The French Volleyball Federation (FFVolley) has signed a late shirt sponsorship deal with online betting company Betclic, as the men’s national team prepares to commence its EuroVolley 2019 campaign on home soil.
The deal, brokered by the Oconnection agency, will grant Betclic front of shirt branding rights. The contract will initially run through to the end of the year.
France is one of the four co-hosts of EuroVolley 2019, and the Betclic agreement was signed on Wednesday evening as the national team prepares to commence its campaign tonight against Romania in Montpellier.
FFVolley’s failure to secure a sponsor had been criticised, with national team star Earvin Ngapeth having voiced his displeasure over the matter. French newspaper Le Parisien said FFVolley had received special dispensation from the European Volleyball Confederation (CEV) to confirm its shirt design after a deadline of Tuesday afternoon.
“We won the sprint in the last metre with the friendly and exceptional agreement of the CEV,” Arnaud Dagorne, director general of FFVolley, said. “The deal with Betclic is about the Euro and runs from September to December. But the will is to extend over time. We are relieved and happy that such a brand is associated with volleyball.”
EuroVolley 2019 is being staged in France (Montpellier, Nantes and Paris); Belgium (Brussels and Antwerp); Slovenia (Ljubljana) and the Netherlands (Amsterdam, Apeldoorn and Rotterdam).