Uefa Opens Next Sponsorship Sales Process
UEFA has launched the tender process for sponsorship rights to the Champions League, UEFA Cup and Super Cup for the next three year cycle including a number of modifications to the sales process.
The contracts available, which will run between 2009 and 2012, maintain the bulk of the existing framework of UEFA’s commercial partnership programme but include a few additions for each of the competitions.
For the Champions League, the centralised marketing approach now includes the third qualifying round while the UEFA Super Cup will be included in the UEFA Champions League rights package for the first time.
The Champions League will continue to have six primary sponsors which at present are Vodafone, Ford, Sony, Heineken, MasterCard, and Sony Playstation.
For the UEFA Cup, there will be a full centralisation of media rights sales from the group stage for the first time with full sponsorship centralisation (similar to the UEFA Champions League) from the knockout stage and presenting sponsorship rights for the group stage.
For the 2009-12 contract period, UEFA is looking for one presenting sponsor and one ball supplier for the UEFA Cup.
The governing body is also looking for a centralised official matchball supplier for all 205 matches from the properties that it owns.
The sales process will be conducted by TEAM Marketing AG, the exclusive marketing partner of UEFA for the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup.
The Official Ball of the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the UEFA Cup will be the first category that will be launched via an invitation to submit an offer tender process.
The media rights for the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Cup will be sold by TEAM Marketing AG on a market by market basis with a staggered process.
