Sponsorship ramps up ahead of World Equestrian Games

23 September 2010 | Posted in Sponsorship, Equestrian, North America | By James Emmett

The first FEI World Equestrian Games to be held in the US will begin on 25th September and the build up has been marked by a flurry of commercial activity.

Netherlands-based financial services company Rabobank, which specialises in food and agri financing and sustainability-oriented banking, has signed on as a sponsor and official agribusiness bank of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Meanwhile, both the indoor and outdoor arenas at the Kentucky Horse Park - built especially for the competition - have secured naming rights deals with key FEI sponsors Alltech and Rolex.

Rabobank is best known in sports circles for its title sponsorship of the elite Rabobank pro-cycling team. It is also, however, an active supporter of equestrian sports in the Netherlands, sponsoring the Royal Dutch Equestrian Federation and the Dutch Olympic equestrian teams, as well as talent development programmes for young Dutch equestrian athletes.

"We are pleased to have Rabobank join our family of sponsors," said Terry Johnson, vice president of marketing and sales for the World Games 2010 Foundation, the local body tasked with organising the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, USA, this year. "Their commitment to financing agribusiness around the world makes them a perfect fit for the 2010 Games."  

"Rabobank is delighted to be a part of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games," said Adriaan Weststrate, managing director, Rabobank North America Wholesale banking, "and to lend our support as Official Agribusiness Bank to an event which will bring together world leaders in the areas of equestrian health, nutrition and sports.

"We are especially pleased to be involved with the Games the first time they are held in the US, where over the course of our 30-year presence we have established a leadership position in the F&A market."

With regards the naming rights deals. Alltech has secured the rights to the new US$40 million indoor arena, while Rolex will attach its name to the US$25 million outdoor stadium.

John Nicholson, the director of the Kentucky Horse Park, confirmed yesterday that the deals were in place but has indicated that a formal announcement will take place at a later date.

According to a report in the Lexington Herald Leader, the naming rights for the Alltech Arena will be US$2 million over 10 years. Rolex, meanwhile, will pay US$1.4 million over 10 years for the Rolex Stadium.

The latest deal is another significant step for animal nutrition company Alltech. The company spent a reported US$10 million on the naming rights for the 2010 World Equestrian Games themselves and will retain those rights for the next edition of the competition in Normandy, France, in 2014.

Moreover, according to the Lexington Herald Leader, Alltech president Pearse Lyons estimates that his company has spent some US$32 million all told on the Games, and that figure does not include the latest US$2 million naming rights deal.