Wednesday, September 09, 2009

Carlsberg Sign Four-Year Extension To English Soccer Sponsorship

Carlsberg, long-term sponsors of English soccer giants Liverpool and a number of other Premier League clubs, have extended their sponsorship of the Football Association, the governing body of English soccer, for the next four years.

While serious doubts remain about Carlsberg's future at Liverpool, the company has signed an extension to the partnership that sees it the official beer of both the England team and the FA Cup and the lucrative position as exclusive beer pouring partner at Wembley, the national stadium. Carlsberg will also be title sponsor of the FA's Referees Programme.

"This is great news for Carlsberg UK, our customers, consumers and our employees," said Gareth Roberts, Carlsberg UK's director of sponsorship & media relations. "This clearly states our continued commitment to delivering unique and exclusive activity that supports the trade in challenging times. Carlsberg's reputation in sponsorship continues to go from strength to strength and with this new agreement in place, its established involvement with the Uefa European Championships and a number of high-profile Premier League clubs, Carlsberg can clearly boast a portfolio second to none."

The new deal will start in August 2010, at the end of the current four-year contract. it will take in the Euro 2012 and 2014 Fifa World Cup tournaments.

Jonathan Hill, the FA's outgoing commercial director, commented: "As reflected by their innovative advertising campaigns, Carlsberg are arguably the most pro-active and creative of beer brands. It's great that we will be able to continue to bring their energy to our top assets namely England, the FA Cup and Wembley Stadium – and now the key area of recruiting and retaining referees, to the benefit of the amateur game in particular."

Financial details behind the extension were not disclosed, but it is thought to be in line with previous contracts and worth around US$14 million per year.

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