Football Media

Carlsberg becomes the fifth UEFA EURO 2012 global partner

UEFA and Carlsberg announced an extension of their long term sponsorship agreement for UEFA’s flagship national team competition, a relationship which began in 1988 at the UEFA European Championship in the former West Germany.

Carlsberg therefore becomes the fifth global partner for UEFA EURO 2012 following on from the previous announcement of the adidas, Castrol, Coca-Cola and Hyundai-Kia agreements.

As part of this sponsorship agreement, Carlsberg will benefit from  exclusive marketing rights for alcoholic beverages within official premises of the competitions. Carlsberg will also continue to offer European football fans sole and exclusive programmes such as the opportunity to present the “Carlsberg Man of the Match Awards”.

In addition to the partnership of UEFA EURO 2012 Carlsberg will also benefit from global marketing rights for the UEFA European Under-21 Championship 2011 to be held in Denmark.

”With EURO 2012 we cement our many years of  loyalty to and enthusiasm for premium European football,” said Jørgen Buhl Rasmussen, CEO of Carlsberg Group. “EURO 2012 is not only a milestone for Carlsberg, being an official sponsor for almost a quarter of a century, but excitingly it is also the first ever UEFA EURO to be hosted in Eastern Europe.”

“The interest and tradition for football in the host countries, with a total of over 80 million inhabitants, is enormous and therefore we are thrilled to be part of this exciting tournament, We are creating history together with UEFA and all our employees in Poland and Ukraine,” he added.

Commenting on the signing, David Taylor, CEO of UEFA Events SA, said:

“The UEFA European Championship has benefitted from the partnership with Carlsberg for more than two decades, and we are proud to extend this relationship with such a recognised and dedicated brand.

“The imagery behind the UEFA EURO 2012 logo represents a plant that grows and grows – the same goes for the relationship between Carlsberg and UEFA European Championship.”

Hyundai-Kia becomes EUROTOP partner

UEFA has announced at a signing ceremony in Seoul, South Korea, an agreement with Hyundai Motor Company to appoint Hyundai-Kia as the official automotive partner for both UEFA EURO 2012™ and UEFA EURO 2016™.

This agreement means that Hyundai-Kia will become the exclusive supplier of official vehicles for the next two final tournaments of UEFA’s flagship national team competition.

In addition to the two above-mentioned EUROs, as a member of the UEFA EUROTOP commercial programme, Hyundai-Kia will also be the official automotive  partner for all UEFA EUROTOP competitions until 2017 including; the UEFA European Under-21 Championship (editions 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017), the UEFA Women’s European Football Championship (editions 2013 & 2017) and the UEFA European Futsal Championship (editions 2012, 2014 and 2016).

As part of its sponsorship agreement, which includes integrated broadcast sponsorship rights in Europe, Hyundai-Kia will activate various marketing and promotional campaigns.

Hyundai Motor Company has already been a long-standing partner of UEFA since UEFA EURO 2000™ in Belgium/Netherlands and delivered the fleet of vehicles that were used both at UEFA EURO 2004™ and UEFA EURO 2008™, ensuring the safe and  comfortable transportation of players, officials, and guests to and around the various venues.

Commenting on the signing, David Taylor, CEO of UEFA Events SA, said:
“We are delighted to once again have Hyundai-Kia involved as the official automotive partner for the next two editions of the UEFA European Football Championships, including the forthcoming UEFA EURO 2012 in Poland/Ukraine.
“We look forward to taking an already successful partnership, which dates back to UEFA EURO 2000, to new levels.”

At the ceremony, Mong-Koo Chung, Chairman of Hyundai Motor Company, said:
“Hyundai’s partnership with UEFA  over the past ten years, which includes Kia since UEFA EURO 2008, has provided Hyundai-Kia with the perfect platform for connecting with our European customers to raise both Hyundai’s and Kia’s profiles in Europe, the home of football. We’re delighted to be extending our partnership to work and grow together with UEFA and reach our common marketing objectives.”

Coca-Cola becomes the third UEFA EURO 2012™ global partner

UEFA and Coca-Cola announced an extension of their long term sponsorship agreement during a special ceremony at the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, the very same location where the draw for the qualifying competition of UEFA EURO 2012™ was held on last 7 February.

UEFA and Coca-Cola officially signed the agreement which will cover all competitions listed under the UEFA EUROTOP programme until 2017.

Coca-Cola therefore becomes the third global partner for UEFA’s flagship national team competition following on from the previous announcement of the adidas and Castrol agreements.

As part of its sponsorship agreement, which includes integrated broadcast sponsorship rights in Europe, Coca-Cola will continue to offer football fans sole and exclusive programmes such as “flag bearers” and “ultimate access”. In addition, Coca-Cola will benefit from exclusive marketing rights for non-alcoholic beverages in official premises of the competitions.

“Our long partnership with UEFA has proven to be very successful and we are proud to officially announce its renewal.” said Dirk Veryser, Business Unit President Coca-Cola Northern Central Europe.

“I’m happy that for the first time in history an event like UEFA EURO 2012™ will be organised in this part of the world. The event offers Coca-Cola a unique opportunity to refresh and share the joy of football with millions of fans as well as strengthen our position on the non-alcoholic beverage market in Poland and Ukraine.” he added.

Commenting on the announcement, David Taylor, CEO of UEFA Events S.A., said:

“The commitment of Coca-Cola to sponsor  UEFA EURO 2012™ and all our EUROTOP competitions is a further vote of confidence in the tournaments we organise and we are delighted to continue our long-standing relationship with Coca-Cola.”

UEFA Events SA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of UEFA and has been created to manage and handle UEFA’s commercial and event operations.

In addition to UEFA EURO 2012™ and UEFA  EURO 2016™, the UEFA EUROTOP programme includes other national team competitions, such as the UEFA European Under-21 Championship (2011, 2013, 2015 & 2017), the UEFA European Women’s Championship 2013 and 2017, and the UEFA Futsal Championships 2012, 2014 and 2016.

Further global sponsorship agreements are expected to be made imminently.

ARD and ZDF appointed Official Broadcasters of UEFA EURO 2012™

UEFA announced an agreement with ARD and ZDF for the broadcasting rights of UEFA EURO 2012™ in Germany.

The two public broadcasters have been long-term partners of UEFA for national team competitions in Germany and had a very successful coverage of UEFA EURO 2008™ in terms of audience figures.

The deal will ensure extensive free-to-air coverage with 27 matches live via channels Das Erste and ZDF. Dedicated magazines and highlights programmes will complement the offering on both broadcasters. In addition, coverage of the competition will also be made available via internet, mobile and radio.

The right to licence the four overlapping matches to other Free-TV channels and all Pay-TV rights remains with UEFA.

Commenting on the agreement, David Taylor, CEO of UEFA Events S.A. said:

“UEFA is delighted to renew this agreement with ARD and ZDF, two long-standing and experienced partners in broadcasting major sports events.

“Having established a very good relationship with both broadcasters, UEFA is looking forward to providing a unique viewing experience to football fans in Germany by offering an extensive coverage of UEFA EURO 2012TM.”