EPL to drop title sponsor from 2016-17 season

London: The English Premier League has confirmed that it will be sponsorless from the 2016-17 season.

The new sponsorship strategy means to present a 'clean' brand image which learned from major American sports leagues like the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Football League (NFL). But the 'sponsor-free' model will not have an impact on the Premier League clubs' right to seek their own commercial sponsorship, reports Xinhua.

"Barclays has been an excellent partner for the League throughout their sponsorship of the competition and we look forward to working with them in 2015/16, the final season of their title sponsorship," said a Premier League spokesman on Friday.

The Premier League has been sponsored by British banking company Barclays, who paid $57 million for a three-year sponsorship deal in 2004 and subsequent extensions saw the value rise to the $120 million paid for the existing three-year sponsorship in 2012.

The league, which did not have a title sponsor in its inaugural season of 1992-93, will simply be called the Premier League from next year.