Barclays, which has lent its name to the Premier League since 2001, today became the latest global brand to signal a wide ranging review of its sponsorship priorities. The company, currently in the second season of a £66m three-year deal, said it would conduct a review of all its sponsorship properties in 2009.
Libby Chambers, Barclays Global Retail and Commercial Banking chief marketing officer, said the Premier League deal was "very much" part of the review, which will also take in its sponsorship of the Scottish Open and Singapore Open in golf, the Barclays Churchill Cup in rugby union and the Barclays Dubai Tennis Tournament.
"There will be a thorough review of our sponsorships to make sure that we are getting a strong return on investment across the board," Chambers told the trade magazine Marketing Week.
The Premier League agreement is generally agreed by most industry experts to have been a mutually beneficial one but some expect banking and financial services brands to cut back on their brand building investment in the current economic climate. Barclays has sponsored the Premier League since 2001, when it attached its Barclaycard brand to the competition, before switching to its main brand in 2004.
Vodafone confirmed this week that it was ending its £4m-a-year deal with the England cricket team in 2010 following its own strategic review of sponsorship activity.
Sponsorship agencies expect brands to cut back on their investment in the hospitality and "activation" budgets that accompany their investments in sport. RBS, for example, is believed to have reduced its hospitality expenditure despite renewing its Six Nations sponsorship deal. Overall, they believe less high-profile sports and smaller events will suffer more than bigger ones.
The Premier League is not expected to begin discussions about renewing the sponsorship deal until the second half of next year, following the conclusion of its domestic and overseas TV rights deals.
The Football League, meanwhile, will introduce a new rule from next season forcing clubs to name at least four "home grown" players in their squads in a bid to encourage youth development.
At an EGM at Derby County's Pride Park, the clubs voted "overwhelmingly" to require at least four players in each matchday squad of 16 to have been registered domestically for a minimum of three seasons before their 21st birthday.
While European Commission employment law prevents domestic leagues from introducing rules requiring a certain number of players be born in a particular country, the Football League's edict is expected to have that effect.
It will also be seen as the latest step in Football League chairman Lord Mawhinney's attempt to mark it out as a progressive force
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