FA Cup Gets First Title Sponsor
The FA Cup has secured a three-year deal with Emirates Airline, rebranding to The Emirates FA Cup from next season.
The contract, which will run until 2018, will see Emirates become the first title sponsor of football’s oldest knockout competition.
The FA has been seeking a new sponsor for the tournament since Budweiser’s three-year association with the tournament ended 12 months ago.
Reportedly worth at least £30m, the sponsorship will form part of the Dubai-based airline’s wider portfolio of partners which includes Arsenal’s stadium and shirts and agreements with AC Milan, Real Madrid, Olympiakos, Hamburg, Benfica and Paris St-Germain.
FA chairman, Gregg Dyke, commented: “Emirates’ commitment to our sport is evident and securing such an iconic and forward-thinking lead partner for the FA Cup is great news for us, the fans and for the whole game.
“The partnership will help take the tournament to new audiences, inspire interest in football from across the globe and allow us to continue our investment into the game at all levels.”
Sir Tim Clark, president, Emirates, added: “Football is a truly global sport, a unifying factor in many communities and nations across the world.
“Never is this more evident than with the FA Cup, which has an unrivalled heritage and draws a global audience of more than 1.1billion people.
The spirit of the competition, fair play and sparking the passions of a global audience are all values we share at Emirates.
“That is why we are proud to be the first title sponsor of the tournament and we look forward to a long-term partnership to support and connect fans to their teams both here in the UK and across the world.”
Next season’s competition begins on 15th August with the extra preliminary rounds. The final will take place on 21st May 2016.
Image: ©Getty Images
