Preston and Spud Bros cook up a shirt sponsorship deal we can get behind

Welcome to Football Daily’s TED talk on what makes a good shirt sponsor. While it is not an exact science, there are three basic rules to follow. The first and most important one is that, with the exception of gambling companies that make up the vast majority of filth on the front of most tops these days, the worse the product is for you, the better the sponsor. Tin (Guinness at QPR, McEwans lager at Blackburn, Holsten at Tottenham Hotspur, etc), video games (Sega and Dreamcast at Arsenal, Nintendo at Fiorentina, Playstation at Auxerre), fast food and snacks (Chupa Chups at Sheffield Wednesday, Pizza Hut at Fulham, Mars at Napoli) are all iconic in their own right, despite those companies not having ties to their respective clubs.

The next rule is a fairly obvious one: design. Nothing too big, nothing too small, not too many (South American Dept, we’re looking at you). Something that stands out but also complements the colours of the shirt is ideal. It’s a fine balance in truth, which is why Football Daily generally leaves design stuff to the Big Website nerds at Guardian Towers. The last rule is: keep it local, and if that includes the categories above, all the better. Tin-wise, Newcastle Brown Ale at, you guessed it, Newcastle United and Quilmes beer at Boca Juniors are prime examples of Grade A local Tin sponsorship. Food and drink: Ginsters at Plymouth Argyle, Walkers Crisps at Leicester City, Colman’s at Norwich City all hit the spot. As long as you are hitting two of the three rules – bad for you, good design, local – it’s normally a good year to buy the shirt.

All of which is a long-winded way of introducing the new shirt sponsors for Preston North End, Spud Bros, which sounds like a barber shop owned by Bart Simpson but is actually a Preston-based jacket potato company started by two siblings, Jacob and Harley Nelson. The pair have somehow sold thousands of spuds out of the back of a van and amassed millions of Social Media Disgrace followers in the process, with free jacket potato vouchers given out to the first 2,000 fans to buy the new shirt at the launch event at Deepdale this weekend. That sounds like a good deal and if there’s one man that knows about business and commercial enterprise, it is Peter Ridsdale, current North End CEO and former Leeds chief suit who nearly steered the Yorkshire club to the brink of insolvency. “SpudBros are one of the fastest growing brands in the UK and their phenomenal worldwide media exposure and international recognition teaming up with the original Invincibles football club feels like a perfect match,” roared Ridsdale. “We are excited to be working with individuals with such enthusiasm, excitement and innovative media awareness. Preston North End and SpudBros – a partnership to savour.”

Even if we hate that pun, Football Daily very much approves of this sponsorship, with it being a local venture (tick, 1/3), an eyecatching design on that famous white shirt (tick 2/3) and gloriously unhealthy (tick, 3/3!), so long as the locals maintain their delicious fondness of adding mountains of cheese and rivers of gravy to their nearby carbohydrates. Preston North End’s 2025-26 season is already shaping up to be a banger, we’ll see you down the front at Deepdale on Saturday for that voucher.

Join Michael Butler at 5pm (BST) for semi-final updates on England 2-1 Netherlands in the Euro Under-21 Championship.

I’m proud of the playing career I’ve had and have no regrets about any of it. I embrace all the highs and all the lows as they’ve shaped me into who I am. To everyone who made the journey so special, the staff at each club and organisation, the managers and coaches, my teammates, and of course the supporters — thank you” – Adam Lallana calls time on a playing career, in which he won the Premier League and Big Cup with Liverpool, by thanking pretty much everyone in football apart from this tea-timely email, alas.

Even if we lose Bryan Mbeumo and his brilliant beard to Manchester United (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs – full email edition), his Brazilian teammate Igor Thiago is not so dusty in the facial hair stakes. Maybe Brentford could replace their current sponsors with Gillette” – Tim Taylor.

Re: brothers scoring at the same tournament (Monday’s Football Daily) – Klaus and Thomas Allofs scored at the 1980-81 European Cup Winners’ Cup” – Luitpold Rampeltshammer.

