LIFESTYLE
BUILDING LONG-TERM COMMITMENTS While short-term sponsorship deals can produce temporary surges in brand awareness, they often don’ t build an established brand association between the sport and the company. To achieve that, companies need sustained exposure across multi-year cycles. In fact, isolated matchday and broadcast presence is no longer enough. According to PwC’ s 2026 Global Sports Survey, 78 % of executives are prioritising diverse revenue streams – with capital moving towards clubs that have stronger commercial infrastructure. Extended partnerships allow companies to get more involved in the actual operations of a sport and, over time, a continuous presence can help convert more casual viewers into more active consumers of a brand.
78 %
Nearly eight out of 10 executives are now prioritising diverse revenue streams in sports sponsorships
Source: PwC 2026 Global Sports Survey
Commercial partners that commit across multiple contract cycles can also make a more permanent impression in the minds of a club or sports fanbase, which can better protect a company against short-term performance dips in the off-season.
HAVING A POSITIVE COMMUNITY IMPACT But for a sports sponsorship to truly resonate with fans, it needs to deliver clear benefits to the local communities and grassroots organisations associated with the sport. Corporate sponsors are facing growing scrutiny around social responsibility, with Edelman Sport’ s“ Pushed to the Limit,” report finding that 71 % of fans believe that sporting organisations and sponsors are putting money ahead of the needs of both athletes and fans. Sponsorship strategies that fund grassroots facilities, support gender parity and expand local youth programmes can build measurable goodwill across fanbases – with a sports sponsorship by Wakefield Research finding that brands that fans see as committed to community will see a 71.4 % increase in average brand equity. This localised investment drives deeper engagement, directly supporting overall commercial goals while expanding the broader sporting ecosystem.
90 November 2026