French lottery operator Française des Jeux (FDJ) has become the first national partner to sign up in support of Uefa Euro 2016.
FDJ, which operates a network of 33,000 points of sale in 12,000 towns and villages across France, will help promote the tournament through its lottery activities within the host country.
“We are very pleased to welcome FDJ on board as the first Uefa Euro 2016 national sponsor,” said Guy-Laurent Epstein, the marketing director of Uefa Events SA.
“With its 33,000 sales points in France, FDJ is ideally placed to promote the event throughout the country, thanks to its proximity to the fans. FDJ has also been active in French sport for many years now so it is only natural that it should want to get involved in the biggest event in the country and share the excitement and emotions football has to offer.”
Euro 2016 will be France’s biggest soccer event since the 1998 Fifa World Cup. A Uefa statement said corporate interest in the tournament has been “great” so far, with the body currently “in the process of finalising partnership agreements with other big companies.”
Uefa’s commercial programme for Euro 2016 is likely to include up to eight national partners as well as ten sponsors with global rights. Financial terms of the FDJ deal have not been released.