Birmingham 'unable to find shirt sponsor

Following their relegation from the Premier League, Birmingham City will adopt a game-by-game 'to let' space on the front of their shirts, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

The Championship side are believed to be struggling financially after their 18th place finish in the 2010-11 campaign, while owner Carson Yeung is facing money-laundering charges in his native China.

Up until recently, the Blues had a five-year sponsorship deal with F&C Investments worth £3 million. However, that deal expired at the end of last term with the London-based asset management company unwilling to extend the contract.

Now the Mail claims that no other company are willing to match Birmingham’s asking price of £350,000 to sponsor the team for the season so the club will take it one match at a time.

The Blues are set to charge between £6,000 and £25,000 per match depending on who they are playing in the Championship and whether the match is televised.

According to Birmingham’s commercial manager Ian Dutton, one advantage of not having a product name or a logo is that fans will be keener to buy the shirt as it has more of a “retro look.”

Fellow Midlanders West Brom enjoyed such a boost in sales when their 2009-10 kit hit the stores without a sponsor.

Dutton said: “Overwhelming feedback from supporters has made it clear that a large number of Bluenoses want the choice to be able to buy this season’s strips without a sponsor so we’re now delighted to be able to deliver that retro look.”