KOREAN ELECTRONICS giant Samsung has announced a three year sponsorship agreement with beach soccer’s governing body, Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW).
Valued by Frontloaded at less than $1m per year, the deal will see Samsung title sponsor the inaugural Samsung Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup, which will take place on the Hotel Jumeirah Beach in Dubai later this month.
The deal will guarantee Samsung title sponsorship rights of the new tournament for the next three years, as well as the opportunity to participate in the growth of the sport in the Middle East, expanding the brand’s reach in the Gulf region having previously sponsored the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar.
Samsung’s first foray into beach soccer is small scale in comparison to its other sports sponsorship commitments. But with extensive football experience, most notably as current principal partner to Chelsea FC in the English Premier League (£10m per year), and previously to SC Corinthians in Brazil ($5m per year), BSWW will be looking to take full advantage of Samsung’s activation and fan engagement know-how.
Samsung’s most high-profile sponsorship agreement of course, is as a Worldwide Partner to the Olympic Games, the current agreement running from 2007 to 2015 and valued at $80m.