Keith Wyness, Everton’s former manager, has pushed clubs like Nottingham Forest to lure “big players” in cryptocurrency, cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence to sponsor the club’s shirts by 2025.
Speaking on the latest episode of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old, who was CEO at Goodison Park from 2004 to 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs, suggested Forest could include a “escalator clause” that would offer a low initial fee and help the club build relationships, given that gambling sponsors are set to be banned in 2026.
Asian Sportsbook Kaiyun Sports has been Nottingham Forest’s front-of-shirt sponsor since last year, and the arrangement is scheduled to expire in less than a year.
Betting sponsors have long been problematic in the Premier League, and they will be prohibited in time for the 2026-27 season.
Forest are one of 11 English top-flight clubs to wear a sportsbook on the front of their shirts this season.
Nottingham Forest should sign an innovative contract in 2025, thinks Wyness.
Wyness predicted that “fore-sighted clubs” will rush to “grab a company” in rising areas next year.
He told Football Insider’s Insider Track podcast that “if they can find one, every club will look for a non-gambling sponsor.” However, those places are still in their early stages of development.
“Cryptocurrency, cyber-security, and artificial intelligence cannot yet compete with gambling corporations.
“But there’s little doubt that clubs won’t want a sponsor who would eventually vanish.
“They’ll want to establish a positive relationship that they can exploit once gambling is prohibited.
“It is possible that certain foresighted clubs, such as Forest, may acquire a company in new industries and include an escalator clause.
“This would result in an annual increase in sponsorship fees as both the club and the corporation expand.
“It would be an excellent strategy to attract major players in crypto, cyber, and AI.
“We could see those deals done, it’s imperative with the gambling sector set to disappear.”
