Soccer

In 2020-21, utility giant DEW21 leveraged its new partnership with Dortmund through an integrated campaign aimed at boosting brand sentiment, customer acquisition and positioning the company as a local patriot.

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) has increased its number of sponsors from eight at the time of last year’s edition of this snapshot to 11 this year. Its portfolio valuation now sits at an estimated average annual value of $17.5m (€17.1m) across the 11 agreements.

In March 2022 AFC Bournemouth teamed up with principal partner and front of shirt sponsor MSP Capital and sponsor Vitality to launch a new ‘Bring Your Boots’ football boot and trainer recycling scheme. It encouraged fans to donate their sports shoes to be given to local families financially impacted by the pandemic and unable to afford the equipment needed to keep their kids involved in grassroots football and keep them physically active.

On 28th July 2021, Fulham FC and official shirt supplier Adidas rolled out a launch campaign for its 2021/22 home and away kits through an integrated campaign called ‘Worn With Pride’ with creative fronted by and featuring club staff to reward their commitment through the pandemic and to emphasise the club’s family positioning.

In March 2022 Leicester City FC sponsor FBS, an international Forex broker, investor and trader, launched a brand campaign called ‘Always By Your Side’ which was led by a player-fronted hero spot and aimed to inspire people all over the world to reach new heights.

In February 2022 blockchain platform Tezos activated around the announcement that it had penned a partnership as the new Manchester United FC Official Training Shirt Sponsor. Tezos used an integrated, digital-first campaign called ‘Welcome To the Future’ to drive awareness of the sponsorship, of the brand, its positioning and offerings.

In September 2021 EA Sports and Leeds United FC leveraged their gaming partnership through authentic and relevant content running across club and gaming company platforms. Focusing on FIFA 21’s ratings reveal through video and featuring a fictional ratings group of Leeds stars which championed the tie-up and provided a unique point of difference between Leeds and EA’s other partner clubs.

In Summer 2020 FC Bayern Munich and automotive partner Audi created the club’s first ever ‘digital summer tour’ - which spanned multiple content formats tailored to international supporters. Built around the team’s preparation for the UEFA Champions League 2019/20 knock-out stages in July and August 2020 to connect to fans around the world.

For the 2021/22 season, Siemens leveraged its FC Bayern partnership through a socially responsible video series called #Overcome. It saw a team of seven celebrity ambassadors share their own stories about the biggest challenges of their lives and how they overcame them. Spanning contemporary social topics to inspire viewers and fans not to give up no matter what challenges they have to #overcome.

Running through Spring and Summer 2021, a joint initiative from FC Bayern Munich and youth football partner Volkswagen (VW) sought to reinforce their shared values, engage Gen Z and challenge the global talent search system. An initiative called the ‘FC Bayern World Squad’ which was a global young player talent search carried out primarily through social media and consumer/player content creation. It was backed up by digital training and climaxed with a Munich training base and a game against the club’s under-19 side, amplified via an online video series.

In December 2021 digital finance brand Ally and Relevant Sports Group teamed up to create the ‘WICC Best XI Presented by Ally’ docuseries. It

In Summer/Autumn 2021, Verizon built on its US partnership with top Spanish soccer league LaLiga to co-host and produce an EA Sports FIFA initiative called the ‘LaLiga All-Star Gaming Challenge presented b…