IRTH Group named principal sponsor of Gulf United for 2026/27 season

Dubai-based property developer IRTH Group has been named principal sponsor and official front-of-shirt partner of Gulf United Football Club for the 2026/27 season, bringing together two UAE-based organizations with a focus on community engagement and youth development.

Under the partnership, IRTH’s branding will appear on the shirts of Gulf United’s first team, which competes in the UAE First Division, as well as its academy teams across multiple age groups.

The two organizations will also collaborate on digital content, community initiatives and activations during the season, with the partnership aimed at engaging players, families, supporters and the wider Dubai community.

Founded in Dubai in 2019 as a football academy, Gulf United has expanded into a wider football organisation with a professional first team and an academy structure covering multiple age groups.

The club progressed through the UAE football pyramid with consecutive promotions to reach the First Division while continuing to develop its player pathway from academy level to professional football.

The partnership comes as Gulf United begins a new chapter under former Spain and Barcelona midfielder Andrés Iniesta, who has taken charge as head coach and is beginning his coaching career with the club.

Iniesta won nine La Liga titles and four UEFA Champions League titles with Barcelona. With Spain, he won the European Championship in 2008 and 2012 and the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

His association with the UAE predates his coaching role. Iniesta played the final season of his professional career in the country and has made Dubai his home with his family.

Iniesta said the partnership reflected a shared commitment to the local community and creating opportunities for people in the UAE.

“We’re happy to partner with IRTH, a home-grown property developer with such a great reputation,” Iniesta said. “We share the same passion for engaging with the community and giving opportunities to those within it.”

IRTH Group CEO Osman Çeliker said the partnership was a natural fit because both organisations were founded in the UAE and placed people at the centre of their work.

“We are incredibly excited to begin this journey with Gulf United Football Club,” Çeliker said. “IRTH and Gulf United were both born in the UAE, both put people at the centre of what they do, and both represent a new generation of companies with the ambition to think differently, innovate and challenge convention.”

Gulf United President Ahmed El Saraf said the club was proud to welcome IRTH as its main sponsor and described the partnership as a collaboration between two organizations rooted in Dubai.

“This partnership with IRTH Group represents something special: two organizations born and rooted in Dubai, with a shared belief in the city’s potential and a commitment to contributing to its future,” El Saraf said.

Çeliker said the partnership would extend beyond conventional sponsorship, with the two organizations planning initiatives using football to bring people together and create opportunities within the community.

He also said his personal interest in football had contributed to the significance of the partnership, describing the sport as a means of teaching discipline, responsibility, resilience, teamwork and perseverance.

Gulf United enters the 2026/27 season with its first team competing in the UAE First Division and its academy continuing to field teams across numerous age groups and competitions in Dubai.

The partnership is expected to develop further during the season through joint content, community programs and activations involving the club’s players, families and supporters.