Three Rangers games, three different sponsor logos on the shirts - what’s it all about?

So what is the difference, why does the branding change and what is it all about?

Back in May 2021, Rangers confirmed a new multi-year agreement with principal sponsors, the Kindred Group. They are the parent company of established gambling platforms 32Red and Unibet. Starting from last season, a split branding agreement saw Rangers continue to feature the 32Red logo as the main shirt sponsor for domestic competitions as has been the case since 2014. This would be supplemented by the Unibet brand adorning the shirts in European competitions. The reason for this is that the latter is more prevalent and established as a betting competitor across the continent whereas the former is more dominant in the UK market for online casino and betting. 

This arrangement is now into its second season but sometimes when playing in Europe, government legislation in certain nations means that gambling advertising is prohibited. Italy is one of those countries meaning that another logo will be displayed on Wednesday night against Napoli when Rangers will wear the orange third kit for the first time in a competitive game this season. 

Matchday 5 of this Champions League campaign will see a return for Team Talk on the front of Rangers shirts, just as it was for the Europa League Final in Seville five months ago. It is a men’s mental health initiative run in conjunction with Rangers Charity Foundation which supports fans of the club as well as the local community around Ibrox and Glasgow with a combination of online and drop-in services.

Team Talk branding (Image: SNS)

The free weekly sessions delivered by Team Talk aims to build resilience, improve social circles, enhance confidence, increase physical activity and help adult men to feel more supported. It is a very worthwhile project which has been made possible with the backing of 32Red. More info can be found here. 

In the last couple of years, there has been more and more scrutiny of gambling sponsorship in football not just in the UK, but across Europe. As previously mentioned, this has led to prohibition in certain countries with possible further action to come on these shores but for now, it is crucial that clubs are aware of corporate and social responsibility to the fan base and communities that they serve. This includes Rangers and the relationship with the brands of the Kindred Group which are promoted in a prominent way on the player’s shirts. 

Related to this and the issue of problem gambling, the club supported the Kindred Group last week with its take on Safer Gambling Week, which ran from 17-23 October. As part of this and its  ‘Zero % Mission’ (the logo which was worn against Dundee) strategy, Kindred’s ambition is that zero percent of its revenue will be generated from harmful gambling by the end of 2023 with the company stating its latest data shows around 3% of revenue is derived from high-risk players with a steady downward trend.

That detail is encouraging but there will be some skeptical reactions to it from the wider public, including those Rangers supporters who are compulsive gamblers or have suffered from gambling-related harm. It is imperative that the club is cognisant of a duty of care to those people and more can be done, with the support of its partner brands just like they do with Team Talk. 

Modern football dictates that contemporary shirts now mostly feature several advertising logos, from the arms to the neck as well as on the shorts. Rangers are no different to this as most will be familiar with, as well as the release of a fourth shirt which contains no sponsorship at all, other than the Castore brand, the club’s kit partner and manufacturer. 

So, there you have it. Three different brands on the front of the shirt in the space of a week and four in total over the past fortnight to accompany the one badge on the shirt that truly matters.