English Premier League football club Sunderland has strengthened its established links with Africa by making the Tanzania Tourism Board its official tourism partner and extending its partnership with South African Airways into the 2014-15 season.
Tanzania hopes to use the global reach of the Premier League to promote itself as a tourist destination through its partnership with Sunderland.
Sunderland already has a presence in Tanzania through providing technical and practical support to the development of the country’s maiden football academy project, providing football and education opportunities for thousands of youngsters.
Meanwhile, South African Airways will remain as Sunderland’s official airline partner for a further season, having initially teamed up a year ago. Like the agreement with the Tanzania Tourism Board, financial terms were not disclosed.
Sunderland commercial director Gary Hutchinson said: “We are increasing our international activity and presence across Africa and beyond and this partnership provides the perfect platform for us to build on that.”
In January 2012, Sunderland partnered with Invest in Africa – a not-for-profit initiative to promote Africa as investment destination – and for the 2013-14 season it made the BFS Group Limited its new principal partner, with South Africa-based international investment holding company Bidvest taking the team’s front-of-shirt branding space. Sunderland is also the first football club in the world to form a partnership with the Nelson Mandela Foundation.