Philippines-headquartered online gambling operator Dafabet announced that it has extended its sponsorship agreement with Sunderland Association Football Club to 2019. The contract may be renewed further if both parties express interest in such an extension.
The gambling brand first announced that it would become the football club’s main sponsor last summer. With the recently signed extension, Dafabet would become one of the longest-serving partners in the club’s history.
Under the terms of the deal, the gambling operator will have to take part in a number of initiatives aimed at engaging Sunderland fans. For instance, Dafabet will give a crowd-surfer flag as a gift to Ha’way the Flags group of fans. The said flag will feature a current Sunderland player and fans will actually be asked to select who exactly would be featured.
Dafabet’s core markets have always been Asia and the UK. As part of the operator’s original agreement with the football club, the latter was able to launch a Chinese version of its website, thus expanding its reach across Asia. In exchange, Dafabet had the opportunity to benefit from increased exposure across the Premier League, which has long been among the most highly preferred sports leagues in the world.
Commenting on the latest announcement, Sunderland AFC Commercial Director Gary Hutchinson said that Dafabet is a company that understands football and the ways of the football industry, and that over the past year they have seen their collaboration “flourish on a global level.”
Mr. Hutchinson further noted that they are really delighted with the opportunity to align with such a major player in the football and sports sectors for a greater period of time and to grow and develop their existing relationship in the years to come.
Dafabet Head of Sports Marketing and Sponsorship John Cruces said that they are really happy with the agreement’s extension as they believe that the best relationships are generally formed by parties that are ready to work together on achieving common goals.
The official added that although they have inked a number of sports deals over the past several months, the one with Sunderland has been of particular importance to them due to the brand presence the football club has helped the online gambling brand achieve and will undoubtedly keep on doing so.
