Arsenal have secured the biggest sleeve sponsor deal in Premier League history after 'Visit Rwanda' was announced as the club's official Tourism Partner.
The Gunners are closing the commercial gap on their competitors with recent new deals, which include a five-year extension to their long running shirt sponsorship deal with Emirates and also becoming the first club to partner a cryptocurrency.
Goal understands that the £10 million-a-year ($13m) deal with ‘Visit Rwanda’ is the biggest sleeve sponsorship contract in the Premier League, surpassing Chelsea’s £6m-a-year ($8m) agreement with Hyundai and Manchester City’s partnership with Korean company Nexen Tire.
As part of the deal, Arsenal players from the men’s and women’s teams will visit Rwanda and club coaches will host coaching camps to support the development of the game for boys and girls in the country.
Rwanda president Paul Kagame is a diehard Arsenal fan and regularly offers his opinions about the club on social media.
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It’s also understood that Arsenal are exploring the possibility of new apparel kit partner - with the Gunners now boasting 27 sponsorship agreements with companies ranging from Dutch-Italian clothes firm Cavallaro Napoli to American bank MBNA.
The previous contract with Emirates didn’t allow Arsenal to negotiate a separate sleeve sponsor deal but a recently signed extension gives the Gunners added freedom to increase their revenue possibilities.
Arsenal’s extension with Emirates, a partnership which began in 2006, is worth in excess of £200m ($266m) and will see the Emirates name branded on the shirts and kits until the 2023-24 season, while the Emirates Stadium name will remain the same until 2028.
Meanwhile, discussions are underway for a new kit sponsor from the 2019-20 season with the Puma deal expiring at the end of next season.