Premiership seeks social work backer

The FA Premier League is searching for its first headline community sponsor in an effort to beef up its education, community and social inclusion work.

The league is looking for a large packaged goods brand to help push educational messages and fund initiatives in local communities across the UK. The sponsorship deal is expected to be worth several million pounds a year. Last month, the Premier League appointed Emma Joussemet as its head of corporate and community affairs.

The model is thought to be similar to the sponsorship deal between the LTA and Procter & Gamble’s Ariel brand.

The community partner is expected to have access to Premier League players to support the campaign. The work will have a range of aims, say Premiership sources, including involvement in fields not traditionally associated with football players – such as encouraging literacy and numeracy.

The Premier League already involves headline sponsor Barclays in community work. Barclays agreed to back the proposed community coaching programme when it signed its &£57m deal last year.