Can Watford Seal New Shirt Partnership with Promotion?

Watford FC recently announced a new partnership with one of the UK’s leading gambling firms, and fans will be hoping this signifies a new era for the club.

The Hornets partnered with MrQ ahead of the 2023-24 Championship season, and the distinctive logo has already become a welcome addition to the classic black-and-yellow strip. Can Watford use this boost to climb the table and bounce back into the Premier League?

Sponsorship Deal Signifies New Era for the Club

Watford has been looking for a commercial partner that reflected the club’s interests and background for some time, and they have now found the right brand to sponsor them. The new Watford and MrQ partnership brings together two of the most important names in the Hertfordshire area, and will help both the club and the gambling brand to boost their notoriety.

This new deal is a multiyear agreement, with MrQ acting as the primary sponsor on the front of Watford’s shirt. This will be for the entirety of the 2023-24 season and could stretch for many years beyond that.

Watford have built up an incredible legacy over their 142-year history, and MrQ is now aiming to do the same with this partnership. The gambling company offers sports betting and casino games and was first established in 2018. In a short space of time, it has become one of the best-known brands in the country. This shirt deal with Watford will take it to the next level. If the Hornets manage to get promoted and return to the top flight, it will be a massive lift for MrQ as its name will be in front of football fans around the world.

Watford Among Outside Favourites for Promotion This Term

Watford finished the 2022-23 season in 11^th place, resigning themselves to a second season in the Championship after their relegation from the top of the pyramid at the end of the 2021-22 campaign. Watford appeared to be a well-established Premier League club for years and spent five seasons there before dropping down in 2019-20. They bounced back up immediately the next year, but that wasn’t to be this time around.

The Championship is notoriously difficult to get out of, and relegated teams face a tougher challenge as the years go by and the parachute payments run dry. The three relegated teams this year – Leeds United, Southampton, and Leicester City – are expected to challenge for promotion. However, it’s unlikely that all three will win the golden ticket back to the promised land.

Watford fall into the bracket of outside contenders, with other strong sides like Ipswich and Norwich in the mix as well. Watford had a change of manager in the summer, with Valérien Ismaël succeeding Chris Wilder. According to the BBC, the Frenchman will bring intensity to Vicarage Road. This was certainly visible on the opening day of the campaign when they thumped Queens Park Rangers 4-0. Watford are certainly in with a chance of promotion this term, with a new manager and a few shrewd transfers. The MrQ deal could be the start of a new era for the club, one in which they win promotion and become firmly established in the Premier League.