Newcastle United and Sela scooped 72 awards in 2024 making them the most award-winning football partnership

Since Sela took over as Newcastle United's front-of-shirt sponsor from Fun88, the Saudi events company has been at the centre of several big initiatives and events that have shone a positive spotlight on the club.

Sela, a pioneering destination and experiences organisation, haven't just sat back and let their name be displayed on the shirts and around the club, in fact, they actually gave up their front-of-shirt place for a match, handing over the space to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) in a collaboration that also saw exciting new technology integrated into the shirts to allow deaf people to 'hear' the roar of the St James' Park crowd through vibrating pads in woven into the shirts.

The initiative was a huge success and created a lot of brilliant memories, not just for the fans involved but even for other fans watching on. The moment where the shirts' vibrations kicked in and we got to witness their reactions was so wholesome, the memories will live on for years to come.

When Newcastle United returned to the Champions League, Sela didn't let that moment just pass by without fanfare and an impressive drone show was put on over St James' Park to celebrate their long-awaited return to the competition.

Sela and Newcastle United has been a fantastic partnership

There was even a brilliant display over the River Tyne which saw images projected onto the Baltic, incorporating 3D holographic images on the river itself, not to mention the partnership with Sela, Newcastle United and STACK to create the fan zone.

It's little surprise then, that Newcastle United have today confirmed via their official website, that the partnership between the club and Sela scooped the most awards last year making them the most award-winning partnership in football.

"The partnership was recognised with a total of 72 awards across the globe in 2024, spanning an array of categories including sports, experiential, equality and diversity, innovation, creative and fan engagement.

"Industry recognition included the prestigious President's Award and Grand Prix titles at The Drum Awards in London, as well as a further 32 gold awards across other awards ceremonies.

"The partnership also won the coveted 'Brand of the Year' at the Shorty Impact Awards in Los Angeles, Best Fan Solution at Leaders Sports Awards, Best Fan Engagement at Clio Sports in New York and Sports Technology of the Year at the Sports Business Awards in London."

Sportswashing: It's working

We don't want to sit here and outright praise Sela for everything as we realise that it's exactly what Saudi Arabia wants. This is exactly how sportswashing works, but we would be mental to not acknowledge the good that has come from the partnership.

The partnership has been outstanding for Newcastle United and that's the main thing as far as we're concerned. It's the club that we're all here for at the end of the day.

We'll continue supporting the club and initiatives that show the club as the positive force it can be, even when backed by Saudi Arabian money. The club is black and white, the politics behind it is definitely not.