SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
UK betting brand Midnite continues its sports sponsorship streak through a new partnership with Southampton FC.
The operator, which will hold the title of the club’s official training kit partner for the 2025/26 season only, will work on supporter and community activities to engage the club’s fanbase during the build-up to the season, and throughout.
Midnite’s sportsbook was launched in 2018 by Nick Wright and Daniel Qu, who previously created daily fantasy sports platform Dribble in partnership with Sky Bet. This latest venture is significant as the firm dives straight into the Championship for its first ever football club sponsorship.
Midnite Vice President of Growth, Jonathan Shaw, commented: “We’re excited to partner with Southampton for our first-ever football club sponsorship.
“At Midnite, our mission is to bring our players closer to the games they love, and this high-profile partnership marks the latest step in our brand awareness journey as we continue to grow, with plenty more to come.
“As a fully licensed UK operator, we’re committed to ensuring our players enjoy a safe, responsible, and entertaining experience. We can’t wait to engage with Southampton fans and contribute to what promises to be an exciting and successful season ahead.”
Notably, Midnite’s green and black logo will be placed across the training kits for both the men’s and women’s first teams, as well as on the back of the men’s first team shirt and shorts.
Unlocking brand recognition even further, Midnite’s name will also be shown around St Mary’s Stadium, including in the dugouts.
“We’re delighted to welcome Midnite as our latest club partner. Midnite is disrupting its sector and developing a dynamic challenger brand,” added Greg Baker, Chief Revenue Officer for Southampton FC.
“As a club we pride ourselves on our ability to challenge the status quo and we see a clear alignment with Midnite’s innovative approach. We look forward to working with them throughout the 2025/26 season.”
The Saints were relegated from the Premier League this year following a 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in matchweek 31. Will Still will be looking to return his club to the top flight during his recently signed three-year contract.
The timeframe for Midnite’s deal with the club is also important to note – front-of-shirt sponsorships will be banned from the 2026/27 season onwards in the Premier League, with Midnite’s deal scheduled to end the season prior.
However, the deal shows that operators, from established players like Betway to newcomers like Midnite, still see a lot of value in football sponsorships despite the political pressure football’s relationship with betting has faced in recent years.
Creating competition with momentum
Midnite continues to bolster its ambitions to become the UK’s most disruptive online gambling venture.
The Southampton move comes on the heels of Midnite’s sponsorship of free-to-air broadcaster 5’s UK coverage of the FIFA Club World Cup which began last Saturday (14 June).
Hosted in the USA, 5 is airing 23 of the 63 matches – which have all been featuring the bookmaker’s branding during live coverage as well as on the daily magazine show, The Press.
Keeping its UK-focus in play, in April – the same month it completed a successful Series B funding round – Midnite also announced a sponsorship of this year’s World Snooker Championship which included significant brand visibility as well as a series of fan-facing activations.
It also launched its first TV ad campaign the month prior, which aired across Sky, Channel 4 and Channel 5, covering both linear TV and streaming platforms.
