Hearts FC bring in Granada for sponsorship rights
Heart of Midlothian Football Club has today announced the appointment of Granada Ventures Sports Services Division, part of ITV plc, to market and sell its shirt sponsorship rights for the 2008/09 season.
The Commercial Agent agreement also includes licensing rights to the club, as well DVD publishing.
Granada Ventures has a wealth of experience in this field having acted as commercial agents for both Liverpool FC and Arsenal FC.
The deal was brokered by Ed Abis, commercial manager, Sports Services, Granada Ventures and Hearts commercial director Ali Russell.
Abis commented: "Hearts is an ambitious and well supported Club with a rich heritage. We are excited at the prospect of working across a number of key commercial areas and bringing our significant experience to help Hearts achieve its goals. It is clear Hearts has potential and has a respected standing within football, we aim to use our knowledge and expertise to enhance them further."
The Granada Ventures Licensing team will be responsible for establishing and managing a licensing programme for the club, and ITV DVD, the DVD publishing arm of Granada Ventures, will look after all DVD releases. The deal with Hearts is part of Ventures' ongoing strategy to develop relationships with major regional clubs and to build on sponsorship, licensing, DVD and web commercialisation opportunities.