Kaiyun Sports unlocks more EPL visibility with Forest deal

Nottingham Forest FC has become the third Premier League club to partner with Kaiyun Sports, who will serve as the club’s front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2023/2024 Premier League season. 

Kaiyun’a logo will appear on the front of the East Midlands team’s shirts for the remainder of the 2023/24 top-flight campaign. Forest will also make arrangements for any fans who have already purchased 2023/24 shirts who may want to have the logo applied retrospectively

The partnership will commence this evening when the club host fellow Premier League side Burnley at the City Ground in the EFL Cup, and forms part of the Asia-facing bookmaker’s plans to European expansion and enhanced visibility in football.

Byrne Howard, Chief Marketing Officer of Kaiyun Sports, said: “The collaboration with Nottingham Forest Football Club will be a milestone for us to step onto the global stage.”

As noted, Kaiyun has already established a presence in the Premier League via two sponsorship deals with Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, although both of these contracts covered shirt sleeves and not the front. Kaiyun is active in Asia, but its sportsbook and casino platform in the UK is still under development according to its website.

Prior to the publication of the Gambling Act review White Paper in April, the Premier League’s clubs voted overwhelmingly in favour of withdrawing front-of-shirt sponsorships with betting companies by the 2026/27 season.

Deals can still encompass shirt sleeve arrangements and stadium advertising after the 2026 cut-off date, as clubs and bookmakers continue to engage in commercial partnerships. 

However, others such as Fulham – which signed a front-of-shirt deal with SBOTOP earlier this year – and now Forest have opted to make use of the front-of-shirt sponsors with the remaining three years allocated.

Meanwhile, the agreement marks a return to commercial front-of-shirt sponsorships for Forest, which was left without a partner upon return to the Premier League in 2022/23 when its deal with BOXT ended, although the UNHCR (UN Refugee Agency) was taken on board as a charitable front-of-shirt partner in December 2022.

A spokesperson for Nottingham Forest added: “We look forward to working closely with Kaiyun Sports on a number of exciting activations and initiatives to engage with new and existing audiences in Asia and across the world. 

“Kaiyun Sports have a reputation for redefining the fan experience for global audiences of the Premier League and other dominant European leagues.”