Reading Football Club (FC) is delighted to announce a new multiyear collaboration with Barracuda Networks, a leading cybersecurity company providing complete protection against complex threats for all sized businesses, as the club’s Official Cybersecurity Partner. The agreement runs through the end of the 2026/27 season, with Barracuda supporting the club with advanced and integrated protection for its digital and data operations.
Barracuda’s innovative, AI-enhanced solutions maximise protection and strengthen cyber resilience. Barracuda is headquartered out of California in the U.S. but proudly calls Reading its UK home, with offices on Kings Road.
As the club continues to invest in modernising its operations and enhancing the experience for supporters, players and staff, Barracuda will provide advanced cybersecurity solutions for email, network and data resilience to protect the club’s systems, data and digital services.
Through the collaboration, the Barracuda brand will be emblazoned on the sleeve of the men’s first team match kits, debuting on Saturday 28 February against Bradford City.
Tim Kilpatrick, Chief Revenue Officer at Reading FC, said:
We are thrilled to welcome Barracuda to the Reading FC family – a global brand that shares great pride in Reading as a town and community. Cybersecurity is critical to modern business and Reading FC is no different. Through this relationship with Barracuda, we will benefit from market leading protection while driving the club forward commercially. We’re delighted to have the Barracuda brand on our sleeves in what we’re sure will be a powerful partnership based on innovation and trust.
Paul Drake, Regional Vice President, Northern Europe at Barracuda, added:
“As a Reading-based company, we’re proud to be supporting Reading FC – both in its capacity as a community-focused club with a rich heritage and as an ambitious and innovative technology organisation. We look forward to supporting Reading’s evolving growth – including its expanding use of AI – with robust and multi-layered protection.”
Reading FC is the first English league football club to appoint a head of AI and place AI innovation at the heart of its data-driven strategy to boost first-team performance.
Stuart Fenton, Head of AI at Reading Football Club, said:
“Football is won and lost in the moments that matter, where split-second decisions can change everything. At Reading FC, data and AI are giving us deeper insights into performance, helping us make smarter choices on and off the pitch. As we push the boundaries of innovation, becoming true pioneers in artificial intelligence across world football, security must underpin bold innovation and progress. Partnering with Barracuda gives us the confidence to innovate boldly, knowing our infrastructure is robustly protected against today’s threats.”
