Everton Announces Landmark Training Kit Deal with Christopher Ward

Everton have tightened their ties with Christopher Ward, naming the British watchmaker as the club’s first-ever official training kit partner in a multi-year deal that pushes the brand from the periphery of matchdays into the heart of the training ground.

What began as a timing partnership has steadily grown into one of the club’s flagship commercial relationships. Christopher Ward first appeared as Everton’s official global timing partner, then on the shirt sleeve, then as a founding partner of Hill Dickinson Stadium. It has backed Everton Women and Everton in the Community. Now it moves into the space where players actually put the work in.

From the 2026/27 season, Christopher Ward branding will be stitched into the daily routine at Finch Farm, appearing on the men’s and women’s first-team training wear. The exposure will not be limited to the training pitch. The deal guarantees prominent visibility across Everton’s digital and matchday platforms, including LED boards, media backdrops and in-stadium branding at both Hill Dickinson Stadium and Goodison Park.

The partnership steps up again in 2027/28. At that point, the watchmaker’s logo will spread across the club’s pathway, featuring on training kit for the Under-21s, Under-18s and Academy sides, while remaining on men’s and women’s first-team gear. Supporters will also see the brand on all first-team replica training items on sale, pulling the commercial tie-in directly into the retail space.

This is not a relationship built solely on logos and backdrop boards. Last season, Everton and Christopher Ward opened 53° North at Hill Dickinson Stadium, billed as the world’s first premium watch showroom inside a sporting venue. The club see it as a physical expression of the partnership – a place where fans can get close to the craft and precision of mechanical watchmaking, set against the backdrop of their new home.

Andrew Middleton, Everton’s president of business operations, framed the latest move as a natural but significant escalation.

“Christopher Ward has been a bold, innovative and committed partner to Everton, and we are delighted to see that relationship continue to grow through this landmark agreement,” he said.

“Becoming our first-ever official training kit partner is a significant step. It not only reflects the strength of the partnership, but places Christopher Ward directly within the environment where our teams prepare, develop and strive for excellence every day, while also providing valuable global exposure through training and matchday activity.

“From their role as a Founding Partner of Hill Dickinson Stadium, to the creation of 53° North and their support for Everton Women and Everton in the Community, Christopher Ward has consistently shown a genuine understanding of this club, our supporters and our ambitions for the future.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with Mike France and the Christopher Ward team as we build on this partnership and explore new opportunities together during this exciting next chapter for the club.”

On the Christopher Ward side, the message is about detail and alignment. CEO and co-founder Mike France drew a straight line between marginal gains on the training pitch and the precision of watchmaking.

“We believe that excellence is built on the smallest details – whether in the precision of a mechanical watch or the marginal gains that define elite football.

“Becoming Everton’s first-ever training kit partner feels like a natural next step in our journey together. It builds on our presence both on and off matchday by embedding us even further into the club – in the daily environment where performance is really shaped, behind the scenes on the training ground.

“That’s something we recognise deeply in watchmaking: the discipline, precision and constant refinement that sits beneath the surface. There’s a genuine alignment between our worlds, built on timing and a relentless drive to improve.”

The watchmaker has already tapped into Everton’s history to give the partnership a tangible edge. Three exclusive Everton-inspired timepieces have been released: The Dixie Dean, a 60-piece limited edition paying tribute to one of the game’s most prolific goalscorers; The Goodison, with a caseback fashioned from the stadium’s iconic 1930s turnstiles; and The Goodison 3.1, marking the famous 3-1 victory over Bayern Munich in the 1985 European Cup-Winners’ Cup semi-final second leg.

Inside the club, the new agreement is being held up as another marker of commercial momentum. Everton’s statement positioned the deal alongside the recent confirmation of CMC Markets as the new main partner on the front of the shirts and Stake as the official sleeve partner.

“Together, the agreements reflect the increasing strength of Everton’s partnership proposition and the opportunities created by the club’s new stadium era at Hill Dickinson Stadium, alongside the continued growth of Everton Women at Goodison Park,” the club said.

Everton’s rebuild off the pitch has often been as scrutinised as their performances on it. With Hill Dickinson Stadium on the horizon and a suite of blue-chip partners now embedded from boardroom to dressing room, the question is no longer whether the commercial structure is taking shape – but how far this new era can push the club once the football has to match the ambition.