Arsenal Football Club has announced a multi-year agreement with Starling Bank, naming the UK-based digital bank as the club’s official retail banking partner across both the men’s and women’s teams.
At the core of the partnership is Starling’s “Good with Money” platform, a financial literacy programme aimed at equipping fans and local communities with practical tools to manage their finances more effectively. The first campaign instalment, “Defending against Cyber Crims,” features Arsenal legend David Seaman, who uses football analogies to help consumers understand how to protect themselves against online fraud. Future episodes will cover topics such as transaction monitoring and interest rates, with contributions from both current and former Arsenal players.
Beyond education, Starling customers will enjoy exclusive benefits, including access to matchday tickets and fan experiences. The collaboration will also expand into Arsenal in the Community projects, with initiatives to support women and girls in north London, empower female entrepreneurs, and strengthen small and medium-sized businesses.
Commenting on the launch, Michele Rousseau, Chief Marketing Officer at Starling, said, “From checking transfers to building a fantasy team, football supporters’ everyday habits translate perfectly into money management. Now, we want to empower more people to take on those habits. Together with beloved Arsenal legends, our financial literacy series will use the cultural currency of football as a platform to get people in the UK rethinking their relationship with their money.
“We have a rich heritage in supporting the women’s game and bringing equality to pitches across the UK. Arsenal shares that ethos, and we’re looking forward to running several projects together that bring opportunities in football and finance to new communities.”
Juliet Slot, Arsenal’s Chief Commercial Officer, added, “We’re delighted to welcome Starling as the eighth new partner to join our family of world-class brands here since the end of last season.
“Starling has such a strong footprint in the game already, including being at the forefront of supporting sustainable growth in the women’s game – a goal we’re both focused on and will underpin so much of our work together in the coming seasons.
“We’re proud to have Starling join our diverse range of partners, who together are powering our ambition for sustained success.”
Starling Bank’s Chief Marketing Officer Rachel Kerrone continued, “Football has the power to connect and inspire millions, making Arsenal the ideal partner to bring our ‘Good with Money’ campaign to life. Together we will use the language of football to demystify banking and give people the confidence to make sound financial decisions.”
The agreement builds on Starling’s expanding footprint in football. The bank was a sponsor of UEFA Women’s Euro 2022, is the front-of-shirt sponsor for Southampton Women FC, and runs grassroots programmes such as Kick On, which has provided 10,000 kits to women and girls across the UK.
For Arsenal, the deal reflects a wider strategy of partnering with innovative brands to strengthen the club’s commercial portfolio and community influence. In recent months, the Gunners have signed new agreements with KONAMI, Stanley 1913, Guinness, Athletic Brewing, Asahi Super Dry, TCL, L’Oréal Paris, Bitpanda, and Airwallex.
On the pitch, Arsenal’s men’s team have started the season positively, earning 10 points from their first five Premier League matches, with upcoming fixtures against Port Vale in the Carabao Cup, Newcastle United and West Ham United in the league, and Olympiacos in the UEFA Champions League. The women’s side currently sit third in the Women’s Super League with seven points from three games, and will next face Aston Villa and Manchester City domestically before opening their UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign against Lyon.
