Manchester United to swipe away scoring woes with reports of Tinder sleeve sponsorship
Manchester United’s inability to score more was the defining problem of their 2016/17 season, however the club are reportedly making moves to ensure the upcoming season sees more action with the help of online dating service Tinder, which could be United’s shirt sleeve sponsor.
Manchester United during their pre-season tour of the US
The Premier League is now allowing clubs to sell the rights to their left shirt sleeve from the start of the 2017/18 season and United could be the 10th club to take up the new commercial opportunity according to the Daily Mail.
United are understood to have spoken to the Silicon Valley company regarding the sponsorship which is estimated to be around £12m per season.
Many of the teams in the top flight have already agreed sponsorship deals for the sleeve including Manchester City, Chelsea and Southampton FC.
Talk of a deal with Tinder has unsurprisingly led to much hilarity on social media, particularly given Manchester United's inability to score last season. They hit the target just 54 times in their 38 Premier League games, one goal less than 9th placed Bournemouth managed.
After hearing it helped plenty of men score last year, Man Utd could be sponsored by Tinder next season... pic.twitter.com/HjYFp2XTeW
— Ladbrokes (@Ladbrokes) August 1, 2017
Manchester United look set to announce Tinder as their new sleeve sponsor. Rumour has it, Ashley Young will still struggle to get a match. pic.twitter.com/eM2tmE7zzM — bet365 (@bet365) August 1, 2017
Man United apparently set to be sponsored by Tinder. Two things that have caused me endless disappointment over past few years...
— Derm (@dermCURTlN) August 1, 2017
Tinder sponsoring #MUFC... You just know all the ladies would be swiping right on our face-pulling hero pic.twitter.com/WWNMqYzzmQ — Jonathan Shrager (@JonathanShrager) July 31, 2017
The reported discussions with Tinder comes as the dating app, which has 50 million users, looks to market itself more widely to a global audience. The company already has a deal with Italian club Napoli, which involved special interaction with Poland striker Arkadiusz Milik, who was given a dating profile on the app.
The decision to make the space available mirrors strategies used by other European Leagues – such as La Liga – where the likes of Barcelona have Beko on the arm of their shirts. It also offers an easy additional revenue stream, something which could become more significant in the future as the lucrative sums paid by broadcasters look less certain amid declining viewing figures and competition from cheaper forms of entertainment from the likes of Netflix.