By Mark Baber
May 5 – West Bromwich Albion have signed a two year sponsorship deal with Chinese online casino operator the K8 Group which will see the UK-K8.com emblazoned on the club’s new shirt from 2016/17.
The deal, which is reported to be worth in excess of £5million over the next two years has been hailed by WBA as a record sponsorship for the club.
According to the club announcement: “The partnership enables K8 Group to launch their European brand UK-K8.com in the United Kingdom, working with the Baggies to reach and engage with new customers of their product.
“Albion will also work with the K8 group in the Asian market, where their K8.com brand is particularly strong.
The partnership provides a strategic opportunity for Albion to increase their following and engage with fans in new markets overseas.”
The UK-K8.com website features various online casino-style games such as ‘Playboy’, ‘immortal Romance’ and ‘Agent Jane Blonde’ promoted by cartoon depictions of girls wearing devil and angel style lingerie costumes.
Vincent Huang, COO of the K8 Group (pictured left), said: “K8 Group has had a long standing interest in working with a Premier League club and finally we are here with one of the most respected clubs in the Premier League.”
“This partnership is delivered as a true partnership for both parties. We are working on a joint marketing plan that will focus on raising awareness of UK-K8.com in the UK whilst also ensuring the development of the West Bromwich Albion brand in Asia. “
“We will be working with the Club on several key projects to create a platform for the Club to grow awareness and engagement in this region.
“In keeping with various government strategies in the Asian region, we will also be working with the Club on coaching exchanges and other football related initiatives, hopefully replicating some elements of the highly successful Pass It Forward project in India. “
“And, of course, Albion fans across the world can look forward to some exciting opportunities to better connect with the Baggies through UK-K8.com.”
Adrian Wright, Sales and Marketing Director for for West brom (picteured right) commented: “We welcome K8 Group to our well established partnership programme.
“Once again we have selected to work alongside a challenger brand that will align with the club’s on-going aspirations for global brand recognition.
“It was clear from our talks that the joint promotional approach in Asia will add immense amount of value to the Club and will enable us to continue to grow our supporter bases in emerging parts of the world.”
The new deal replaces the current one, also signed with a ‘challenger brand’ – Asian betting company, TLCBET.
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