WESTERN UNION, the global payment services brand, has signed a three-year agreement to become the Presenting Sponsor of the UEFA Europa League for the period 2012-2015.
The partnership takes immediate effect and runs through to the UEFA Europa League Final in 2015 and also includes the UEFA Futsal Cup finals 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Western Union replaces the Spanish Car manufacturer Seat, which took on the Presenting Sponsor role from 2010 to 2012.
Commenting on the deal, Marc Audrit, vice president Global Brand at Western Union, said: “Western Union’s partnership with UEFA is a fantastic opportunity to communicate our brand on a global scale.
“Awareness of the UEFA Europa League is totally global, with 92% of football fans internationally knowing of the competition, in places such as Mexico, Nigeria and Hong Kong. Over 1,400 players representing 113 countries were involved in last year’s competition.”
Launched in season 2009/2010, the UEFA Europa League contributed €196.2m to UEFA’s central revenues (before distribution) in its first season, compared to €50.5m in 2008/09 for the last year of the UEFA Cup.
But the second-tier tournament has worked primarily as a broadcast play.
Commercial rights revenue in 2010/11, for example, was just €12.9m relative to broadcast income of €197.1m.
In contrast, UEFA Champions League commercials rights are more closely matched with broadcast values – UEFA Champions League commercial rights revenues in 2010/11 were worth €259.9m compared to €885m from broadcast rights.
Such a disparity between commercial and broadcast revenue suggests that the jury is still out on the UEFA Europa League from a brand perspective, despite UEFA Events SA CEO David Taylor, asserting that ”the UEFA Europa League has taken great strides over the last three years and gone from strength to strength to become a large scale competition in its own right and with its own identity.”
Western Union joins adidas – the Official Ball Supplier of the UEFA Europa League – as the event’s only commercial partners to date.