SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
La Liga’s Deportivo Alavés has thanked SBC for its assistance after securing a two-year front-of-shirt sponsorship deal with Betway.
The club’s Deputy General Manager Mikel Bárcena welcomed SBC Founder and CEO Rasmus Sojmark to the Basque country to say thank you for facilitating an introduction to the operator at this year’s Betting on Football at Stamford Bridge.
The connection was made as part of the invite-only Sponsorship Forum at the event, which saw SBC Events facilitate direct introductions between sports clubs and bookmakers by matching opportunities to pre-screened interests.
Deportivo Alavés, who finished 14th in La Liga last season and reached the Copa del Rey quarter finals, has subsequently become the newest addition to Betway’s sponsorship portfolio, which already includes established Premier League side West Ham United.
The operator’s considerable European footprint also extends to sponsorship of C.D. Leganés and Levante U.D, alongside betting partnerships with Bundesliga’s Werder Bremen and Belgian champions RSC Anderlecht.
Speaking as the deal was closed, Betway’s Anthony Werkman said: “We are always looking for great ways to promote the Betway brand globally and we have done that with Deportivo Alavés, our third La Liga shirt sponsorship deal.
“It is a club on the up, so we are delighted to be playing a part in their journey ahead of their third successive season in La Liga. It’s sure to be yet another exciting campaign.”
Bárcena commented: “It’s an honour to partner with Betway, as we prepare to deliver a commercial boost to complement our promising on-pitch performance from last season.
“Making the trip to Betting on Football was an extremely worthwhile exercise for the club, not just for the opportunity to meet Betway, but also to gain insight into the value of betting-based partnerships and the importance of finding creative ways to engage a fanbase. Thank you to Rasmus Sojmark and the team for organising the event and inviting us along.”
Sojmark added: “Sponsorship has become a key part of our conference agendas, with a specific focus on international opportunities, activation techniques and socially responsible strategies, as well as tackling the negative connotations that sometimes prevent clubs from attaching themselves to gambling. We are proud to have played a part in Deportivo Alavés’ new partnership with Betway.”
SBC Sponsorship Forum host Jaap Kalma said: “The international sponsorship market is far from transparent, which is quite strange when you consider it is all about visibility! But sponsors and rights holders live in different worlds, with a different logic, and the complexity and size of the deals is such that deals mostly come about through a multitude of sports marketing intermediators.
“The Sponsorship Forum takes a different, vertical approach, creating a broad networking platform for transparency and understanding between the world of betting and the world sports. By involving practically all betting brands and sports rights holders, we are helping parties to find and choose those partners and define those deals that best meet their interests and create value in practice.
“The landmark deal between Deportivo Alavés and Betway is a good example of this, and I am sure it will create much value for both partners!”
- Building on the success of the inaugural SBC Sponsorship forum in March, the upcoming Betting on Sports Week in September will feature another edition of the popular event.
- If you are interested in gaining access to the SBC Sponsorship Forum in London on 18 September, simply visit our website HERE and register your interest, or contact us directly on [email protected].
