Green Flag Team England Sponsorship 1995 - 1998

The Football Association sold sponsorship rights to the England team for the first time on 12 January 1995.  The initial sponsor was Green Flag, the vehicle breakdown assistance company, which paid £4 million over a four-year period ending at the end of the 1998 calendar year.

Nationwide England Team Sponsorship 1999 - 2002

The Football Association's search for a new sponsor ended with the announcement on 21 January 1999 that national team sponsorship rights had been acquired by the Nationwide Building Society, which already sponsored the Football League.  The national team agreement called for payment of  £15 million covering the four-year period ending with the World Cup final tournament in June 2002.

F.A. Partners Sponsorship Programme 2002 - 2006

The Football Association announced a new four-year sponsorship programme on 28 September 2001.  It began on August 2002 with the new international season after expiration of the existing sponsorship arrangement at the end of the 2001-02 international season.  Under the new programme, entitled F.A. Partners, five 'top tier partners,' including the 'on-field sportswear partner,' were to "have access to The F.A.'s top two brands - the F.A. Cup and the England team - but they would not have "title sponsorship of [these] two primary brands."  The arrangement meant that the England team and the F.A. Cup no longer would be linked to to the name of a specific single sponsor but, as the F.A. put it, would be 'returned' to the country."  The new programme was expected to double sponsorship proceeds to about £40 million per year.   

The F.A. revealed on 11 March 2002 that Umbro were one of the five top partners under the new sponsorship programme as the sportswear manufacturer entered a new agreement to supply the uniforms for England teams at all levels until 2010.  The agreement, which became effective in August, 2002, resulted from renegotiation of an earlier kit deal with Umbro, which was worth £6 million per year and would have expired in 2004.  The new eight-year deal reportedly would bring in more than £15 million per year to the F.A.   

 

The F.A. announced on 26 March 2002 that the Nationwide Building Society, sponsor of the England team from 1998 until the end of the 2001-02 season, would become a joint sponsor of the team as one of the five top partners under the new sponsorship programme beginning with the new international season in August, 2002.  The deal was estimated to be worth £7.5 million per year.

The F.A. disclosed on 11 April 2002 that McDonald's, the fast-food giant, would become the third of the five partners sponsoring the England team.  The four-year deal with McDonald's reportedly would bring in £7.5 million per year.  McDonald's was then one of the 15 main sponsors and the official restaurant of World Cup 2002.  It was also the official restaurant at World Cups 1994 and 1998 and at European Championships 1992, 1996 and 2000.

The F.A. announced on 15 May 2002 that Carlsberg, the beer producer, would become the fourth of the five partners sponsoring the England team when the new international season began in August, 2002.  The four-year deal was reportedly worth an estimated £30 million or £7.5 million per year.  Carlsberg were one of 10 F.A. sponsors under an arrangement which was about to expire and are one of the official sponsors of the European Championships to be held in 2004 and 2008.

Somewhat belatedly, on 17 March 2003, following discussions over several months, the F.A. announced that the fifth and final partner sponsoring the England team was Pepsi.  The soft drink company reportedly signed a three-year deal worth £20 million or £6.7 million per year.  The agreement will expire at the conclusion of the World Cup 2006 final tournament in Germany.  Pepsi already sponsored Manchester United and Real Madrid and had promotional deals with England captain David Beckham and other stars from the two club sides.

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