Madrid: Real Madrid coaching clinics in the UAE could be just one of the many knock-on effects of a recent tie-up between National Bank of Abu Dhabi (NBAD) and the Spanish giants, according to NBAD CEO Alex Thursby.

NBAD signed a three-year agreement with Real Madrid for an undisclosed sum to become the club’s official banking partner in the UAE, at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium on Friday.

But aside from being just a co-branding agreement on credit and debit cards, Thursby said the deal would have more far reaching effects.

“This is not only a commercial relationship,” he said. “We want to involve the community and soon we will be promoting initiatives with Real Madrid around junior football, giving children the opportunity to be coached at a higher level [in the UAE]. As we move forward, it is really important for us to be contributing to society and our community as a whole.”

Thursby refused to be drawn into whether Real Madrid players might visit these camps, but said: “Real Madrid would add some appeal to the events in ways only they know how.”

Of the deal, which was signed by Real Madrid president Florentino Perez in the company of Real players Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos and Dani Cavajal on Friday, Thursby said there were mutual benefits. “The Real partnership will help us broaden our penetration into a number of customer bases and communities very quickly. We are pushing our brand assertively in the UAE to take our position as a bank into people’s emotions, this is where the Real partnership is very important.”

In return, he said, Real would unlock and engage new fanbases, especially as the deal is extendable and could grow to incorporate the rest of the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region as the bank grows.

“In return, Real will gain access to the UAE market. If we are expanding and building, we will offer them the opportunity to definitively attack the fan bases in the west-east corridor.

“Big clubs are continually using new mechanisms to market themselves around the world, and the UAE, GCC and Mena region and other parts of the west-east corridor are all attractive markets.”

The NBAD and Real Madrid credit and debit card co-branding agreement, which offers cardholders tailored Real Madrid benefits, follows similar deals between United Arab Bank and fellow Spanish side Barcelona, First Gulf Bank and English Premier League side Manchester City, and Emirates NBD and fellow English side Manchester United.

Although Thursby claims NBAD’s tie-up will have more far reaching effects than these existing partnerships, he denied reports that NBAD are about to revive a stalled Real Madrid Theme Park in Ras Al Khaimah with a $1 billion investment.

The project, which was unveiled in 2012, was put on hold last year but reports suggested that with NBAD backing, the resort could be open by 2017.

When asked if these reports were true, Thursby said: “No, this is a strategic partnership around the branding and positioning of our bank and their football club in our part of the world.”

NBAD branding will appear on Real Madrid billboards on matchday broadcasts televised in the UAE.