West Ham sign last ditch BoyleSports shirt sponsorship deal

Despite a ban on front-of-shirt sponsorships coming into full effect in a year, West Ham have reportedly signed a deal with bookmakers BoyleSports, worth £12m, to feature the betting company’s branding on the front of their shirts for the upcoming season. BoyleSports will replace Betway as the main sponsor. 

The move has faced criticism because West Ham’s Brazilian midfielder, Lucas Paqueta, is awaiting punishment for his part in a betting scandal, uncovered by former sponsors Betway.

Love football? Find the best football betting sites and bet with welcome bonuses today.

Although an official announcement has yet to be made by the club, it has been widely reported that West Ham have signed a new sponsorship deal with BoyleSports, to replace the deal with Betway. 

Betway has been featured on the front of player shirts since 2015, and the company continues to display its logo on Chelsea, Tottenham, Manchester City, and Brighton shirts. A front-of-shirt gambling advertising ban coming into force at the start of the 2026/27 campaign will see these deals come to an end.

Despite their long association, Betway and West Ham have not renewed their sponsorship deal for the upcoming season. The betting company has claimed it is unrelated, but it was them that blew the whistle on the West Ham midfielder, alleging suspicious betting activities. 

In August 2023, Betway reported suspicious betting activities by Paqueta to the FA. He was accused of intentionally getting booked in four Premier League games, against Leicester in 2022, as well as in matches against Aston Villa, Leeds, and Bournemouth in 2023. It is alleged he did so to help make money for his friends. 

Paqueta was charged by the FA in May 2024 but disciplinary proceedings faced multiple delays, and the player is still awaiting news of his punishment. The Brazilian faces the possibility of a lifetime ban. Paqueta denies the allegations, and he and the club have expressed their dismay at the delays, which could leave manager Graham Potter with another disrupted transfer window.

The new deal will only run for one year but will net the Hammers a reported £12m. With a ban on front-of-shirt betting sponsorship deals coming into force next summer, there is no chance the deal can be extended or renewed.

In April 2023, Premier League clubs voted to ban betting logos and sponsorships on the front of shirts, although they will still be able to appear on sleeves and other areas of kits. The move was voluntary, although it was viewed as a compromise by the clubs to help prevent an enforced and more widespread ban. 

Currently, 11 of the Premier League’s 20 clubs feature betting logos on the fronts of shirts. The deals are said to be worth more than £100m.

BoyleSports was launched in 1982 by John Boyle. With 390 shops in the UK and Ireland, it is Ireland’s largest independent bookmakers. The company is generally better known for its association with horse racing, sponsoring the Irish Grand National, but it also sponsors the Irish Greyhound Derby as well as the World Grand Prix of Darts. 

The Irish bookmaker does have a history of football sponsorship deals, having signed deals with Birmingham City, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Coventry City. They are also the official betting partner of Newcastle United.