India’s Apollo Tyres on Wednesday gave boost to its new strategy to take the business global by announcing a three-year sponsorship deal with England Premier League club, Manchester United.
The company, which has recently started acquisition of tyre companies across the world in order to go global, will be the official tyre partner of the world famous club in the UK and in India.
Apollo vice-chairman and managing director Neeraj Kanwar, however, did not divulge the financial aspects of the sponsorship, but described it as “very very good” and “a very challenging partnership.”
He said the sponsorship deal and the partnership with Manchester United is “significant” for Apollo, which has “global ambitions for the business and the brand.”
Apollo, which pulled out of its tennis sponsorship deal Mission 2018, is regarding the deal with Man United, with some 659 million fans worldwide according to a survey, as an ideal “marriage.”
The deal will give Apollo limited marketing rights across the whole spectrum of the media and will also focus on joint community commitment to encourage healthy lifestyles and develop sporting skills in young people. Apollo will develop football pitches made of recycled tyres in the UK and in India, but did not reveal any plans for the duration of the sponsorship. The first recycled pitch will be developed in Old Trafford and then will be replicated in communities across the UK and in India.
The deal disappointingly does not mean that the Manchester United team will tour India and play exhibition matches.
“We definitely want to tour India with the team, it just means trying to work out the logistics,” Man U group managing director Richard Arnold said in a chat as football stars Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand and Jonny Evans played football with children at the team’s training ground.
Man U does not have a sponsor for the India tour, but Arnold said the team is ready to visit India as soon as possible.