Vauxhall complete hat-trick of soccer sponsorships

13 January 2011 | Posted in Sponsorship, Soccer, Europe | By Tom Love

British car manufacturer Vauxhall has followed up its sponsorship of the England team by revealing details of similar but smaller deals with the Welsh and Northern Irish football associations.

While the England deal is worth US$31 million, the deals with the other Home Nations are worth a total of US$31 million. In a busy month for the Football Association of Wales (FAW), the three-and-a-half-year deal follows the announcement of former player Gary Speed as the new coach of the national team.

As yet, there has been no conformation of a sponsorship deal with the Scottish FA although an agreement is expected to be reached between the two parties and announced on Friday.  

The Welsh and Northern Irish sponsorships cover all international fixtures for al the senior teams including the Euro 2012 Championships and the 2014 World Cup. In addition, Vauxhall will also sponsor all national junior age group teams, women’s football and grassroots schemes.

FAW chief executive Jonathan Ford said: “We are delighted to be have secured sponsorship from such a prestigious company as Vauxhall. We look forward to a long and successful partnership. I am certain that we in Wales with the appointment of Gary Speed as our manager are on the verge of something exciting and we hope that Vauxhall can share in that success with us.”

Wales’ newly appointed head coach Gary Speed added: "I'm delighted to have Vauxhall on board. We are indebted to their support of Welsh football and will be doing everything possible to repay their faith in us."

Vauxhall managing director Duncan Aldred said of the deal: “We are delighted to be partnering with the FAW. This is an extremely exciting time for Welsh football with the appointment of Gary Speed and we are very pleased to be part of this new era. Football and cars are two of our biggest passions and this partnership is a clear and unequivocal sign that Vauxhall is firmly behind not only a successful Welsh senior team but is also committed to supporting grass roots initiatives covering youth and junior football, women’s football and disability football.”

Irish FA chief executive Patrick Nelson said of their new partnership: "This is truly fantastic news for Northern Ireland football. ”Attracting a sponsor of the calibre and prestige as Vauxhall is great testimony to the progress we are making here. The support of Vauxhall will be invaluable in helping us deliver further footballing progress at a senior and junior level."

Of the Northern Ireland deal Aldred added: "We are delighted to be the new title sponsor of the Irish FA. We are making a big commitment to football and Northern Ireland is an extremely important piece of this commitment.”

Northern Ireland International manager Nigel Worthington said: "I'm delighted that Vauxhall are putting their faith in Northern Ireland football. We are all really pleased to have them on board and are sure this is going to prove a very fruitful and successful partnership."

• The Football Association confirms Vauxhall sponsorship