An insight into a unique sponsorship tool
Daily Spotlight: Training Wear Partnerships in Football
Training wear partnerships make brands an integral part of a club: visible in social media content, credible in the daily life of the club, and emotionally resonant thanks to a genuine connection.
Contact us now> 45 Mio.
Germans are interested in football
67 %
of fans perceive sponsors on training kits as particularly closely associated with the club
> 51 %
of the media visibility of sportswear is generated via social media
The sponsorship of the future
International football clubs have long featured different sponsors on their training wear than on their match shirts. This represents untapped potential that is still flying under the radar in Germany, yet offers brands and clubs promising benefits. Training wear partnerships place brands right where performance thrives: in the players’ everyday lives, in real moments, in unfiltered stories.
Of the approximately 45 million Germans interested in football, 69% say they perceive sponsors on training kit as particularly authentic. Thus, training wear is not just a piece of fabric with a logo, but a vehicle for stories taken straight from real life.
The power of numberous Touchpoints
Whilst traditional sponsorship opportunities mainly take place on match days, training wear really comes into its own during the week. An ‘everyday partnership’ that thrives in an environment heavily influenced by social media and digital channels, and thus becomes relevant to the target audience’s daily lives.
From training sessions and transfer announcements to behind-the-scenes moments and fan stories: the brand is present in the club’s day-to-day life and becomes a natural part of the team. This creates a continuous and authentic brand experience that integrates naturally into the club’s environment and is not perceived as a mere advertising message.
Benefits of training wear partnerships
The most authentic sponsorship asset
Training takes place behind the scenes, but ensures success when it really counts. It stands for discipline, development and professionalism – values that are universally understood and have positive connotations.
Brands featured on training kit are viewed as particularly trustworthy, as they invest where performance is created, not where it is staged. They do not come across as contrived or overly ambitious, because unlike match-day advertising, training kit is independent of sporting success.
Constant presence with high exposure
Players and staff wear the training wear every day: during training sessions, at transfer events, on social media and in many other situations. This ensures continuous visibility and, consequently, a very high level of exposure to the target audience without coming across as intrusive.
These interactions range from everyday background noise to controllable reach and predictable peaks in impact.
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Strong Storytelling
Training wear opens doors to engagement opportunities that sponsors are denied on match day. The result: highly relevant content.
Where players train intensively, where routines are established and where performance is honed, stories with real depth emerge – and the brands are part of this narrative. Training content is perceived as particularly credible and authentic because it offers insights that would otherwise remain hidden: team dynamics, daily dedication, and emotions both on and off the training ground. All of this creates a sense of genuine closeness and positions the sponsor as an integral part of the club.
Unique selling point
Whilst the marketing of training wear is already a high priority in other top European leagues, this advertising space has so far been little established in Germany. Only 22% of Bundesliga clubs and 39% of 2. Bundesliga clubs have at least one advertising space, and only 11% of Bundesliga clubs and 22% of 2. Bundesliga clubs have marketed the chest area of their training kits.
This sponsorship asset offers enormous potential, and companies that currently choose to focus on training wear also play a pioneering role that attracts significant attention.
Discover Success Stories and Insights
REWE’s training kit partnership with Borussia Dortmund
When REWE extended its existing partnership with Borussia Dortmund to include official training kit for the 2025/26 season, the objectives were clear: greater relevance to everyday life, greater visibility, and greater relevance. This success story shows how the new ‘Training Kit Partnership’ initiative was developed and brought to life jointly by REWE and BVB.
Training wear partnerships
Increasingly, international football teams are wearing a different sponsor on their training or warm-up wear than on their traditional match shirts. In Germany, the potential of this form of sponsorship has not yet been fully recognised.
The history of shirt sponsorship
In 2023, shirt sponsorship will celebrate its 50th anniversary, as it was in 1973 that a company first appeared on the front of a Bundesliga club’s shirt. Since then, this form of sponsorship has become one of the clubs’ most significant sources of income.
Sleeve sponsorship in football
In recent years, sleeve sponsorship in football has become one of the most dynamic and effective sponsorship tools. What was once seen merely as additional advertising space is now an integral part of modern sports sponsorship strategies.
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