Starling deepens ties with women’s football through Southampton partnership

Starling Bank is furthering its successful partnership with women’s football through a new deal with the Southampton team.

The partnership will see Starling’s logo feature on the team’s shirts during the 2022-2023 season.

It will be launched at the team’s match at Saint Mary’s Stadium in Southampton, with a competition to win tickets helping to boost publicity.

Starling and Southampton will also partner on an initiative to develop grassroots coaches at local clubs throughout Hampshire.

The deal builds on Starling’s work as the official national banking partner of the UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, a sponsorship which paid dividends as the English team romped to victory. The partnership included developing the first ever Fantasy Football league for the Women’s Euro.

Rachel Kerrone, Brand & Marketing Director at Starling Bank, said: “Sponsoring Southampton Football Club Women reinforces Starling’s commitment to supporting up-and-coming female football players as we try to level the playing field through equal training opportunities and dedicated resources.”

Sarah Batters, Director of Marketing and Partnerships at Southampton Football Club, said: “It was important for us to find a partner that was prepared to invest in the women’s game – going further than just putting a logo on a shirt. From the moment we started conversations with Starling bank, their commitment to making an impact to the success of the women’s game with their sponsorship was clear – and we can’t wait to get started.”

The news comes as figures from the Current Account Switching Service (CASS) revealed that Starling had the third highest net gain in people switching current accounts in Q2 2022, behind Lloyds and HSBC. It was the only one of the three not to offer a switching incentive.