Dubai: Dubai’s Emirates airline has added another feather to its cap by becoming the sponsor of the popular FA Cup until 2018.
The English Football Association announced on Saturday that the FA had been looking for a new sponsor for football’s oldest knockout competition after Budweiser’s three-year deal came to an end last year and Emirates airline will step in as the new sponsor.
The FA will rebrand the competition as The Emirates FA Cup. However, the officicals did not release any financial details.
“Emirates’ commitment to our sport is evident and securing such an iconic and forward-thinking lead partner for The FA Cup is great news for us, the fans and for the whole game,” FA chairman Greg Dyke said through a statement.
“The partnership will help take the tournament to new audiences, inspire interest in football from across the globe and allow us to continue our investment into the game at all levels,” he added.
Emirates has been a strong supporter of many sports around the world like rugby, horse racing, Formula One, cricket, Australian Rules Football, tennis and golf.
Sir Tim Clark, president of Emirates airline, which also sponsors Arsenal, said: “Football is a truly global sport, a unifying factor in many communities and nations across the world. Never is this more evident than with the FA Cup, which has an unrivalled heritage and draws a global audience of more than 1.1 billion people. The spirit of the competition, fair play, and sparking the passions of a global audience, are all values we share at Emirates. That is why we are proud to be the first title sponsor of the tournament and we look forward to a long-term partnership to support and connect fans to their teams both here in the UK and across the world.”
Emirates are the sponsors of the rugby World Cup (2015, 2019), cricket World Cup, tennis rankings, Formula One and 11 top golf tournaments.
Emirates are supporting Australian Rules Football Collingwood FC but their sponsorship of the FA Cup will make a new mark in the international sporting arena. Earlier, Emirates had partnerships across Europe including AC Milan, Real Madrid, Olympiacos FC, Hamburger SV, Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal.
Next season’s FA Cup is set to commence from August 15 with the extra-preliminary rounds and end with the final at Wembley on May 21, 2016.
