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December deadline for Europa, Conference League sponsorships as two offers accepted
Uefa and its Team Marketing agency have issued an extension to the deadline for companies to express interest in sponsorship packages for the Uefa Europa League and new Europa Conference League…
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December deadline for Europa, Conference League sponsorships as two offers accepted
Matthew WilliamsUefa and its Team Marketing agency have issued an extension to the deadline for companies to express interest in sponsorship packages for the Uefa Europa League and new Europa Conference League tournaments for the 2021-24 cycle.
In August, a deadline of September 2 was set for brands to express interest in the rights, but a new date of December 2 has now been issued.
Rights to the Europa League and the new third-tier Europa Conference League are being sold together, with Uefa and Team having begun the process for the next cycle in September last year.
Heineken has already secured its package for the events, whilst two other sponsors have had their offers accepted, Uefa has revealed.
Uefa said that it has received two more offers from parties interested in the remaining Europa League and Conference League sponsorship packages.
The main Europa League sponsors during the current cycle are Heineken 0.0%, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, FedEx, Hankook and Kia, along with ball supplier Molten.
Heineken’s agreement for the ongoing 2018-21 cycle is ongoing and bundles together both Champions League and Europa League rights. Its total value is thought to be between €110m ($131m) and €115m per season, with the Europa League element worth approximately €10m of this.
In August, the company switched the focus of its Europa League deal from its Amstel brand to the non-alcoholic Heineken 0.0% product for the remainder of the current cycle.
In March, prior to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the sports industry taking hold, it emerged that Uefa and Team had accepted offers for seven of the eight global sponsorship packages available for the top-tier Champions League. The proposed deals were at varying stages of either being agreed in principle or contracted.
Oppo, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer, is understood to have been one of the companies to have had its offer accepted for a Champions League package. US-based shipping giant FedEx was also expected to step up from its current role as a Europa League sponsor to become one of the eight Champions League sponsors.
Along with Heineken, there are global Champions League sponsorship deals in place for the current cycle (2018-19 to 2020-21) with Expedia (Hotels.com), Gazprom, Mastercard, Nissan, Pepsi, PlayStation and Santander. Adidas it the official ball supplier to the elite clubs competition.
Commercial rights revenues generated by the Uefa club competitions – from sponsorship, licensing and merchandising rights – generated a total of €1.38bn between 2018-19 and 2020-21, or an average of just over €458m per season. Media rights revenue totalled €8.27bn across the three seasons, equal to an average of €2.75bn per season. The gross figures exclude any rebates that are being paid as a result of Covid-19.