Why Guinness has ended its 40-year front-of-shirt soccer exile to again this unlikely crew – and what it says in regards to the ladies’s sport’s new business energy, writes TARA ANSON-WALSH

The last time a team ran out with Guinness emblazoned across the front of their shirt was in the late 1980s, when Queens Park Rangers could call upon the likes of Alan McDonald, Leroy Rosenior, Gary Bannister and Clive Allen and were managed by Terry Venables.

Now, decades later, Guinness has returned to the football shirt, placing its logo on one of the game’s more unexpected recipients: Bristol City Women.

That it has chosen to do so with a second-tier women’s side, rather than a team in the Premier League or the Women’s Super League, is significant.

On the surface, it reads as another feel-good endorsement of the women’s game, further evidence of the sport’s exponential growth in this country. More revealing though is what it says about the strengthening commercial ecosystem across the women’s pyramid – and how value in the women’s game is no longer confined solely to the elite of the top flight.

In the most recent cycle of investment, sponsors have gravitated towards the biggest names. Telecommunications giant Three partnered with Chelsea Women in 2024 as their first women’s-only principal partner. Arsenal Women have struck deals with Mastercard, beauty brand IL MAKIAGE and technology company ABBYY. Manchester City Women have linked up with period pants brand snuggs.

Beyond those leading sides, women’s teams affiliated with men’s clubs typically share in the commercial arrangements of their male counterparts. Nowhere is this more evident than on the front of the shirt.

The last time a team ran out with Guinness emblazoned across the front of their shirt was Queens Park Rangers in the 1980s

West Ham United Women wear the same kit as the men’s side, with Irish gambling company BoyleSports on the front. Everton Women share Australian betting company Stake with the men’s team, while Leicester City Women display King Power, the Thai retail group associated with their parent club.

There are exceptions. Aston Villa Women, for instance, wear The Global Summit of Women and Sport, an IWG summit of leaders in women’s sport set to take place in Birmingham this year. But such examples remain relatively rare. In most cases, sponsorship arrangements signal a shared commercial direction with the men’s side.

‘There’s a whole host of reasons for Guiness wanting to invest (in Bristol City Women) but the number one is that it is an attractive commercial proposition,’ Guinness’ Sports Partnerships Lead Jamie Brooks told Daily Mail Sport. ‘This isn’t something we’ve done with any other intention than it providing a commercial return.

‘The data that you can see and feel if you’re a fan of women’s sport is being quantified in real terms. Last year the number of hours of broadcast time for women’s sport went over 10,000 hours for the first time. The Women’s Euro final was the most-watched UK broadcast moment of the year as well. It feels like we’ve gone past that inflection point and now it’s about more investment still pouring into the game.’

It is within this landscape that independently owned, unaffiliated clubs such as Bristol City Women – bought by the women’s multi-club ownership group Mercury/13 in September 2025 – and London City Lionesses can truly flex their muscles. Free from the umbrella of a men’s operation, they are able to create partnerships that help speak directly to their own audiences and fanbases.

And, according to Mercury/13’s Chief Revenue Officer Lindsey Eckhouse, this helps grow the distinct fanbase that follows their women’s team.

Eckhouse told Daily Mail Sport: ‘The reason that we have this belief that operating clubs that are fully focused on the women’s side is the right move is because it allows us to have a bit more flexibility in terms of how we work with partners and what we do with fans and how we put players at the centre of everything.

‘I’m not saying other clubs don’t do that, it’s much more about how we think this allows us to be even more flexible and adaptable.’

The Guinness partnership is the largest in Bristol City Women’s history

The Guinness partnership is the largest in Bristol City Women’s history. As Eckhouse emphasises, part of its value lies in shaping a matchday experience aligned with the realities of the women’s game – whether that means recognising a higher proportion of supporters opting for alcohol-free options, or campaigns that show attending a match as a social experience for fans who may not have someone to go with.

Eckhouse adds: ‘Football’s the most popular sport in the world and historically has been sort of built by men and for men. And we’re really all about how do we not forget about the men that have paved the way to get us here but really focus in an intentional way on bringing more women specifically into the game.’

Of course, there is ambition at both ends for Bristol to reach the Women’s Super League by season’s end. That prospect is made more attainable for the fourth-placed side due to next season’s expansion of the top-flight to 14 teams. Two WSL2 teams will be promoted automatically, with a play-off between the bottom-placed WSL side and the third-placed WSL2 team.

But promotion can never be guaranteed. And investments such as this suggests that there is a growing confidence in the commercial potential that sinks below the top-flight.