The FIFA Sponsorship Programme 2007-2014

The FIFA Sponsorship Programme 2007-2014

FIFA has embarked on a new era in its more than 100-year-old existence with a shake-up of its commercial strategy. The FIFA Sponsorship Programme covers the period from 2007-2014, including the flagship FIFA World CupsTM in 2010 and 2014, and now classifies prospective marketing partners into three categories: FIFA Partner, FIFA World Cup Sponsor and National Supporter.

A FIFA Partner enjoys the highest level of association with FIFA. In short, this means they own rights to a broader range of FIFA activities - be they competitions, special events or development programmes - as well as exclusive marketing assets.

A FIFA World Cup Sponsor's rights are limited to the FIFA World Cup on a global basis. They consist of the right to category exclusivity, brand association, select marketing assets and secondary media exposure.

The National Supporter is a category of association which allows local companies to promote an association with the FIFA World CupTM within the host country. The rights include category exclusivity, association, local marketing programmes and domestic media exposure.

Why the change?
The rationale behind creating this new-look structure was largely fuelled by:

* the desire to forge a bond with corporations who want and are able to support football as a whole, and not just the FIFA World Cup
* a need to address the growing disparity in value and compensation among the Partner agreements
* the chance to differentiate between the needs and demands of some companies/categories versus others

So what's the big deal?
Held every four years the FIFA World Cup is the world's largest and most beloved sporting event, delivering measurable media value, category exclusivity and a genuine opportunity to reach core consumers, reinforce brand credibility in football and expand the boundaries of brand loyalty through an authentic marketing vehicle that boosts sales.

Although the FIFA World Cup is the flagship event, FIFA also stages a host of other events that enjoy broad and diverse global interest. With over 450 match days and tens of thousands of hours of live television broadcasts projected during the Rights Period, these competitions will visit new and emerging football markets such as China, Canada and South Africa, revisit co-hosts of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Japan and Korea, and the enduring spiritual home of divine football, Brazil.