Dutch Eredivisie champion Ajax has signed a four-and-a-half-year shirt sponsorship deal with Ziggo, making the telecommunications company only the fourth main commercial partner in the football club’s history.
The sponsorship is worth a fixed annual sum of €8m ($10m) to the Amsterdam club with further variable payments to supplement this. The contract will run from January 1, 2015 through to June 30, 2019.
Ziggo retains the right to cancel the deal after two-and-a-half years, while the sponsorship only related to the Ajax men’s team. The club can seek separate sponsorship contracts for its youth, women’s and amateurs teams.
Baptiest Coopmans, Ziggo’s chief executive, said: “The opportunity to become shirt sponsor of Ajax is rare. Ziggo can present itself as a new national cable and media company in a unique way through this partnership. It is a logical choice for both parties. We are very excited about our partnership.”
Life insurance, pensions and asset management company Aegon is Ajax’s current shirt sponsor having replaced Dutch state-owned bank ABN Amro for the 2008-09 season. ABN Amro served in the role for 17 years, with Japanese electronics company becoming the club’s first shirt sponsor in 1982-83.
Meanwhile, Ajax has agreed a three-year extension to retain watch brand Hublot as its official timekeeper.
Hublot has sponsored Ajax since 2011 and is also a partner of major European clubs Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.