The Polish Football Association has lost its third corporate sponsor in recent months after mineral water producer Staropolanka allowed its annual two million PLN sponsorship contract to expire without agreeing extension terms by August 28.
The agreement between Staropolanka and the governing body expired on July 31. The partnership had been active since 2023, with the mineral water brand sponsoring Poland's men's and women's senior national teams alongside national youth squads.
According to Polish marketing portal sportmarketing.pl, the two parties failed to finalize a replacement deal. Polska Grupa Uzdrowisk, the health resort group that produces Staropolanka, stated that the brand presented a proposal to management to continue cooperation under modified terms. The producer confirmed that because no consensus was reached by August 28, joint activities have been paused.
Polska Grupa Uzdrowisk noted that its management board, which took office on January 26, considers the relationship with the football association to be a partnership based on mutual understanding. The company added that both organizations had taken steps in recent months to maximize the value of their existing agreement before it lapsed.
Wave of sponsor departures
Staropolanka is the third sponsor to exit its relationship with the federation recently. Logistics company InPost, which acted as a strategic sponsor generating between eight million and ten million PLN per year in revenue for the governing body, previously ended its involvement. Consumer electronics company TCL Polska also decided against extending its partnership contract.
The Polish Football Association, based in Warsaw, serves as the governing body for association football in Poland, overseeing the national team setup and domestic refereeing infrastructure. InPost is widely known across Europe for its automated parcel locker networks, while TCL Polska represents the Polish division of global consumer electronics manufacturer TCL.
Internal refereeing disputes
The sponsor departures come during a turbulent operational period for the national federation. Internal friction escalated following a letter submitted by Paweł Sokolnicki, a former assistant to veteran Polish match official Szymon Marciniak. Sokolnicki criticized the federation over alleged systemic neglect in referee training programs and operational shortcomings within the national Video Assistant Referee center.
Marciniak is widely regarded as Poland's top referee, having officiated high profile international fixtures including the 2022 FIFA World Cup final in Qatar. The Video Assistant Referee system relies on centralized video replay centers to assist on field officials during key match incidents.
New commercial partnerships
Addressing the broader commercial outlook, PZPN secretary general Łukasz Wachowski said the governing body has concluded discussions with companies planning new partnerships to support Polish football. Wachowski explained that formal announcements are scheduled individually with each partner to maximize public impact.
The federation recently confirmed a new sponsorship arrangement with financial advisory company Phinance. Wachowski stated in an official release that Phinance has operated in the commercial market for more than two decades, expressing confidence that the new collaboration would deliver shared success and positive results.
