to being a part of the action by partnering with two of the league’s biggest clubs in what should be another thrilling season.”
Midnite prepares Sheffield United and Boro campaigns
Midnite has been principal partner of Sheffield United since June 2025. The club has a large following around South Yorkshire, and is one of the most recognisable clubs in the second tier, having been a Premier League side just three years ago.
Sheffield United is becoming a testing ground for Midnite’s 2UP campaign, which is now being rolled out across its two new partnerships with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Middlesbrough.
The initiative gives fans the chance to win a prize fund every time the Blades gain a two goal lead in a home match, with the pot starting at £10,000 with £1,000 added for every home fixture.
As with Sheffield United, Wolves and the Boro are recognisable Championship names with a loyal following in their local area, and recent history of Premier League competition.
In Middlesbrough’s case, Midnite is preparing a brand new campaign dubbed “The Season’s On Us” to celebrate the clubs’ 150th anniversary.
The campaign includes a prize draw with season tickets, home and away shirts, hospitality tickets, or a £25 club shop voucher, with fans participating by testing club knowledge of football skills.
“Middlesbrough are a club with a storied history and we’re delighted to announce this partnership during such a monumental year with the club celebrating their 150th anniversary,” Mook continued.
“We are also delighted to be Sheffield United’s principal partner for a second consecutive season after a really exciting first year. We’ll be looking to create even more memorable fan experiences in the upcoming season.”
Midnite and the Championship – sign of the times?
The Championship lacks the global visibility of the Premier League, with the English top-flight estimating that some 1.87 billion interacted with it in some form during the 2023/24 season alone.
This has made the league a valuable marketing asset for betting and gaming firms with international reach on their minds.
A deluge of companies which do not hold, or no longer hold, UK gambling licences sponsoring Premier League clubs to promote their international activity, particularly in Asia, has led to criticism from campaigners and the regulated industry, however.
While the Championship lacks the global visibility of the Premier League, for UK-licensed brands which want to connect with a UK audience, it still holds a lot of value.
During the 2023/24 season, over 21.5 million fans attended EFL Championship games while the average Championship UK live audience was 333,000, up 51% from the previous season.
Of course, companies interested in sponsoring EFL clubs do have a big name to go up against – Sky Bet, the Flutter Entertainment brand and partner of all four EFL clubs.
However, the fact remains that the EFL and its 72 clubs have a great deal of historic brands and loyal fanbases with a lot of marketing potential.
Midnite isn’t the only one chasing these marketing leads, with Irish bookmaker BoyleSports opting to renew its front-of-shirt sponsorship of West Ham United after the club, like Midnite-sponsored Wolves, was relegated last season.
Many will be putting forward the case that this is the most prestigious deal of the lot, given West Ham’s history.
However, it could be argued that Midnite has three of the best of the rest for the 2026/27 in Sheffield United, Middlesbrough and Wolves.
Nonetheless, the top-flight remains a target for betting companies despite the incoming front-of-shirt ban, and some clubs like Everton opted to work with what could be called ‘betting adjacent’ firms as well as long-running operator partners.
The continuing presence of gaming firms with no UK licence in the English top-flight remains an issue of contention, however.
“Everton’s decision to extend its relationship with Stake is a two-fingered salute to Lisa Nandy, who warned clubs not to strike deals with unlicensed gambling operators,” an industry insider remarked to SBC News.
While the Financial Conduct Authority has been proactive in warning football clubs about the risks of unregulated sponsorships, the Gambling Commission has been conspicuous by its absence on this issue.
“And if Andy Burnham does make it to Downing Street, Everton fans may reasonably ask whether the new Prime Minister is comfortable backing a club shirt still carrying the branding of an unregulated gambling company.”
