Littlewoods poised for 25m FA Cup renewal

Littlewoods is poised to renew its sponsorship of the FA Cup when the deal expires in May after this year’s Final – but will be paying 11m for the privilege.

The new four-year sponsorship that FA commercial director Philip Carling is planning is understood to be worth 25m, while the existing Littlewoods deal signed in 1994 was worth 14m over four years. It was the first time the competition had ever been sponsored.

One source close to the negotiations says: “The deal is all but cut and dried. Littlewoods will keep hold of the competition.”

Both the FA and Littlewoods say will only say that they are currently in discussion.

However it is understood that two other companies are vying to sponsor the 127-year-old trophy, which is the oldest football competition in the world.

Carling says that he does not expect a result to be announced until the end of March.

Carling adds that the significant difference between this deal and the last is that the broadcast sponsorship will be automatically packaged with the event sponsorship. Currently the event sponsorship is sold separately and ITV sales house TSMS gives the event sponsor first refusal on the broadcast deal..