Coke Renews Football League Deal

Coca-Cola has renewed its highly successful title sponsorship of the Football
League for a further three years taking the association through to the end of
the 2009/10 season.

Coca-Cola, which took up the League’s title sponsorship in 2004, has stated
that the extension of the sponsorship is a significant rise on the previous
agreement in terms of income although no exact financial figures were disclosed.

It is believed that the existing sponsorship contract is worth around £5m a
year to the Football League with the new arrangment likely to represent an
annual increase of around a further £1m.

When Coca-Cola took over the Football League title sponsorship from previous
sponsor Nationwide, its rebranding of what is now known as the Coca-Cola
Championship has been one of a number of high-profile marketing initiatives that
significantly raised the profile of the second-tier domestic football
competition.

League chairman Lord Brian Mawhinney said: ‘The previous sponsorship deal
with Coca-Cola was the largest with which the League has been involved. This has
now been eclipsed by the new sponsorship deal.

‘It is hard to convey how important this new contract is for the Football
League. It is a win-win situation. We are making good progress.’

Coca-Cola will use the Football League sponsorship not only to promote its
core brand but also its Powerade and Coke Zero products.