Deportivo Municipal won four Peruvian league titles in 1938, 1940, 1943 and 1950. Over the years, though, the traditional club slipped into the shadow of local heavyweights Universitario de Deportes, Alianza and Sporting Cristal. Relegation from the Primera Division in 2023 was followed by a سقوط into the third tier.
That drop left Deportivo Municipal in serious financial trouble. TV money dried up and big sponsors were nowhere to be found. So the club's marketing department came up with an idea and, out of necessity, produced a very unusual shirt. Instead of chasing a main sponsor, Deportivo Municipal sold 1,000 mini advertising spaces.
For 200 soles, a little more than 50 euros, fans and small businesses could put themselves on the shirt. Local reports say all 1,000 spaces sold out in just three months.
"This shirt symbolises the bond of 1,000 entrepreneurs"
Now the club have officially unveiled the new shirt. The 1,000 partners appear right across it in countless black and white boxes.
Running through the middle is the traditional red diagonal sash, similar to the one on Peru's national team shirts. "This shirt symbolises the bond of 1,000 entrepreneurs," said commercial director Jorge Fernandez Iraola.
Beyond the financial boost, the campaign also brought Deportivo Municipal headlines around the world. "Many thanks to all media outlets, platforms and people who shared this story and made the shirt of the 1,000 sponsors known beyond our borders," wrote Deportivo Municipal on Instagram. "This is only the beginning."