Earlier on we mentioned how it’s entirely possible Cedric Itten was signed over Lyndon Dykes on a commercial basis, that the Aussie-born Scot didn’t have the marketability the Swiss international does and therefore Rangers made a judgement call, clinically, on which player to go for.

Well, let’s have a look at the commercial endorsement Itten’s signing has led to, plus some of the other major deals Rangers’ money men (in particular James Bisgrove) have managed to clinch in the past year or two.

Eighty-One:

This is the big coup for both sides after Itten joined – this is the energy drink Rangers now endorse as our official such partner, a Swiss-based product which has been around for about five years and has taken its first big steps into going global. Eighty-One are sponsoring rather a lot in the UK, including Redline Racing as part of the Porsche Carrera Cup as well as basing themselves now at Silverstone, and this is a big coup for them. We don’t know the value of this deal, we doubt it’s massive (probably barely 6 figures), but it gives Rangers free energy drinks as well as the lump sum of the contract.

Castore:

No one really knew this brand other than their association with Sir Andy Murray, but it got a lot of publicity and while the launch of our new shirt wasn’t super smooth, it wasn’t too bad. Thanks to this deal, and indeed that of the tennis legend, Castore’s name in the UK is getting bigger. Just like Under Armour, Murray trend-set a fairly unknown brand and now with Rangers (and Spurs in UA’s case) it’s only getting bigger. Again, we can’t be sure of the sum here but it’s certainly into the 6 figures and possibly more.

DCP-Capital:

A conglomerate Asian investment firm, DCP’s involvement in Rangers, specifically Rangers Women FC, was masterminded by Julian Wolhardt. The money behind both him and DCP is into the many billions and while that doesn’t mean we can suddenly afford Lionel Messi, it does show the calibre of company that is willing to invest in our club. It also shows how seriously we’re taking the women’s team within our club.

Unibet:

This is an interesting one, and we wonder when this company will take over from 32Red. Yes, the latter has been involved for a very long time and the value of the contract has only risen, but curiously it’s another betting company who sponsor our training kit. Unibet, well known in the UK for many years, deal with the distinctive grey training gear and Rangers have pulled off a smart moving, finding two strong deals for both match-day kit and training kit separately.

Pro Evo:

Rangers formed an official partnership with Konami’s mega football franchise a few years ago, but it’s grown in stature and after well over 20 years of the games, Rangers’ deal with them led, finally, to Ibrox being included in game. This has led into 2021 and the partnership will continue.

Utilita:

Another deal which goes back years, it was the first time the rear of the shirt had ever been sponsored, but it’s the way of the world now, and thanks to this company Rangers fans can get better deals on energy goods than they could if they shopped elsewhere.

There are others, Seko, Tennents and The Energy Check to name but three, but the point is Rangers now have a tonne of sponsorship and commercial deals, and Eighty-One is only the latest.

One deal to have evaporated into thin air is Molton Brown – announced in January, the pampering goods company was announced as the official fragrance partner, but is no longer included among the sponsors. We suspect it was just a six-month deal, which is absolutely fair enough.