Flutter Entertainment Brand Taps Football Icons Roy Keane and Micah Richards for a Time-Traveling Marketing Push Navigating New Shirt Sponsorship Restrictions
With just two weeks remaining before the new Premier League season kicks off, sports betting brand Sky Bet has launched its latest major football marketing campaign titled ‘Games Gone’. Created by the Flutter Entertainment brand, the campaign adopts a humorous approach to football fandom, drawing inspiration from the tongue-in-cheek marketing style long utilized by sister brand Paddy Power.
Playing on Fan Nostalgia and the Evolution of Football
The central theme of ‘Games Gone’ revolves around the common lament uttered by football supporters that “the game has gone” due to modern rule changes and technological additions, with VAR serving as a prominent point of contention in recent years.
Harry Phillips, Sky Bet Marketing Director, explained the strategic vision behind the campaign:
“Game’s Gone is a phrase that has engrained itself in football culture and beyond. Yet even though we all love to moan about the game, it’s never been more universally popular and when push comes to shove, it’s the incredible moments of football culture, both on and off the pitch that keeps us coming back. We believe football always has and always will create moments no fan can resist. And at Sky Bet, we champion those iconic moments of football and fandom by giving our customers more ways to get in on the action.”
To bring this concept to life, the campaign features brand ambassadors and football pundits Roy Keane (former Manchester United and Ireland midfielder) and Micah Richards (ex-Manchester City and Aston Villa right-back). The duo are depicted travelling back through time to observe football across various eras, including a trip to the Victorian era to witness the early development of the modern game, and the historical complaints from fans regarding those initial changes.
Reflecting on the shoot, Roy Keane shared:
“One thing about football history is that people have always questioned changes to the game, but it’s funny looking back at some of the things we’d never want to lose now. We had good fun bringing those moments to life.”
Micah Richards added:
“Football fans love a debate and that’s never going to change. Filming this was brilliant because we got to step into different eras of football and have a bit of fun with some of the biggest developments in the game’s history. Being told I had permission to ‘shush’ Roy Keane was a particular highlight!”
Navigating New Premier League Sponsorship Rules
The 2026/27 Premier League season marks a major regulatory shift, representing the first year of the widely discussed ban on front-of-shirt sponsorships for betting companies. With primary shirt slots prohibited, betting brands are exploring alternative visibility avenues, such as sleeve sponsorships, training kit branding, and LED perimeter advertising boards, exemplified by partnerships like Betway and Manchester United. Other operators have shifted focus toward lower-tier sponsorships, such as deals within the EFL Championship.
In light of these tighter marketing restrictions, the value of high-impact, culturally resonant advertising campaigns has risen substantially. Sky Bet continues to maintain a deep-rooted presence in English football, most notably as the title partner of the English Football League (EFL), which encompasses the Championship, League One, and League Two, while increasingly embedding social responsibility and charitable initiatives into its partnerships.
The ‘Games Gone’ campaign directly follows Sky Bet’s previous World Cup activation, “The World’s Gone Football”, which also starred Keane and Richards. Summarizing the brand’s long-term marketing strategy, Phillips noted that the objective is not to dictate fan opinions, but to engage authentically with football culture:
“Both campaigns use humour and nostalgia, but ‘Game’s Back’ gives that approach a new twist by playfully challenging the idea that football’s best days are behind it. We are not trying to settle the debate or tell fans how to feel about changes to the game; we are simply adding an optimistic perspective to the conversation.”
