Why Xsolla sponsored League One English football club Stevenage FC

In a seemingly unlikely turn of events, games commerce company Xsolla recently unveiled a deal to be the gaming and shirt sponsor for English League One football club Stevenage FC.

The partnership covers both the men’s and women’s teams and sees Xsolla also feature prominently on official YouTube content and social media channels, pitch-side advertising, the digital programme, and officially licensed video games.

For the uninitiated – League one is the third-tier of the English football pyramid, which stars the Premier League at the top, followed by the Championship as the tier-two division.

Stevenage FC’s stadium capacity currently stands at 7,800, including seating and standing areas. The town’s population stands at around 90,000 people, according to the last estimates.

So why is Xsolla sponsoring Stevenage?

Games connection

Stevenage and football already have connections to games. Club director Stuart Dinsey is the executive chairman at UK publisher Curve Games, which has published titles like Human: Fall Flat and For The King II.

Meanwhile, football has close ties to gaming thanks to titles like EA’s FIFA series (now known as EA Sports FC) and Sports Interactive’s Football Manager games. In fact, EA is a shirt sponsor for referees in the English Football League until the end of the 2028/2029 season.

There are other non-games factors, too, that have seen more money and interest pour into League One football. Earlier this year, EFL clubs unanimously approved a “record” domestic rights deal with Sky Sports running over a five-year period to broadcast over 1,000 matches each season. That includes 248 League One matches and Stevenage FC has readied itself by installing new cameras at the stadium.

The EFL is also growing in the US. CBS Sports signed a new deal to show at least 250 EFL matches per season – with at least 38 fixtures across League One and League Two.

On top of that, League One football now has some Hollywood magic, with Wrexham FC, owned by Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator Rob McElhenney, entering the division this season. 

Here we go

Xsolla hopes to catch the club on the rise – it won promotion to League One in the 2022/2023 season – while tapping into other benefits, such as getting its brand into EA Sports FC 2025, which releases in September.

Potential future campaigns, off the back of its Stevenage sponsorship, could include influencer partnerships, and get the Xsolla brand into the minds of consumers.

“It’s a whole like trifecta of things … and we wanted to make it happen,” Xsolla chief marketing officer Berkley Egenes tells PocketGamer.biz.

Egenes claims that a deal with a larger club, like Manchester City or Manchester Utd, which could have cost a lot more, didn’t make as much sense.

“You’re not on the kit”, he says, adding that the Stevenage deal gives them more opportunities to engage with the local community, potentially do gaming sessions with the players, work with those aforementioned influencers, and try other ‘innovative’ campaigns and activations.

B2B vs. B2C

Xsolla’s core business is in payment solutions and web shops – an area that’s growing rapidly and seeing increased competition as publishers look to reduce the 30% revenue share taken by Apple and Google.

Regulation, such as the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, along with Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney’s fight against app store practices and fees, have also helped fuel that growth.

Asked whether Xsolla’s funds are better used in games and events to attract new partners, Egenes says that while it supports developers and publishers with monetising their games, there is a B2C side of the business, too. To consumers, they may not know what Xsolla is until it appears on their credit card statement.

“So from the game to the consumer, we play in the middle of that,” says Egenes.

“We’re always looking at ways that we can engage players and bring them to games, and that helps [companies] grow their business.”

Dinsey states: “With so many mouth-watering games on the way and the biggest TV and media exposure ever for EFL League One around the world, Xsolla is arriving at a hugely exciting time for the club.

“They are an innovative company from a sector we know well. We can’t wait to press play and get started.”

Full disclosure: PocketGamer.biz was invited to attend the Stevenage vs. Shrewsbury match. Tickets were covered by Xsolla.