Following Club Deportivo Leganés’ history-making promotion to Spain’s first division La Liga and an impressive start to the Spanish season as the only team in the top flight yet to concede a goal, the club and MBUZZSPORT, the Dubai arm of Saudi Arabia’s MBUZZ, today in Dubai announced a new partnership.
The technology, media and telecoms group said the partnership with CD Leganés, which includes shirt sponsorship, “will further accelerate the brand’s visibility not only across the Mena region but also globally through the 500 million homes watching La Liga matches each season”.
With a worldwide audience watching La Liga matches, for the Spanish club securing an international partner from the Middle East region will enable it to “bond more closely” with the in excess of 25 million La Liga fans who watch live matches broadcast across the Mena region weekly.
MBUZZ said it also has three other aims: to help GCC fans remain close to La Liga and the English Premier League; to strengthen cooperation with La Liga by building a strong infrastructure with Deportivo to develop football across the GCC through the creation of strong youth football academies; and to open the door for other Mena brands to reach global audiences.
The company, which sponsored Sheffield United in the FA Cup Semi Final at Wembley in 2014, said it will now offer selected Mena businessess short-term LED and shirt sponsorship packages “enabling them to trial sponsorship of a La Liga team and measure first hand the benefits such as increased product and service awareness, brand image and consumer affinity”.
MBUZZ advertising and selected partners, one of which will be MBUZZSPORT, the sports marketing and investment division of MBUZZ Group, will feature throughout Butarque, CD Leganés’ stadium in Madrid. The team shirts will feature the MBUZZ brand or those of its selected partners each week as they take on their La Liga rivals, joining the only other Middle East companies to currently sponsor La Liga teams; Emirates Airlines (Real Madrid) and Qatar Airways (FC Barcelona).
“This key partnership has been struck at a very exciting moment in the club’s history,” said CD Leganés’ vice president, Felipe Moreno. “We both seek the highest levels of performance in all that we do and look forward to developing our partnership throughout this exciting season.”
CD Leganés’ arrival in the Spanish top tier came after a thrilling campaign last season. On the 42nd and final matchday of the regular Liga Adelante season, they held their nerve to triumph 1-0 away to CD Mirandes, with the defender Pablo Insua heading in from a corner just after the restart. His goal proved enough to to seal promotion, sparking euphoric celebrations among the fans who had made the 300 kilometre trip to the Anduva Stadium in Miranda de Ebro, northern Spain.
The coach Asier Garitano guided the outfit from the Madrid suburbs to a spot in the top flight for the first time in their history, having engineered a meteoric rise since taking the helm after guiding the club’s climb out of Segunda Division B (the third tier).
“As they commence their first season in La Liga, Leganes is on a historical journey and we are proud to embark on this journey with them,” said Youssef Abdellaoui, MBUZZ Group’s chief executive.
“We don’t want to simply ‘sponsor’ CD Leganés, we want to partner with them, as together we believe we share similar values and a strong vision. With Leganes, we communicate our dreams, team spirit, determination to succeed and finally victory - values that are also carried by our brand and the clients we are proud to serve.”
Formed in 1928, CD Leganés had played the vast majority of its existence in the lower leagues. In 1977 the club regained promotion to the fourth division after seven years in the wilderness. After a steady progression, it reached the new division three in 1987, being promoted to the second division six years later and maintaining its league status for 11 seasons. During that time, its best finish were two eigth places from 1995–97.
chnelson@thenational.ae
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