Italian Serie A football club Udinese has sold the naming rights for its home stadium, Stadio Friuli, to the Dacia brand of French automotive manufacturer Renault.
The 25,000-capacity stadium has been undergoing redevelopment and will now take on the unofficial title of the Dacia Arena Friuli. It marks the first time an automotive company has sponsored an Italian football ground.
Udinese owner Gianpaolo Pozzo said, according to the Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper: “I’ll be happy to celebrate the birth of the new stadium with Dacia management, who once again wanted to be on our side with this prestigious sponsorship project.”
Romanian marque Dacia has been Udinese’s main sponsor since 2009 and its branding is prominent on the club’s playing jerseys.
Terms of the stadium deal were not disclosed, but it is set to be formally unveiled in the coming weeks.