Key Points
- Bristol City has confirmed Exacta Group as the Academy’s front-of-shirt sponsor from the 2026/27 season.
- The Bristol-based company is already a sleeve sponsor for the men’s first team.
- The agreement runs for two years and covers all academy age groups from Under-9s to Under-21s.
- Bristol City said the deal marks its first dedicated Academy front-of-shirt sponsorship since the 2018/19 season.
- Academy Director Gary Davenport said the arrangement reflects shared values and ambitions.
- Exacta Group founder Nick Rogers said the move deepens his long-standing support for the club.
- Exacta Group said the partnership also reflects its wider commitment to community and grassroots football.
Bristol (Bristol Express News) July 13, 2026 – Bristol City has confirmed that Exacta Group will become the Academy’s front-of-shirt sponsor from the 2026/27 season, extending an existing relationship between the club and the Bristol-based technology company. As reported by Bristol City, the two-year agreement will see the Exacta Group logo appear on Academy shirts across all age groups from Under-9s to Under-21s.
What has Bristol City announced?
Bristol City said it is delighted to welcome Exacta Group as the Academy’s first front-of-shirt sponsor in several years, with the club describing the agreement as a significant step in its commercial support for youth development.
The club said Exacta Group already sponsors the sleeve of the men’s first-team shirt, and this new deal expands that connection into the Academy structure.
The announcement is centred on a two-year sponsorship agreement, beginning with the 2026/27 season. According to the club’s statement, the branding will be shown across all academy age groups, which means the deal will have a visible presence throughout the club’s development pathway.
Why is the deal significant?
The club said this is the first dedicated front-of-shirt sponsorship for the Academy since the 2018/19 season, which makes the agreement notable within Bristol City’s youth set-up.
That detail suggests the club is giving a renewed commercial focus to its development system at a time when academy pathways remain an important part of football operations.
The presence of a front-of-shirt sponsor across Under-9s to Under-21s also signals a broader sponsorship footprint than a first-team only arrangement.
In practical terms, it gives one brand visibility across the full youth pathway while providing the Academy with a more established commercial partner.
What did Gary Davenport say?
As reported by Bristol City, Academy Director Gary Davenport said:
“We are delighted to welcome Exacta Group as our front of shirt sponsor for the next two seasons.”
He added that Exacta Group already has a
“strong connection and presence in the local community”
and said there is “strong alignment in our values and ambitions” that the club looks forward to developing further.
His comments place the deal in the context of community links as well as commercial support. The wording also indicates Bristol City sees the partnership as something that can grow beyond shirt branding alone.
What did Nick Rogers say?
According to Bristol City, Exacta Group founder Nick Rogers said he had been “a proud City fan from an early age” and that the company’s earlier move to become a sleeve sponsor for the men’s and women’s teams last season came from that sense of pride. He said extending the relationship to become the Academy’s front-of-shirt sponsor was “truly special”.
Rogers also said Exacta Group helps businesses “unleash their potential through our technology” and that the company now looks forward to helping young players “unlock their potential too”.
His remarks link the business side of the sponsorship with the club’s development mission.
Who is Exacta Group?
Bristol City said Exacta Technologies specialises in creating fully branded, bespoke appliances that help software vendors get the best from their applications.
The club also said Blackcore Technologies builds high-performance, reliable, overclocked servers tailored for demanding electronic trading platforms.
The statement described Exacta Group as a technology business that provides advanced, production-ready hardware platforms for clients across a wide range of sectors.
It also said the company is committed to supporting its local community through football sponsorship and other grassroots links.
How does this fit community football?
The club’s statement said Exacta Group supports North Somerset RTC, uk/local/clevedon/">Clevedon Town FC, Ashton FC and other clubs as part of its community activity.
That point was presented as evidence that the business is already involved in grassroots football beyond its relationship with Bristol City.
Rogers also said the company is committed to developing its own people and contributing to job creation in the South West, adding that grassroots sport can have a positive impact on young people.
The club’s announcement framed the sponsorship as part of a wider connection between local business, sport and youth opportunity.
What does the sponsorship cover?
The agreement applies to the Academy from Under-9s through to Under-21s and runs for two seasons. Bristol City said the Exacta Group logo will be displayed on the front of shirts throughout those age groups, giving the sponsor consistent visibility across the development structure.
This means the deal is not limited to elite youth teams at the top end of the pathway. Instead, it reaches across the full Academy ladder, which is likely to matter to both the club and the sponsor in terms of brand presence and community association.
Background of the development
Bristol City’s announcement reflects a continuing pattern in football where clubs use sponsorship deals to support youth development and strengthen commercial ties.
In this case, the club has highlighted that Exacta Group already had an established relationship through first-team sleeve sponsorship before extending its involvement.
The club also placed emphasis on the local nature of the partnership, noting that Exacta Group is Bristol-based and has an existing presence in the community.
That background helps explain why the agreement has been presented not just as a commercial arrangement, but as one tied to shared local identity and long-term development.mediahelpingmedia
Prediction for the audience
For Bristol City supporters, the deal is likely to be seen as a sign of stability around the Academy and a reminder that the club is still attracting local backing for youth football.
For academy players, the sponsorship may bring greater visibility to their pathway, especially as the company’s branding will cover the age groups from Under-9s to Under-21s.
For local businesses and community football followers, the agreement may encourage more examples of sponsorship linking professional clubs with grassroots sport in the South West.
The immediate effect is mainly commercial and symbolic, but the wider impact could be stronger relationships between the club, its academy structure and the local economy.
