Where are they now? The 22 shirt sponsors from the first PL season

Nostalgia

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The days of Arsenal wearing JVC, Liverpool advertising Carlsberg and Manchester United having Sharp plastered across their shirts were good days.

There are many reasons to be thankful for the growth of the Premier League over the past 25 years – but oh how we miss the shirt sponsors of the 90s.

Chevrolet, Etihad and Fly Emirates are among the huge overseas companies paying big money to get their brand seen by the masses, but will be reminiscing about them 25 years from now? Probably not. This lot from the 1992-93 season on the other hand definitely deserve remembering.

Arsenal – JVC

Just think of that classic early-90s, black and yellow Arsenal away shirt and you’ll instantly see that JVC logo in your mind.

You’ll probably immediately then think of VHS tapes and enormous video cameras, but JVC is actually still going after merging with Kenwood in 2008. Hopefully its employees have to wear the bruised banana shirt.

Aston Villa – Mita Copiers

Villa finished second in the inaugural Premier League season, but the success of their sponsor has sadly mirrored their own in recent years.

The Mita name died out in 2000 after it was bought out by Japanese giant Kyocera.

Blackburn – McEwan’s Lager

McEwan’s lager sponsoring an Asics shirt was wonderfully 90s. The brewery was at the height of its power in that decade, also sponsoring Rangers, Newcastle, Notts County, and the St Helens and Wakefield rugby league teams.

It’s still going today, albeit without the same exposure. So if anyone from McEwan’s is reading, please feel free to send us some and we promise not to stop going on about it.

Chelsea – Commodore International

Commodore’s fortunes went the complete opposite way as Chelsea’s, going bankrupt less than a year after the end of the 1992-93 campaign. Who knew?

Coventry City – Peugeot

Now into its 135th year as a car manufacturer, albeit having closed its factory in Coventry back in 2006.

Crystal Palace – Tulip Computers NV

Palace actually had two kit manufacturers during the season, starting with Bukta before switching to Ribero. Tulip Computers, meanwhile, went bankrupt in 2009.

Everton – NEC

A decade-long sponsorship deal which ended with Everton winning the FA Cup in 1995.

NEC were bought by KEMET Corporation in 2017, with their name changing to Tokin Corporation.

Ipswich – Fisons

The pharmaceutical company were based in Ipswich and sponsored the club for eight years, including during their Second Division title triumph of 1991-92, but became defunct in 1995.

Leeds United – Admiral

Admiral both manufactured and sponsored the reigning champions’ kit, taking over from the Yorkshire Evening Post for the latter, as Leeds flirted with relegation, failing to win away from home throughout the whole season.

They’re still going, creating kits for a host of the smaller international teams and, for a while, AFC Wimbledon, which was a lovely throwback.

Liverpool – Carlsberg

We sort of miss Liverpool’s shirt being sponsored by lovely, horrible lager. Carlsberg remain in partnership with the Reds, however, and in 2018 brewed a limited edition beer to mark their 25th anniversary.

Manchester City – Brother Industries

Those pictures of Noel and Liam Gallagher in Brother-sponsored Manchester City shirts are all sorts of perfect. The company has made over 60 million sewing machines but is now based in Japan.

Manchester United – Sharp

During the 17 years Manchester United were sponsored by Sharp, the club won seven Premier League titles, five FA Cups, one League Cup, one Cup Winners’ Cup and one Champions League title before the partnership ended in 2000.

In 2016, the company became an ‘Official Platinum Partner’ of Stoke, which is extremely modern football. In laymen terms, they sponsor a stand.

Middlesbrough – Imperial Chemical Industries

Another sponsor which is now defunct, with the chemical company being taken over by AkzoNobel in 2008. F*ck knows.

Norwich City – Norwich and Peterborough

Very Alan Partridge. Very good. A building society you can trust, according to its website.

Nottingham Forest – Shipstones (home), Labatts (away)

The Against Modern Football brigade would vomit if a team was to have separate home and away sponsors nowadays, but Forest were doing it 25 years ago.

Shipstones recently returned to Nottingham following a period in which it was owned by what is now Heineken, while Labatts is now mainly known in Canada and the US.

Oldham Athletic – JD Sports

We’ve just googled ‘JD Sports Oldham’ and can tell you there’s one at Elk Mill Retail Park and Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre.

QPR – Classic FM

To be honest, sometimes we get a little bit tired of Heavy Metal Football and wouldn’t mind a bit of Classic FM back in the Premier League.

Sheffield United – Laver

A proper Yorkshire timber merchant sponsoring a proper Yorkshire football team. Lovely stuff.

Sheffield Wednesday – Sanderson

Sanderson doesn’t even have a Wikipedia page, which doesn’t bode well.

However, further research reveals they were, of course, a Yorkshire-based company. Dealing in software, though, not timber. How very fancy.

Southampton – Draper Tools

Draper Tools were a family-run tools business based in Hampshire which had sponsored Saints since 1983.

Actually, make that are – they’re still going today. Wouldn’t it be bloody lovely to see Draper Tools back on those shirts.

Tottenham – Holsten

Fun fact: we’ve had a bottle of Holsten Pils in our fridge for about two months now and can’t decide whether we actually like it or just enjoy that it makes us think of football.

Wimbledon – None

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