Italian Serie A football club Inter Milan has entered into a partnership with global payment services provider Mastercard.
The two-year deal covers the 2018-19 to 2019-20 seasons, with Mastercard to work with Inter to revolutionise the stadium experience at the club’s San Siro home ground.
During Inter’s home matches in Serie A and the Coppa Italia, fans will be given access to exclusive Mastercard services, with supporters to be able to buy tickets and gain access to the stadium using their smartphones. Cashless sales points will also be set up on match days.
Young supporters will also be given the chance to be Inter mascots, with all fans to be offered special travel packages for away matches. Meet-and-greet sessions at training sessions and before matches will also be set up, while Mastercard and Inter will offer stadium tours as part of the agreement.
Inter will return to Europe’s top-tier club competition, the Uefa Champions League, next season after finishing the 2017-18 campaign fourth in Serie A.
“Social initiatives and commercial partnerships have become increasingly relevant in terms of the daily running of our club,” Inter chief executive Alessandro Antonello said.
“Therefore, we are extremely pleased to link up Mastercard, a prestigious partner who have strong links to both solidarity and football. We are proud to be the first football club to sign such an agreement with Mastercard. We are also now happy to announce that we’ve qualified for the next edition of the Uefa Champions League, which is a historic partner of Mastercard.”