TYRE AND RUBBER company Goodyear has agreed a deal to sponsor Italian Serie A club Juventus for the remainder of the 2011/12 season.
The agreement, which will see Goodyear enter the third tier of the club’s sponsorship hierarchy, is valued by Frontloaded at between €0.5m and €1m.
Although a low-key sponsorship agreement in terms of value and status, the short-term partnership breaks new ground on two fronts: it is the first time Goodyear has sponsored a football property anywhere in the world and the first time Juventus has partnered with a tyre company.
It is to some extent a bold move by the Ohio-based firm, which has previously centred its sponsorship strategy on NASCAR in the US, with two competitor tyre brands already well established in the European football market.
German tyre manufacturer Continental is a previous Champions League sponsor, now focusing its efforts on the UEFA European Championships having renewed its commitment to the tournament from the 2008 edition through Euro 2012 and the 2016 Championships, in a deal valued at around €2m per year.
Competing more directly in Italy with Goodyear will be Pirelli, the long-term principal partner of Inter Milan since 1995. However, with Juventus yet to lose a league match this season and sitting pretty at the top of Serie A, Goodyear has picked a high-performing property to kickstart its football ambitions.
As an interesting footnote, Juventus is owned by Exor, the Italian holding company of the Agnelli family, which also owns Fiat – the global automotive brand which has manufacturing agreements with Bridgestone and Continental tyres.