After their current deal ends with the season Saints have announced that their partnership with Virgin Media will continue, but will be slightly different.
Saints and Virgin Media will continue to be partners although it will not be to the same level as the last three years when Virgin Media have been the shirt sponsors.
A press release from Saints has explained the deal.
Southampton Football Club can today announce it has agreed a new three-year partnership with Virgin Media.
The deal, which runs until the end of the 2021/22 season, will see Virgin Media remain as the sleeve sponsor of the first-team shirt. Its logo will also appear on the sleeve of Southampton’s Under-18 and Under-23 men’s sides.
As an extension to its sponsorship, Virgin Media will proudly become the first ever shirt sponsor of Southampton FC Women. Its logo will appear on the front of the shirt from the start of next season.
The ultrafast broadband, TV and mobile provider first became the sponsor of Southampton Football Club at the beginning of the 2016/17 season. This new three-year deal will mark more than half a decade of partnership between Virgin Media and Southampton.
WE'RE DELIGHTED TO BE EXTENDING OUR RELATIONSHIP FOR A FURTHER THREE YEARS AND EXPANDING THEIR SUPPORT WITH MORE OF OUR TEAMS.
David Thomas, Commercial Director at Southampton Football Club, said: "Over the past three years, Virgin Media has consistently demonstrated a desire to challenge the conventions of traditional sports sponsorship by supporting our first-team and rewarding our fans in new, exciting and innovative ways.
"As such, they are true partners of the club and we’re delighted to be extending our relationship for a further three years and expanding their support with more of our teams.”
So that is the press release, what is the reality.
It is no shock that Virgin Media have stepped down as front of shirt sponsors, it is a hefty outlay for any company with the last deal believed to be worth around £7.5 million a year to Saints.
This deal won't be worth that but it will be a significant amount and more crucially expanding our ability to bring in sponsorship revenue with what will be our first ever shirt sleeve sponsorship and that in itself will mean the deal will be worth a fair amount to the club certainly in the millions just not to the level as before.
Now we await the news of a new main shirt sponsor, perhaps it won't be at the level the previous Virgin Deal was due to the fact that Saints are not the force they were in the Premier League back in 2016 with Europa League exposure as well as domestic competitions, although having said that if Saints take the betting company route as some have, it could well be more as these companies are willing to pay substantially more than most.
But overall I would say that the new Virgin Deal along with a new main shirt sponsor when combined will see an increase on the single deal in place before.