Global nutrition firm Herbalife has agreed a wide-ranging deal with sports and entertainment company AEG Worldwide to become the official shirt sponsor of Swedish football club Hammarby until 2016.
The Herbalife logo will appear on authentic and replica versions of the Hammarby home and away jersey under the terms of the three-and-a-half-year deal. Herbalife also becomes the club’s official global nutrition partner, and will have access to a range of branding opportunities via social media and at the team’s new stadium, the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm.
The deal will also strengthen Herbalife’s global football sponsorship portfolio, adding to its existing deal with US Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy. The firm will encourage links between the two teams, including an arrangement for Hammarby to train at LA Galaxy’s StubHub Center and for both teams to play one friendly at the stadium.
As part of the relationship between the two sides, a programme to share players has also been established – an initiative already underway with LA Galaxy having sent players to train in Sweden with a view to completing a loan or transfer deal.
AEG Worldwide has owned a 49 per cent share in the Hammarby since 2002 and also manages its stadium. Hammarby has been an Allsvenskan club for the majority of its existence but currently plays in the second-tier Superettan league.