Celtic, Spurs and Barcelona tournament secures new sponsor

17 June 2009 | Posted in Sponsorship, Soccer | By Adam Fraser

The Wembley Cup, a pre-season tournament featuring Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona and Celtic, has secured a new sponsor.

Egyptian construction company Palm Hills Developments (PHD) will be presenting the tournament, which features Egyptian soccer team Al Ahly as the fourth entrant alongside the three high-profile European teams. It will take place at Wembley, England's national stadium, in July.

"It's a great honour for Al Ahly to participate in such a prestigious tournament at Wembley Stadium," said Hassan Hamdi, president of Al Ahly. "For everyone involved in the club, it is an exciting prospect to be playing against world-class opposition in front of our London fans. Playing in The Wembley Cup is very big step forward not only for Al Ahly but for all African clubs and an excellent occasion for us to showcase our club and players to the world."

The competition has been organised by international agency IMG. It will see the first visit of a Scottish team since the stadium reopened in 2007. The English Football Association plans for the tournament to be a regular event.

"We are extremely excited and proud to be the official presenting partner of such a prestigious, renowned international event as The Wembley Cup," said PHD chief executive Yasseen Mansour. "This event will give us a unique opportunity for heightened exposure not only in the UK but also in the international markets."

IMG vice president Shiva Misra added: "IMG is delighted that Palm Hills Developments is on board as official presenting partner of The Wembley Cup 2009. Ticket sales have been impressive to date and we are enthused that Palm Hills Developments has identified The Wembley Cup as a unique sponsorship opportunity. IMG looks forward to working with our new partner over the next two months to ensure that together we maximise the return which this event will naturally deliver."

This is an update of a story originally reported by SportsPro on 10 June 2009.