Star Lager Beer at an event on Tuesday,
August 23, 2016 announced a groundbreaking partnership with the Nigeria Professional
Football League (NPFL).
This announcement comes months after the League Management Company
(LMC) (managers of the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL)) announced a
partnership with La Liga.
The event had in attendance some Nigerian football legends; key
sports regulators and officials, celebrities and of course Star Larger consumers.
Speaking on the partnership and what the NPFL stands to gain,
Chairman, League Management Company, Shehu Dikko said, “The NPFL has grown rapidly over the past few years and with new
partnerships like this, we hope to push it beyond expectations and make it the
biggest league in Africa. Bringing Star to the table is only natural as Star
has identified with football in Nigeria over the years.”
The announcement saw Chairman, League Management Company, Shehu
Dikko in a symbolic exchange of jerseys with the Portfolio Manager, National
Premium, Nigerian Breweries Plc., Mr Tokunbo Adodo who in a statement said,
“We have a longstanding
claim to football so it’s only natural for us to prove our love for the game by
partnering with the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL). We can assure
fans of innovative and thrilling developments in the years to come”.
This 5-year partnership will push the frontiers for football in
Nigeria and it is hoped that this will be the start of great things for Nigerian
football fans and lovers of the Star brand.
An average of 8,000 fans attended games in the 2014/15 season,
according to the LMC’s season review. This is the biggest crowd number for
domestic football in Nigeria for more than 15 years and is expected to rise
this year. It is common these days to see families attend local league matches
in their bright club replica jerseys due to the increased security at venues
across the country.
While the win-at-home at-all-cost syndrome is fast becoming a thing
of the past with 31 away wins, the highest in 10 years, the league has become
more competitive as clubs now chase points on the road leading to greater
excitement for the fans, the biggest stakeholders.
The NPFL, like many important leagues across the world, needs big
corporate organizations to support its message of youth empowerment – at least
700 footballers are employed across the 20 club sides in the league.
“This partnership agreement
with Star shows that there is opportunity for corporate Nigeria in our league
and we hope that many more organizations will take advantage of football to
reach their target markets as we continue to build an attractive league,” said LMC Chairman, Shehu Dikko.
However, due to the fact that more than 70 per cent of clubs are
still owned by state governments, player salaries are hampered by the financial
challenges of many state governments across the country. Still, there have been
more positives than negatives in the domestic scene, which has seen brand
impressions grow digitally with increased interest. An average of 500 posts
with 4 million impressions are made about the NPFL on Twitter every weekend
(Keyhole).
It is the reason why STAR Lager Beer, Nigeria’s first indigenous
beer, has taken interest in this growing local success story in order to push
it beyond its current reach.
“We're excited to sign this agreement with the LMC that sees Star
become Official Beer Partner of the NPFL for the next four seasons. It's a
partnership that we expect to bring excitement to Nigerian football and the
fans who love the domestic game,” said Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries, Franco Maria-Maggi.
Since the first STAR lager beer bottle rolled out of the bottling
lines in Lagos brewery in 1949 the brand has been a market leader and was
listed by the African Business magazine in its 100 Most Admired African Brands
in 2015. Star has put its expansive platform to good use in promoting music and
youth lifestyle via projects like STAR Trek, STAR Quest and STAR Mega Jam.
Star would also amplify the NPFL brand via radio and television
broadcasts also on traditional and digital media, which would increase the
awareness of the Nigerian League’s brand that is set to rival the biggest
European leagues.
With a big brand like Star, the NPFL will be assured of the support
of a major Nigerian brand that has expertise in connecting people and ensuring
relationships are nurtured in fun ways. In turn, this will open the doors to
other corporations to invest in the league.
The domestic league is the lifeline of the Nigerian national teams.
With this partnership, Star would inadvertently be helping to create a platform
for young Nigerians to achieve their dreams of donning our national colours.
Media spending will increase, as the partnership will see Star
invest in the publication of match fixtures and reviews as well as statistics
in various media channels.
As part of the agreement, Star would also sponsor a Football League
Feature Game that would bring in foreign clubs to face a league All-Star Team
during its off-season.
For those wondering what STAR would get in return for its huge
investment in the NPFL, it is worthy to note that the brand is cementing its
place as a friend of the domestic game. It would support the passion of local
fans from Awka to Kaduna, Bauchi to Uyo and across Nigeria.
Over the coming seasons, fans would find no better way to enjoy
their Nigerian league games than over bottles of STAR Lager. Truly, great times
are ahead for fans of the NPFL.
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