Since their inaugural season in 2015, New York City FC has donned the City Blue Etihad shirt made famous by sister club Manchester City. But that practice may be coming to an end in the near future.
According to a recent report from Sport Business, City Football Group — the holding group which owns MCFC, NYCFC, and a number of other clubs around the world — may be dropping Etihad Airlanes as their kit sponsor in 2021. This decision has reportedly been made by the CAA Sports — CFG’s sports agency — who think that a change in sponsorship could lead to over €50 million in revenue per year for Manchester City.
Etihad Airways, the state carrier for Abu Dhabi, has been MCFC’s kit sponsor since 2009. Formerly the gold standard in its region, Etihad has recently been reported to have sustained tens of billions in losses in recent years, with rumors of a potential merger with their rivals Emiratesgoing back as recent as 2019.
CFG’s current deal with Etihad runs through the summer of 2021, which would signify the end of MCFC’s season and falls midway through what will be NYCFC’s 2021 MLS campaign. How that will effect New York City’s kit sponsor situation in the leadup to the 2021 season is still unknown as of right now.
