The Turkish Süper Lig: Who sponsors which jersey?

When it comes to professional soccer leagues, sponsorship plays an important role because financial support is intended to make clubs more successful and competitive.

Not only in Turkey’s highest league, the “Süper Lig” have jersey sponsorship agreements become a crucial aspect of the financial management of the clubs concerned, but there they are particularly important.

These collaborations not only provide the clubs with new financial opportunities, but also serve as a platform for the advertising brands to gain greater exposure among larger segments of the population. This also provides an opportunity for many companies to connect with the country’s passionate soccer fans.

In this article, we take a look into the world of shirt sponsorship in the Turkish Süper Lig and examine the fascinating relationships between the elite league’s biggest clubs and their sponsors.

Galatasaray – Sixt/Turkish Airlines

Newly crowned champions Galatasaray are also shaking up the league with their shirt sponsors: since 2020, car rental company Sixt has been featured on their kits in league play, and for international matches in the European Cup, coach Okan Buruk’s team relies on their decade-long partnership with Turkish Airlines, which can then showcase their logo.

“Gala” signed a lucrative sponsorship deal with Sixt after the COVID-19 lockdown, which brings 29 million Turkish liras per season (about 1.05 million euros) into the coffers of the Istanbul-based major club. The deal, of course, not only increased the club’s financial stability, but also Sixt’s brand presence.

This cooperation has meant a big step in strengthening the club’s competitiveness, but also contributed quite a bit to the promotion of the car rental company’s brand awareness.

Besiktas – Rain Crypto

One major difference in marketing activities that Turkey has compared to other leagues in Europe is the lack of any sports betting sponsors.

Turkey is an enlightened, but still Muslim country, where all types of gambling are prohibited. This applies to placing sports bets with a bookmaker, as well as playing on any of the best slot machine sites the internet has to offer.

But there are some loopholes in this industry when it comes to cryptocurrencies, as they are not affected by the ban.

Although some Turkish media and financial experts have associated crypto trading with gambling, it is still officially considered an investment.

For this reason, a crypto trading platform has struck a deal with one of the league’s biggest traditional clubs, Besiktas.

The club will receive around €11 million from the crypto firm Rain over a two-year period, which is believed to be a record investment by a crypto firm in Turkey.

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The deal is controversial, not least because it became the trigger for a wave of crypto investments in Turkish sports.

But critics from several other countries also view these payment flows suspiciously, and there is no end in sight to the heated debate.

Fenerbahce – Avis

Car rental companies seem to be popular with Istanbul clubs. Avis made the beginning in the Süper Lig sponsorship round, as you invested long before Sixt, when they signed a deal with Fenerbahce. As a result, Avis has been on the jerseys of the runners-up since 2018.

In return for the sponsorship, Fenerbahce received the considerable sum of 35.5 million Turkish liras per year (approximately 1.26 million euros).

The contract between these two partners includes an option for a one-year extension, which the club has already agreed to.

However, the contract is unusually long for a top European team, so it could be that Fenerbahce is already looking for an alternative.

Trabzonspor – Vestel

A sponsorship deal that is almost as long-term as Fenerbahce’s is the cooperation between Trabzonspor and Vestel.

According to the club, the two parties agreed on a collaboration in May 2019, which is estimated to be worth around €2.5 million per year.

This was followed by other contracts with Huawei and telecommunications company Turkcell, which have brought Trabzonspor an additional €2.5 million per year.

Vestel specializes in mainly electrical equipment and is made up of a conglomerate of 18 different companies, which explains where the company gets the capital for such a capital-intensive business.

One thing is for sure: During its time as a Trabzonspor sponsor, Vestel’s profile in Turkey and also in Europe increased significantly.

İstanbul Başakşehir – Sunny Elektronik/Turkish Airlines

İstanbul Başakşehir, the surprise champion of 2020, is sponsored by both Sunny Elektronik, a Turkish electronics brand, and Turkish Airlines, the national carrier.

Sunny Elektronik serves as the official sponsor and has acquired brand rights for the club’s physical and digital assets.

This partnership allows Sunny to share its brand with a wide audience while demonstrating its loyal support for the team and connecting with local fans.

In addition, Sunny Elektronik is extending its support for the club’s eSports project, demonstrating its commitment to competitive gaming as well.

Turkish Airlines, meanwhile, goes beyond typical airline sponsorship in European soccer. They sponsor not only Başakşehir, but also several other national teams in Europe, demonstrating their commitment to the sport of soccer.

Through perimeter advertising, player jerseys and digital media, the airline is strengthening its brand image and presenting itself more and more on the European soccer stage every year.

Sivasspor

Just in time for the start of the final 2022/23 season, Bitexen, a trading platform for digital assets, became Sivasspor’s jersey sponsor.

The sponsorship agreement, which still included the jersey sleeves and socks, elevated the partnership between Bitexen and Sivasspor, to a new financial level with the signing of this multi-million dollar deal.

The deal is another example of cooperation between a crypto company and a top Turkish club that was inked just at the right time for both sides.

Sivasspor had just won the Turkish Cup and was in desperate need of a cash injection for their international appearances in the Conference League this past season. And Bitexen was just starting to make a name for itself in the crypto industry.

Soccer is not the only sport where you can see the Bitexen logo: The company has also entered the world of basketball to introduce its business to a wider audience.