Nike and London City Lionesses Agree Front-of-Shirt Sponsorship Deal

Nike and London City Lionesses have signed a multi-year front-of-shirt sponsorship contract. This is the first time the sportswear brand has placed its name on the front of a women's football club's shirt. Financial terms were not disclosed by either side.

Nike had already been the kit supplier for London City Lionesses, with the partnership beginning before the club's first season competing in the Women's Super League (WSL). Following the upgraded agreement, Nike's name will appear on the front of the shirt — the most commercially valuable advertising position. For the Portland-based company, its globally recognized mark will have a prominent place on the kit, but the brand name had never previously appeared in a primary sponsorship position, making the move unusual.

Club owner Michele Kang said: “We share a common passion and vision. London City is the only independent women's team in the football world, and there have always been many doubters about whether a fully independent women's club could survive. Nike believes in what we are building. This partnership reflects our shared vision for the future of women's football and London City's ambition to help shape that future.”

Although financial terms were not disclosed, Kang confirmed that the Nike contract is worth more than the $4 million-per-year front-of-shirt agreement previously reached between NWSL expansion club Atlanta and Aflac. “The number is actually higher than some Premier League men's shirt-front deals,” Kang said. Atlanta's seven-year, $28 million contract is considered the most expensive shirt sponsorship in women's football, and the benchmark is particularly notable given that the club will not begin playing in the NWSL until 2028.

“This is not only good for London City, but also good for women's football, because it reflects the growing commercial value of the sport,” Kang said. “Leading global brands increasingly do not view women's football as an add-on or a side project, but as an important sporting and cultural asset that can exist independently. I hope our deal will soon be matched or surpassed. Atlanta has done very well, and I hope someone can surpass us.”

For London City, the agreement is another important commercial milestone in the club's rapid transformation under Kang's leadership. When Kang acquired London City in December 2023, the club was still competing in England's second tier. The Lionesses were promoted to the Women's Super League at the end of the 2024-25 season and won the Women's Championship title in Kang's first full season as owner. This made London City the first fully independent women's football club (not affiliated with a men's football club) to enter the Women's Super League.

London City is one of the clubs in Kang's expanding international football portfolio. Through Kynisca, the global women's football organization she founded in 2024, Kang also owns NWSL side Washington Spirit and French women's football powerhouse Lyon. Kynisca is a multi-club organization dedicated specifically to women's football, with investment extending into performance, infrastructure and sports science.