Audi sets Chelsea on the road to Champions League glory
21 May 2012
Chelsea received a commercial boost ahead of its UEFA Champions League triumph on Saturday after agreeing a three-year sponsorship deal with Audi.
The deal, announced on Friday, sees the German automotive giant become the Barclays Premier League club’s new global official car partner. Audi branding will also feature on the Stamford Bridge LED boards at Chelsea’s home matches, with racing-style Audi seats to be incorporated into the dugouts. Audi further enhances Chelsea’s global sponsorship portfolio, headed by premium partners Adidas and Samsung, and most recently complemented by the Sauber Formula One team, with whom the club partnered at the beginning of the month.
“It is exciting for Chelsea Football Club to sign this deal with a premium company, renowned for its excellent track record in elite performance and manufacturing,” said Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay. “Audi is a phenomenal global partner for us as one of the world’s most successful car brands, and we look forward to working closely with them.”
Chelsea on Saturday sealed its first Champions League triumph by defeating Bayern Munchen 4-3 on penalties in the 1.Bundesliga club’s home stadium, the Allianz Arena. Audi’s agreement with Chelsea ensured it had a firm interest in both camps ahead of the game. Audi owns a 9.1% stake in Bayern, along with being a major sponsor of the club. Audi UK director, Martin Sander, added: “Chelsea offers us the broadest scope for future opportunities, and our brands are very closely aligned in terms of innovation and progressiveness, or ‘Vorsprung durch Technik’ as we call it. Their focus on high performance and sports science, where we are looking to share knowledge and best practice between their top performers and Audi elite racing drivers, demonstrates how perfectly Chelsea’s forward-looking philosophy matches ours.”
