Burnley Terminate Finotive Shirt Deal, Confirm Vertu as New Sponsor Before Championship Opener
Burnley have ripped up their shirt sponsorship agreement with Finotive One and replaced it with longtime partner Vertu Motors, the club confirmed Thursday morning — just three days before their Championship season opener against West Ham United.
The club announced the split in blunt terms. Burnley said in an official statement that it was “disappointed to confirm that its agreement with Finotive has been terminated,” adding it had “acted decisively to protect the Club’s interests, and those of our supporters.”
Within the same hour, Burnley moved to fill the gap. The club confirmed Vertu as its new Official Front of Shirt Principal Partner, with the automotive retailer’s branding replacing Finotive’s across the men’s, women’s and academy first-team shirts effective immediately.
How the Finotive deal collapsed
Burnley announced Finotive One as its new main sponsor at the start of July, ending a two-season run with betting firm 96.com. The club had already worn shirts carrying the Finotive branding throughout preseason, including last week’s Carabao Cup tie against Notts County.
Then the wheels came off. According to the Burnley Express, speculation spread Thursday evening that something had gone wrong with the Cypriot-registered trading platform’s agreement, with reports suggesting the club was already searching for a replacement sponsor days before kickoff. The paper had floated Vertu as the likely candidate — a call that proved accurate within hours.
Burnley has not detailed publicly why the Finotive agreement fell apart. The club’s statement stopped short of naming a cause, saying only that it acted to protect its own interests and those of supporters while keeping preseason preparations “uninterrupted, both on and off the pitch.”
Vertu steps back into a familiar role
Vertu is not new to Turf Moor. The UK’s fourth-largest automotive retailer first partnered with Burnley ahead of the 2022/23 season — the year the club won the Championship title in record-breaking fashion — and has held a “Club Partner” status since, including a spell on the back of shirts and a stint featuring its Bristol Street Motors brand during the 2024/25 campaign.
Burnley Chairman Alan Pace called the swap a natural progression rather than a scramble. “Vertu has been a valued and trusted partner of the Club, and this new relationship is a natural next step for two organisations that share a commitment to ambition, innovation and long-term success,” Pace said in the club’s statement.
Vertu Chief Executive Robert Forrester echoed the sentiment, framing the deal around the club’s local ties in East Lancashire rather than just shirt real estate. “Burnley FC sits right at the heart of that community, and this new, enhanced partnership will allow us to continue working on programmes that we know will have a huge impact on people and communities across East Lancashire,” Forrester said.
What it means for fans who already bought the kit
The abrupt switch leaves Burnley with a logistical mess to clean up. Supporters who already purchased a 2026/27 replica shirt carrying Finotive branding have been offered three options: a full refund, an exchange for a Vertu-branded replacement, or having Vertu branding applied to their existing shirt free of charge. All future replica stock will carry Vertu branding going forward.
One immediate consequence: replica kits will not be available online or in the Clarets Store for Sunday’s fixture against West Ham while the club sorts out the changeover. Full details on timing for refunds and exchanges are expected to be communicated through official channels in the coming days.
| Detail | Finotive One (terminated) | Vertu Motors (new) |
|---|---|---|
| Announced | Early July 2026 | August 14, 2026 |
| Prior Burnley history | None — first-time partner | Club Partner since 2022/23 |
| Shirts already worn with branding | Yes (preseason, Carabao Cup vs. Notts County) | Not yet — debuts vs. West Ham |
| Business type | Cypriot-registered trading platform | UK automotive retailer |
The kit itself isn’t changing — just the badge on the front
The sponsor swap doesn’t touch the kit design J.J. Watt, the former NFL defensive star and Burnley co-owner, unveiled a few weeks ago. Watt said at the time he had spent nearly two years working on the design, calling it “a true honour and privilege.” That claret-and-white Castore kit, which drew mixed reviews from fans over its simplified look, will carry Vertu’s logo instead of Finotive’s when Burnley walks out at Turf Moor.
Burnley kicks off the 2026/27 Championship campaign at home to West Ham United on Sunday, August 16 at 4 p.m. BST — their first match in England’s second tier since relegation from the Premier League last season, and a fixture that will now double as Vertu’s on-pitch unveiling.
