French multinational chemicals group Arkema has signed as the first naming rights partner of Division 1 Féminine, France’s top-flight women’s football league.
The deal was signed with the French Football Federation (FFF) and will run for three years, covering the 2019-20 to 2021-22 seasons.
It will see the league rebranded as the D1 Arkema.
The naming rights partnership is Arkema’s second major investment in women’s football in France.
Arkema is already a National Supporter of the 2019 Fifa Women’s World Cup, taking place in France this summer.
The deal will expand Arkema’s investment in the promotion and development of women’s football in France, from the grassroots level to the professional.
Arkema was created in 2004 after a restructuring of French oil and gas giant Total.
Total’s chemicals business was separated from its oil and gas operations to create Arkema.
Arkema floated on the Paris Stock Exchange in 2006, and in 2018, it posted an annual revenue of €8.8bn ($10bn).
It has over 20,000 employees in over 55 countries, 136 production plants worldwide, and is divided into three business segments: coating solutions, industrial chemicals, and performance products.