Match of the Pay: Mastercard teams up with ‘biggest name’ in the beautiful game as investment spreads across Welsh football
Move over Wrexham, meet Inter Mil-Anglesey! A North Wales club with the ‘biggest name’ in world football has netted a high-profile sponsorship deal with Mastercard, riding the wave of Welsh teams to score A-list investment.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch FC, which plays in North Wales Coast West Division One, has agreed to a three-year shirt deal with Mastercard to kick off the new season. At 58 letters, the 126-year-old team, which plays in the fifth tier of the Welsh league, has the longest club name in world football.
North Wales has proved to be an unlikely hotspot for football investment in recent years. Since 2021, Wrexham AFC has had Hollywood owners, with hit documentary series Welcome to Wrexham following the club’s fortunes. This season they will play in the Championship, having become the first team in Football League history to win three consecutive promotions.
Meanwhile, in South Wales, fellow Championship side Swansea City also announced A-list investment as the side’s US owners look to build the club’s reputation on the world stage. And in West Wales, Haverfordwest County continues to thrive with strong local support, proudly partnered with Pure West Radio as official media sponsors – showcasing how grassroots football is thriving across the country.
The new sponsorship strengthens Mastercard’s connection with the Llanfairpwll… community. In February, the village on the isle of Anglesey was chosen, alongside seven of Europe’s longest-named places, to become pioneers of Mastercard Click to Pay, a new one-click payment technology removing the need to enter personal details like long card numbers when shopping online.
Samantha Jones-Smith, Llanfairpwll FC chairman, comments:
“You only have to look down the road at Wrexham to see how football partnerships can inspire success on the pitch and a huge feel-good factor off it. This isn't just another sponsorship deal for our club, it's a collaboration that builds on the strong relationship Mastercard has forged with the Llanfairpwll community throughout the year. They're not just putting their name on our shirts; they're investing in our future, our facilities, and most importantly, our supporters.”
It’s Barcelona meets Bangor
Llanfairpwll’s new home, away and keeper kits are an all-Welsh affair, designed and created in neighbouring Bangor by football shirt specialist Andrew Maclean and manufacturer Teejac Sports. Andrew said the striking blue-and-black striped home design is “part-inspired by football giants Barcelona’s 2017/18 kit, as well as by the windows at Llanfairpwll railway station,” one of the town’s most popular attractions.
The shirt, which has a yellow trim, carries all the letters of the town name, along with the club badge, Welsh dragon and Mastercard and Click to Pay logos. The white away shirt also features the window motif, along with the burgundy that matches the colour of the railway station’s iconic sign.
Simon Forbes, Division President, UK and Ireland, Mastercard, comments:
“Football clubs are the beating heart of communities across the country, and we're proud to announce this long-term partnership, cementing our links with Llanfairpwll. This expanded collaboration reflects our commitment to backing grassroots football and local businesses and driving forward technology that helps support everyday transactions across small towns and villages as well as global cities.”
Click to Pay, a faster, simpler and more secure way to buy online, is designed to tackle consumers’ biggest irritations, including the time it takes to checkout online and security concerns, such as having to share card numbers and personal details with retailers. The technology, which is rolling out across the continent, is part of Mastercard’s plan to end manual card entry by 2030.
To mark the team sponsorship and the launch of Click to Pay in Llanfairpwll, Mastercard will host an event at their first home game of the season vs Llangoed for residents and local businesses. Visitors to the Maes Eilian ground on Bank Holiday Monday, August 25, will be able to see the kit in action, sign up for the Click to Pay technology with partner the Co-op, and receive exclusive club merchandise. There will also be free matchday food, Co-op pies courtesy of a Mastercard ‘Click to Pay’ pie van.