Visa International has joined companies including Nestle, Sony
PlayStation and The Telegraph, to sign up as an official sponsor to The
FA Premier League.
This is the first time Visa has sponsored the sport, which will take it
up against MasterCard which also sponsors football, most recently the
World Cup.
Visa is already a key sponsor at other global sports events, including
the Summer and Winter Olympics, and it is an official sponsor of the
1999 Rugby World Cup.
The sponsorship, which will include perimeter advertising, will support
the rebranding of its Visa Debit cards in the UK after the company
ditched the Delta brand. The debit cards will change in September, when
the word Delta will be replaced by Debit Card.
Visa wants to extend brand awareness worldwide through the global reach
of the Premier League, which has matches broadcast in over 150
countries.
The company is also putting together plans for its member banks, First
Direct and NatWest, to hold promotions from which cardholders will win
tickets to the games.
- The Premier League is in the final stages of negotiating a deal with
Swatch to be the official time sponsor of the league. Part of the deal
will include the Premier League name being licensed for a souvenir
watch.
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