Starling becomes another challenger bank using the Premier League to grow its brand.
Starling Bank has signed a multi-year agreement to become Arsenal’s official retail banking partner.
Announced on September 18, the deal covers both Arsenal’s men’s and women’s teams. Starling customers will get perks such as ticket giveaways, while the bank will also support Arsenal in the Community with projects.
One initiative already underway is a new financial literacy campaign, launched after Starling research revealed that 44% of Brits want to learn how to better manage their finances. The campaign is designed to help fans build money management skills in an accessible way.
“From checking transfers to building a fantasy team, football supporters’ everyday habits translate perfectly into money management,” said Michele Rousseau, Chief Marketing Officer at Starling.
The first instalment of the bank’s new campaign, Defending against Cyber Crims, is fronted by Arsenal legend David Seaman. Using goalkeeping analogies, the video explains how to protect personal banking information from fraudsters.
Future episodes, set to feature players Alessia Russo and Beth Mead among others, will tackle topics including transaction monitoring, interest rates and everyday financial decision-making.
The videos will be released across Starling’s social media and YouTube channels.
Starling’s goals behind the Arsenal deal
The partnership also places a strong focus on women’s and girls’ football. As part of the agreement, Starling will work with Arsenal in the Community to deliver resources for women and girls in north London, alongside support for local SMEs and female founders.
Juliet Slot, Arsenal’s Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Starling as the eighth new partner to join our family of world-class brands since the end of last season.
“Starling has such a strong footprint in the game already, including being at the forefront of supporting sustainable growth in the women’s game — a goal we’re both focused on.”
Slot has previously been clear about how she views sponsorships. Speaking at SportsPro Live in London earlier this year, in reference to Arsenal’s partnership with NTT DATA, she said: “Our partnership should be outcome-led. There’s no point having a partnership if at the end everyone’s going, ‘What did we achieve for our business?’”
Using this philosophy for Starling, the Arsenal partnership delivers clear outcomes for the challenger bank. It provides visibility at the highest level while giving Starling a platform to promote its financial education mission directly to fans.
The bank has built its sporting presence, sponsoring UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, becoming front-of-shirt sponsor for Southampton Women FC and launching grassroots initiatives such as Kick On, which distributed 10,000 kits.
This approach mirrors a trend among challenger banks. Revolut has made major moves into sport, including becoming title sponsor of the Audi Formula 1 Team and partnerships with Manchester City and FC Copenhagen. However, Monzo, known for its playful consumer tie-ins with brands like Greggs, has yet to really explore sport sponsorship.
