February 21 – Germany’s Borussia Dortmund will have two shirt sponsors from the start of next season with telecoms company 1&1 taking over for the Bundesliga short position while long running partner Evonik take over for European and other competitions.
The new combined sponsorship arrangement will reportedly see the club earn €40 million per year, double the current €20 million paid by Evonik. The sponsorship will run for five years through to end June 2025.
Chemicals group Evonik has been Dortmund’s shirt sponsor for 12 years and is a 15% shareholder in the club. Under the new arrangement its logo will be shorts for Champions League and the DFB Pokal domestic knockout tournaments, as well as friendly competitions and other international tournaments.
1&1 will have the shirt position for domestic league matches and will receive an extensive advertising package across Dortmund ground signage and media platforms. The telecoms company will also activate its sponsorship through social media.
It has agreed to alter the colour of its logo for the Dortmund shirt from blue and white to black and white in keeping with the traditional Dortmund yellow and black.
BVB managing director Carsten Cramer said: ”We are gaining a new Bundesliga shirt sponsor that has demonstrated innovation and growth for a number of years. The integrated rights package will consist of online and offline advertising content that will go far beyond the company’s logo on the players’ chests…. Alongside 1&1, we will break new ground when it comes to digital content and format development and will finds ways to reach out to our fans in Germany more directly and more intensely than ever before.”
Emphasising the strength of Dortmund domestically, Evonik CEO Christian Kullmann, said the company is now looking more to international brand awareness. ”We have enjoyed 14 incredibly successful and memorable years alongside BVB – years in which our partnership has grown ever stronger. BVB are a fixture at the top of the Bundesliga, meaning our brand is well-known throughout the whole of Germany. Now, we have our sights set on extending the partnership’s success to international markets.”
Meanwhile 1&1 is promising to use its technology and innovation to drive a whole new kind of partnership. Ralph Dommermuth, founder of 1&1 and CEO of its parent company, United Internet AG, said: “Our collaboration with the club will go far beyond the boundaries of a traditional sponsorship deal. Together, we will develop new means of engaging interesting new target groups in the long term, with a particular focus placed on social media and digital content.’’
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1713294505labto1713294505ofdlr1713294505owedi1713294505sni@n1713294505osloh1713294505cin.l1713294505uap1713294505