SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Dafabet has announced that they have agreed a new deal to continue as Sunderland AFC’s main sponsor until at least 2019. The company first announced the partnership with Sunderland in the summer of 2015, and will become one of the longest serving principal partners in the club’s history.
As part of the deal, Dafabet will undertake a number of match day, fan engagement initiatives, starting with the gift of a giant crowd-surfer flag to fans group Ha’way the Flags. The flag will show a current Black Cats player, with fans asked to vote online for the player they would most like to feature in the design.
With the support of Dafabet, whose key markets are Asia and the UK, Sunderland has been able to launch a Chinese language website to elevate its presence in Asian territories. Dafabet, meanwhile, have benefited from the exposure across a global platform, as the Premier League continues to be the most watched sporting league in the world.
Gary Hutchinson, Sunderland AFC’s Commercial Director, said: “Dafabet have a great understanding of football and the football industry, and over the last year we have seen our partnership with them flourish on a global level.
“They are a major player in the football and sport sectors and we are delighted to align ourselves with them in the longer term, giving us increased opportunities to grow and develop our relationship in the coming years”.
John Cruces, Head of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship at Dafabet, said: “We are very happy to extend our partnership somewhat ‘early’ with Sunderland – the deal was actually agreed in principle some time back, such is the level we value the partnership. We have the mind-set that the best relationships are formed between those who build and work on achieving common goals.
“We have had a busy summer in that we have announced a number of new deals across football and sport in general. However, extending our relationship with Sunderland was important to us for the brand presence the club has already helped us achieve, and will no doubt continue to do so.”
