Lidl inks three-year sponsorship deal with Football Association to cement British ties
Lidl has signed up to be the official supermarket of English football on the back of a three-year deal inked with the Football Association. The sponsorship also extends to the Scottish and Welsh football teams after similar agreements were made with their football bodies.
The multi-million pound deal, brokered by Starcom Mediavest Group, covers support for grassroots football, including over one million sessions of professional coaching for children in England, Wales and Scotland.
The German supermarket has followed discount rival Aldi in tying itself to British sport as it looks to cement its position as a mainstream retailer.
Aldi invested £10m to become the first official supermarket sponsor of the British Olympics in the lead up to Rio 2016. The deal included supporting the British Olympic Association’s youth engagement programme and an initiative to connect athletes with their local communities.
Ryan McDonnell, purchasing director for Lidl UK, said associating itself with football was “a fantastic opportunity”.
“We look forward to building successful partnerships with the English, Scottish and Welsh FAs in developing the sport at both national and community levels,” he added.
It comes amid a wider push from the retailer to woo more shoppers from the struggling ‘Big Four’ supermarket brands. While Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Asda are scaling back, Lidl announced that it would invest £1.5bn in the UK to open as many as 50 stores a year.
It will also refurbish up to 150 existing stores over the next four years.