Asian betting and gaming group Dafabet has moved to strengthen its presence in the English Premier League football competition by entering into a partnership with Sunderland.
Although the terms of the deal were not disclosed, it was confirmed that the partnership will begin in the 2015-16 season.
Under the agreement, Dafabet will become the team’s new principal partner and will benefit from branding placement on the front of players’ home and away jerseys. Dafabet will take over from international investment holding company Bidvest in this role.
John Cruces, head of sports marketing and sponsorship at Dafabet, said: “Hearing the plans and enthusiasm to bring what is a great club forward was key. Having been very proactive in the last few months increasing our presence in football we have maintained that being on the front of a Premier League club shirt was vital for our global presence.”
Dimitris Karatzas, managing director of online betting and gaming at Dafabet, added: “We are continuing to increase our presence in football for the 2015-16 season and partnering with Sunderland AFC is the latest step forward. What continues to be important to us is working with clubs with tradition and solid fan bases and Sunderland ticks both boxes equally.”
Dafabet is already active in the EPL commercial market through a number of existing partnerships, including a front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Aston Villa. Dafabet also recently extended a partnership with Everton through to the end of the 2017-18 season.