Long-standing bonds between City and its commercial partners remained strong in a season which saw 15 partners celebrate more than five years with the Club and nine enter new terms.
OKX celebrated its first year as Official Sleeve Partner of both the men’s and women’s first teams, an uplift from the previous agreement as Official Training Kit partner during the 2022-23 season.
As part of Asahi Super Dry’s announcement to become the Official Training Kit Partner of Manchester City, the brand created the world’s first AR-enhanced training kit. Players and fans could scan the Asahi Super Dry logo on the shirt, which triggered a captivating Japanese-inspired electrical display. It was a winner in the Drum Awards AR & VR category.
Asahi Super Dry also created ‘Derby Day is Different Here’ to celebrate both the men’s and women’s Manchester derbies which took place in March. This included a bespoke artwork mural on an iconic Manchester street, an Asahi Super Dry branded tram and a Cityzens Arms pub.
This season, long-standing partner Etihad Airways executed a takeover of Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi, which featured seven players and manager Pep Guardiola in a short video created to celebrate the airline’s new home, generating more than 175 million views.
Meanwhile, the Club’s Official Automotive Partner, Nissan, celebrated the historic Four-In-A-Row achievement by developing a creative Connect 4-themed CGI stunt, which saw the Nissan Ariya deliver the fourth Connect 4 piece before it was dropped into frame.
Alongside existing partners, two new partners joined the Club’s line-up. Globally renowned and highly innovative solar technology company JinkoSolar became the Club’s Official Solar Energy Partner.
Jinko will support the Club’s plans to make City Football Academy one of the largest producers of renewable energy in world football.
Kellogg’s, one of the UK’s most popular food brands, became the Official Breakfast Cereals Partner of both the men’s and women’s first teams.
The multi-year agreement brought together two iconic brands deep-rooted in the history and culture of Manchester.
Kellogg’s worked with City in the Community to deliver the national ‘Kellogg’s Football Camps’ programme at City Football Academy, helping to bolster existing holiday provision and provide free breakfast for participants.
A number of renewals included Axi, Socios, DSquared2, Qualtrics and Linking Entertainment.
Several partners also reached significant landmarks, with 2023-24 marking Midea’s fifth season, Unilever’s sixth and Nexen’s ninth.
In September 2023, Manchester City Women announced that Joie – the Official Family Care Partner – had extended its relationship with the Club to become Official Stadium Naming Partner for the Academy Stadium. It was the first commercial agreement for stadium naming rights for any team in the Barclays Women’s Super League.
Joie celebrated the new agreement with a series of surprise and delight moments, including a Joie Stadium tour for a teenage fan who was joined by three first team players, which was viewed over 1 million times.
The Fold, the Club’s Official Formalwear Partner, produced content that focused on The Athlete Mindset campaign. Three players discussed what motivates them and how they overcome setbacks, generating 2.4 million views across social channels. A squad image and its accompanying behind-the-scenes video had a total of 2.6 million impressions.
CityStore sales grew by an impressive 20% overall year-on-year, across the physical, online and marketplace stores.
Sales of PUMA kit (home, away and third) also increased by 20%, building on the 2023-24 home kit launch which was the Club’s most successful to date. Shirt personalisation increased compared to last year, with an additional 21% of fans choosing to add a name and number to their kit.
There was substantial growth in merchandise sales in the Far East, particularly in the Republic of Korea, where sales increased 25% year-on-year, and in Japan where they rose by 21%.
To build on the Club’s international presence and offer global fans a physical retail touchpoint, the Club opened a CityStore as part of the ‘City Challenge’ in Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi in January 2024. A further pop-up CityStore opened at Rockefeller Centre, New York, ahead of the men’s first team’s pre-season tour of the USA.
Another successful year at home and abroad saw Football Education grow its reach and deliver more programmes than ever.
There are now 13 permanent partner football schools across the world delivering full-time football programmes to more than 8,000 players. New partner schools were added in Australia, India, Albania and the UK.
Football schools delivered 33,000 football sessions across global hubs in Manchester, Abu Dhabi, Melbourne and New York.
The Manchester-based Young Player Development Programme, a year-round initiative for players of all abilities aged 5-12, grew significantly, training almost 5,000 children.
Digitally, CITYPLAY – a smart wearable performance tracker – achieved remarkable growth, selling tens of thousands of units, while featuring prominently in City tournaments worldwide, including the Abu Dhabi Cup and the Manchester City Cup in San Diego.
The City Football Leadership Institute, which offers invaluable insights and bespoke education for individuals aspiring to excel in the football business, added new initiatives catering for hundreds of students from 20 different nationalities.
The Etihad Stadium hosted the first edition of Next Gen Man City – a City Football Leadership Institute programme to provide the next generation of leaders with their first experience of what a future career in the sports sector could look like.
