By Mark Baber
June 13 – The United States Soccer Federation and Chevrolet announced a three-year sponsorship deal on Monday which makes Chevrolet the Official Partner of U.S. Soccer for the next three years.
The deal, negotiated by Chevrolet and Soccer United Marketing, is further recognition of the inexorable rise in popularity of soccer in the US market, where an estimated 30% of households include a soccer player and the sport is now second only to NFL in popularity amongst 12-24 year olds.
Chevrolet has recognised the marketing power of football and has embraced it. The car manufacturer agreed a shirt sponsorship deal with Manchester United starting 2014, and worth £357 miliion over seven years.
Molly Peck, director of Chevrolet Advertising and Sales Promotions, said: “As fans well know, soccer is much more than the world’s favourite sport; it’s a communal experience and way of life.”
“Our new U.S. Soccer partnership complements Chevrolet’s Global Soccer footprint that includes Manchester United and One World Futbol Project sponsorships. By bringing our customers closer to these initiatives, we’ll share the love of soccer all over the world, whether it’s parents driving youngsters to a Chevy Youth Soccer team practice, transforming the lives of children around the world through the power of play, to cheering on favourite teams at the FIFA World Cup next year in Brazil.”
US Soccer president and new FIFA executive committee member Sunil Gulati said: “Chevrolet has an impressive history as a global brand and we’re excited to begin this partnership. We are looking forward to working closely with such a committed and supportive company across all of our National Teams, especially our Youth National Teams and Development Academy.”
The deal is seen as complementary to other soccer sponsorships by Chevrolet including the donation of 1.5 million virtually indestructible One World Futbols to youth in war-stricken zones, refugee camps, disaster areas, and underprivileged communities around the world, the deals with Manchester United and Liverpool and the grassroots Chevy Youth Soccer program, which involves nearly 1,000 dealers and 850,000 youth throughout the US.
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