Shirt advertising is everywhere in professional football nowadays, but for more than five decades, the hoop stood alone at VfB Stuttgart. Plain and free from any labels, it characterised the shirt as the unmistakeable symbol of the club, with only the badge for company. According to the rules, advertising on the chest was not allowed.
Then in the 1970s, the world of football began to change. Eintracht Braunschweig made history as the first Bundesliga club to have a sponsor on their shirt in 1973. However, VfB initially stuck with just the hoop.
Relegation forces rethink
A change of approach was needed in 1975 as relegation from the Bundesliga posed financial challenges for the Cannstatt club. Eventually, in the 1976/77 season, VfB broke new ground: with textile entrepreneur Werner Nestle, owner of Frottesana and a self-proclaimed VfB fan, the hoop had company for the first time.
The ‘Every Jersey Tells a Story’ exhibition, which is currently on at the Schauspiel Stuttgart until 10 May 2026 in partnership with current main sponsor LBBW, dedicates a section to the theme of sponsors. Two display cabinets present the history of shirt sponsors at VfB.
A surprising start
The new shirt sponsor, Frottesana, had an unusual debut. For the first match of the season, the hoop was completely absent from the jersey, with only the name of the company adorning the chests of the players. It was a sight that shocked spectators and fans – but the following week, the hoop returned with the club badge and Frottesana logo.
The new combination proved to be a hit: a 2-0 win over FSV Frankfurt on that day marked the start of an impressive run, which culminated in the Bundesliga 2 South title and an immediate return to the top flight. Frottesana continued to sponsor the VfB jersey until 1979.
For 49 years now, the hoop, badge and sponsor’s logo have stood side by side on the jersey. In that time, a total of 11 different companies have supported the club as shirt sponsor, eight of them with roots in Baden-Württemberg.
From breweries and dairies to energy providers, telecommunications companies and financial services providers, the logos on the shirt have always been a symbol of their time, accompanying both on-field highlights as well as periods of change. Bundesliga titles, cup wins and European successes have been celebrated in these jerseys.
A new chapter for the hoop
Since 1 July 2025, LBBW has been part of the rich, now 100-year history of the famous hoop. It’s a strong signal from VfB and its new main sponsor in support of the region, and a long-term partnership that unites people both on and off the field.
LBBW enjoyed a successful debut as shirt sponsor on 24 May 2025, when VfB won the DFB Cup sporting its logo. The current campaign is also going well.
The jersey’s history shows that the hoop is not only the hallmark of the Cannstatt club, but also a platform - for partnerships, for trust, and for a success story that has been going strong for almost five decades.