To add to your embarrassment (we’re used to it –Football Daily Ed), as Thomas Lovegrove expected there are more Dutch twin brothers who both scored in the same tournament: René and Willy van de Kerkhof hit the net at the 1978 World Cup, against Austria and Germany respectively” – Arthur Van Hoogstraten.

Just wanted to add one more name to the list of infamy for Luis Suárez: Otman Bakkal from PSV, who enjoyed a neck massage from Suárez’s teeth in 2010, long before he started nibbling on a global stage. But practice makes perfect. Still, I have to admit that goal against Palmeiras was a worldie” – Coen Lammers.

Please send your letters to [email protected]. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day competition is … Tim Taylor. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, can be viewed here. 

And to the Copa Gianni where there was a proper shock in Nashville when Auckland City, beaten 10-0 by Bayern in their opener and 6-0 by Benfica in their second match, only went and nicked a 1-1 draw with Boca Juniors. Yep, the part-time team of butchers, bakers and candlestick-makers (subs, please check actual jobs) clawed their way back into the game with trainee teacher Christian Gray’s 52nd-minute equaliser and then clung on for dear life for the remainder to earn a point that they will proudly take home to New Zealand. They should really put it on an open-top bus and parade it around Auckland, such is the disparity between them and any other club at the tournament. Their manager Paul Posa, whose full-time job involves pulling teeth at Ranfurly Dental Care, was honest in his assessment. “We got a bit lucky, let’s be honest. If we play Boca 10 times, they win nine. That’s sport, we’ll take our luck today.” Boca and Auckland City can now go home, with Benfica and Bayern progressing to the last 16.

Paul Pogba is back, baby, and ready to strut his stuff for Monaco. The French midfielder has agreed a two-year deal with the Ligue 1 club after serving his doping ban, which ended in March. MLS and Saudi Pro League clubs had also been sniffing around Pogba but he opted to stay closer to home.

Manchester United are this close to finalising a £60m-plus deal for Bryan Mbeumo and his magic facial hair.

Lyon have been relegated to Ligue 2 over the financial failings they were initially found guilty of last November. The demotion of the seven-times champions, whose president is the Crystal Palace shareholder John Textor, was upheld by the French football watchdog the DNCG and confirmed on Tuesday night.

In the Copa Gianni, Liam Delap scored his first Chelsea goal as Enzo Maresca’s side bounced back from their chastening Flamengo loss with a comfortable 3-0 romp against Espérance.

Elsewhere in the tournament, Fifa has opened disciplinary proceedings against Pachuca’s Gustavo Cabral after the Mexican club’s defender was accused of using racist language towards Real Madrid’s Antonio Rüdiger, which Cabral denies.

Former Rennes and Stasbourg boss Julien Stéphan is now QPR boss Julien Stéphan after the Frenchman’s move to Loftus Road was confirmed on Wednesday morning. “QPR is a historic club with strong values and passionate fans, so I feel honoured,” he tooted.

And any clubs looking to hire a knight of the realm need look no further than Sir Gareth Southgate.

Here’s Beau Dure on the 2026 Geopolotics World Cup heat risks that are being exposed by the Copa Gianni.

What did you do in the Irish football culture wars of 2002? Barry Glendenning on the new film about the Saipan stramash and the wounds that could be reopened.

Lee Carsley feels he and his team are in a good place going into their European U21 semi against the Netherlands, writes Ed Aarons.

Who doesn’t love a stadium gawp? No one that Football Daily is friends with for sure. So get stuck into Michael Butler’s Euro 2025 venue guide.

Our latest Euro 2025 team guides turn the spotlight on Belgium and Italy in Group B.

This week’s Knowledge looks at second-tier English teams in European competitions, different crests on home and away kits, and much more.

Jadon Sancho to join José Mourinho at Fenerbahce? Kepa to Arsenal? Today’s Rumour Mill tries to make sense of the latest tittle-tattle.

And check out all the latest men’s and women’s moves in the summer window.

9 August 2000: Benito Carbone is mobbed by young Bradford City fans after joining the club from Aston Villa. By the looks of things, he had a big shirt to fill at Valley Parade.