Football club Manchester City has renewed its long-term partnership with Acronis to support data protection and backup across the club’s IT environments in the United Kingdom, according to statements from both organizations.
Acronis, a cyber protection company, said Manchester City will continue using Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud under the renewed agreement. The company describes Cyber Protect Cloud as an integrated platform that combines cybersecurity, data protection, and endpoint management through a single management console.
A partnership that started in 2018
Manchester City and Acronis first announced their partnership in November 2018, it claimed Acronis as the club’s Official Data Backup and Storage Partner under a global, multi-year agreement.
In its 2026 renewal statement, Acronis said the partnership has focused on keeping backup operations manageable as data volumes rise, including protection for data across physical, virtual, and application environments.
Jeremy Way, vice president of partnerships at City Football Group, said the club’s data needs have continued to grow during the partnership and that the renewal reflects the value it places on the relationship.
What the renewal does and does not say
Acronis continues as Manchester City’s backup and protection partner for UK operations, with Cyber Protect Cloud remaining the core platform.
According to Acronis’ technical specifications, the platform integrates AI-based ransomware protection, disaster recovery, and vulnerability management into a single management agent. The partners stated this integration is intended to keep backup operations manageable across physical and virtual environments as the club’s data volumes rise.
An Acronis-published case study says Manchester City adopted Cyber Protect Cloud in 2018 to supplement existing backup provisions and describes outcomes such as easier-to-manage unified backup and the ability to scale without adding IT resources.
It also includes a quote attributed to City Football Group CTO Greg Swimer describing Acronis as well aligned to the club’s technology direction.
Why data protection is now core infrastructure for elite clubs
Swimer stated that the partnership addresses the ‘ever-increasing amount of data’ generated by the club, which includes player performance analysis on the pitch and business operations off it.
Manchester City’s structure adds another layer. The club operates within City Football Group, which says it owns and operates multiple clubs worldwide, increasing the number of systems, partners, and operational contexts where data resilience can matter.