{"id":331,"date":"2022-12-07T13:27:02","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T13:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cfcbetting.co.uk\/?p=331"},"modified":"2022-11-10T13:27:10","modified_gmt":"2022-11-10T13:27:10","slug":"chelsea-shirt-sponsors-by-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cfcbetting.co.uk\/chelsea-shirt-sponsors-by-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Chelsea Shirt Sponsors by Season"},"content":{"rendered":"

Over the years, the Blues have had some iconic shirt sponsors, with the most prominent of these coming in the club\u2019s golden era of the 2000s and 2010s. Although, they have also had their fair share of fairly rubbish sponsors too (but we won\u2019t bring up Peter Foster just yet). When it comes to famous Chelsea sponsors, Samsung immediately stands out from the rest, with the South Korean electronics company appearing on the west London side\u2019s shirts over a period of 10 highly successful seasons. During this period, Chelsea\u2019s team was populated by some of the best players in the world, including Blues legends, such as Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry.<\/p>\n

We have compiled a list of sponsors below and will then look at each of them in more detail. We\u2019ll also assess their \u201ciconic rating\u201d, and we\u2019ll pick out the most legendary player to have each logo emblazoned on their chest.<\/p>\n

Shirt Sponsors<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Shirt Sponsor<\/th>\nYear<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Gulf Air<\/td>\n1984-1985<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Simod<\/td>\n1986-1987<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Commodore<\/td>\n1987-1994<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Amiga*<\/td>\n1993-1994<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Coors<\/td>\n1994-1997<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Autoglass<\/td>\n1997-2001<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Fly Emirates<\/td>\n2001-2005<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Samsung<\/td>\n2004-2015<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Yokohama Tyres<\/td>\n2015-2020<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Three<\/td>\n2020-2022<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

*Amiga is a brand of computers created by Commodore, so their inclusion on the shirt was part of the same deal.<\/em><\/p>\n

Gulf Air<\/h3>\n
    \n
  • Years:<\/strong> 1984-1985<\/li>\n
  • Legendary Player:<\/strong> Kerry Dixon<\/li>\n
  • Iconic Rating out of 10:<\/strong> 5<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \"GulaChelsea\u2019s first-ever shirt sponsor, Gulf Air, appeared in the latter stages of the 1983-84 campaign and was only worn by the club for a period of five months. Gulf Air is the state-owned airline of Bahrain, although it was originally a multinational airline, having been part of a consortium that also included Oman, the UAE and Qatar; it is now solely based in and owned by Bahrain.<\/p>\n

    This short-term sponsorship, which reportedly cost the airline \u00a3150,000, was actually a very successful one, as the Blues managed to win the Second Division title, securing promotion back to the First Division. The west London giants were spearheaded by the excellent goalscoring form of Kerry Dixon, who scored an impressive 28 league goals. Whilst Gulf Air have likely faded from the memory of most football fans, they will always have a place in Chelsea\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

    Whilst perhaps not worthy of paragraphs in their own right, Chelsea then briefly flirted with two other sponsors in the next season, before settling on Simod. First up, we have Grange Farm, an enterprise owned by Chelsea owner Ken Bates, which made ice cream and yoghurts on a 300-acre estate in the Home Counties. However, this sponsor lasted just a few matches. Next came the hugely controversial Bai Lin Tea. Supposedly a slimming tea, created by famous career criminal Peter Foster, who described himself as an \u201cinternational man of mischief\u201d. Any ideas why this product didn\u2019t last very long on the front of Chelsea shirts? Because the claims about its slimming properties were found to be somewhat exaggerated (to put it kindly)!<\/p>\n

