Blackburn seeks shirt deal as HSA bows out

Blackburn Rovers Football Club is searching for a £1m-a-year shirt sponsor to replace health-plan provider HSA.

Blackburn joins a list of football clubs on the market seeking shirt sponsors, including Fulham and Liverpool. Sources say that HSA has decided to end its £1m-a-year sponsorship at the end of the season, after reviewing its business plans.

The club signed a last-minute deal with HSA in summer 2003, after paint company Dulux decided to withdraw from a proposed deal worth £1.5m a year (MW May 22, 2003). The HSA deal, signed just two months before the season started, was regarded as remarkably good business for the desperate club. Football clubs prefer to sign deals before the summer in order to allow time to manufacture the shirts.

At the time, Blackburn was able to offer European football coverage, having qualified for the UEFA Cup. But sources say the club may now struggle to sign a similarly priced deal, given Blackburn ‘s position near the foot of the Premiership table. One source adds that the club has already spoken to a number of potential sponsors, and hopes to avoid a similar scramble for a late deal.