Opel drives back to football through Bundesliga club deals
03 Jul 2012
German automotive company Opel has returned to the 1.Bundesliga sponsorship market after a decade away by agreeing partnerships with four top flight clubs.
The General Motors subsidiary has signed up to become a premium partner of Fortuna Düsseldorf, SC Freiburg, Bayer 04 Leverkusen and 1 FSV Mainz 05. “For us this is the first step in a long-term strategy,” said Opel CEO Karl-Friedrich Stracke. “Numerous other football activities will follow and Opel is looking forward to the partnership.” He continued: “The national sport of football matches the Opel brand, which is positioned in the centre of society and makes futuristic design and innovative technologies accessible for broad segments of the population.”
Up until 2002, Opel had a major presence in the European sports and football sponsorship market. In the 1990s the company was a FIFA and UEFA sponsor and partner of clubs such as Bayern Munchen, AC Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, IFK Gothenburg and the Dutch national team. Opel then decided to focus its efforts on other sports, but has said its return to football is part of a long-term vision.
Opel’s chief strategic officer, Dr. Thomas Sedran, added: “We want to build on our successful time in football sponsorship. The long-term cooperation is part of our strategy to strengthen the brand. Football is a good platform for communication with our customers. Together we want to share emotions. This is just the beginning of a comprehensive and cooperative engagement. Our cooperation is based on many individual components that go far beyond an ordinary package.”