    Simod<\/h3>\n
      \n
    • Years:<\/strong> 1986-1987<\/li>\n
    • Legendary Player:<\/strong> Pat Nevin<\/li>\n
    • Iconic Rating out of 10:<\/strong> 4<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      \"SimodAfter Bai Lin Tea was safely thrown in the bin, Italian sportswear brand Simod, another one-season-wonder for the Blues, stepped into the fold. The company, which has suffered an enormous decline in popularity in recent years, were at their peak in the 80s and served as Chelsea\u2019s sponsor for the 86\/87 campaign. Whilst Gulf Air at least have the advantage of being associated with some sort of triumph, Simod\u2019s only season as Chelsea sponsor saw the Blues finish 14th in the First Division, with no sort of cup run to speak of.<\/p>\n

      Commodore<\/h3>\n
        \n
      • Years:<\/strong> 1987-1993<\/li>\n
      • Legendary Player:<\/strong> Dennis Wise<\/li>\n
      • Iconic Rating out of 10:<\/strong> 7<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        \"CommodoreArguably the London club\u2019s first \u201cproper\u201d shirt sponsor, Commodore International was an American computer and electronics company that was instrumental in the development of the home computer industry throughout the 70s, 80s and early 90s. In its heyday, Commodore was one of the largest personal computer manufacturers in the world, but their popularity declined in the 90s, and they went bankrupt in 1994.<\/p>\n

        Their original deal with Chelsea, agreed in 1987, cost a reported \u00a31.25m for an initial three years, which was a British record at the time. However, in their first season as Chelsea sponsors, the Blues suffered disaster as they were relegated to the Second Division. Luckily for the west London giants, they were able to immediately return to the First Division the season after, where they have remained ever since. Some of the kits produced in this period were nothing short of stunning, and that definitely assists Commodore in the iconic rating category.<\/p>\n

        Amiga<\/h3>\n
          \n
        • Years:<\/strong> 1993-1994<\/li>\n
        • Legendary Player:<\/strong> Glenn Hoddle (player-manager)<\/li>\n
        • Iconic Rating out of 10:<\/strong> 5<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          \"AmigaSimilar to Arsenal\u2019s Dreamcast-sponsored shirts as part of their deal with SEGA, Chelsea\u2019s final year with Commodore saw the inclusion of their \u201cAmiga\u201d brand on the front of their shirts. Amiga was a family of computers first created by Commodore in 1985 that proved popular throughout the 80s and early 90s, selling an estimated 4.85 million units. However, in 1994, the electronics company released the Amiga CD32, which was a video game console version of the Amiga, and this spelled disaster for the company.<\/p>\n

          The CD32 failed dramatically in the market, causing Commodore to go bankrupt in April 1994. This was just two weeks before Chelsea were due to play in the FA Cup final, which they proceeded to lose 4-0 to Manchester United! This bankruptcy of course ended the west London club\u2019s sponsorship deal with the computer brand, who have since faded from memory. Oh well, at least they are immortalised on some beautiful retro shirts.<\/p>\n

          Coors<\/h3>\n
            \n
          • Years:<\/strong> 1994-1997<\/li>\n
          • Legendary Player:<\/strong> Ruud Gullit(player-manager)<\/li>\n
          • Iconic Rating out of 10:<\/strong> 8<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            \"CoorsAmerican beer giants, Coors, took over from Commodore as Chelsea\u2019s shirt sponsor in 1994 and formed a fairly successful partnership with the club, which culminated in them winning the 1996\/97 FA Cup. After Glenn Hoddle left west London to take on the England job, legendary Dutch midfielder\/forward\/defender\/all-round cool bloke Ruud Gullit stepped in as player-manager. The 1987 ballon d\u2019or winner became the first overseas manager to win the FA Cup, and in doing so, he also ended the Blues\u2019 26-year trophy drought.<\/p>\n

            This set the tone for the success that Chelsea would go on to enjoy in the late 1990s and 2000s. Whilst the beer company only sponsored the club for a period of three seasons, this partnership saw the creation of one of the most divisive, marmite-esque shirts of all time \u2013 their grey\/orange (or graphite\/tangerine, if you prefer) away shirt. Whilst a lovely kit, it does look like something your grandad would wear. Umbro did produce some beauties in this period too; they really were on top form in the 1990s\/early 2000s.<\/p>\n

            Autoglass<\/h3>\n