The EFL Trophy has officially been rebranded as the Jersey Mike’s Trophy. And no, it’s not some pre-season friendly hosted in Florida. This cup is for clubs in League One, League Two, and youth teams affiliated with several clubs from England’s top two divisions.
American sandwich chain Jersey Mike’s Subs has struck a five-year deal with the EFL, running through to the end of the 2030/31 season. This partnership is particularly striking, considering the company is yet to open its first restaurant in the UK, which will debut on Argyle Street in London.
However, bizarre sponsorship names have become something of a tradition for the EFL Trophy.
Arguably the most iconic of these was the Johnson’s Paint Trophy, which existed from 2007 to 2016. Then we had the Checkatrade Trophy and the Leasing.com Trophy.
In 2020, things escalated when Papa Johns came on board, leading to the now-familiar Papa Johns Trophy, with the chain smack in the middle as the official pizza of the EFL. Following that was the Vertu Trophy, and now, we enter the era of sandwiches.
But the EFL Trophy isn’t the first English tournament to have received a questionable name from a sponsor.
Back in the late 1980s, the Full Members Cup briefly bore the names Simod Cup and later the extravagant Zenith Data Systems Cup. That name sounded better suited for a computer championship than a football tournament.
The League Cup has also undergone numerous name changes. In the '80s, it was sponsored by the British Dairy Council, giving rise to the legendary Milk Cup. It has since evolved through Coca-Cola Cup, Worthington Cup, Carling Cup, Capital One Cup, and now, the Carabao Cup.
Outside of England, there’s been no shortage of imaginative naming either.
In Scotland, there once was the Tunnock’s Caramel Wafer Challenge Cup—yes, named after caramel wafers. The Petrofac Training Cup and CIS Insurance Cup also made their appearances there.
Denmark, in the early 21st century, introduced the virtually unbeatable DONG Cup—no innuendo intended, as DONG is the acronym for the Danish oil and natural gas company.
Northern Ireland took it a step further in 2019 when the Irish Cup was officially named the Sadler’s Peaky Blinders Irish Cup, thanks to a collaboration with a whiskey brand linked to the popular series. It later transformed into the Samuel Gelston’s Irish Whiskey Irish Cup.
Japan boasts the YBC Levain Cup, named after a biscuit brand, while in Australia, the national cup was once known as the Westfield FFA Cup.
Against this backdrop, the Jersey Mike’s Trophy doesn’t seem so odd after all. Yet, English football fans will still need to adjust to the idea of competing for one of Wembley’s oldest trophies while brandishing the name of an American sandwich chain.
