Sharp signs EUROTOP agreement with UEFA

UEFA today announced the appointment of Sharp as official sponsor for UEFA EURO 2012 and EUROTOP partner covering all national team competitions within the programme until the end of 2013.

Under the agreement Sharp becomes the exclusive partner of audiovisual equipment and solar-related products for the next edition of UEFA's flagship national team competition taking place in Poland and Ukraine in the summer of 2012.

Sharp will be the seventh global partner for UEFA EURO 2012 following on from the previous announcement of the adidas, Castrol, Coca-Cola, Hyundai-Kia, Carlsberg and McDonald's agreements. The EUROTOP commercial programme relates to the sponsorship of UEFA's top national team competitions.

As part of the sponsorship deal, which includes integrated broadcast sponsorship rights in Europe, Sharp will activate various football-led marketing campaigns to enhance brand awareness and provide UEFA with leading-edge audiovisual products and solutions to help deliver best-in-class national team competitions.

"UEFA EURO is the premier football event for European national teams, and is a major event that will draw the attention of millions of fans and consumers not only in Europe but also around the globe. In addition, 2012 is the year we celebrate Sharp's centennial anniversary. I am honoured we will have the opportunity to be a EUROTOP partner for UEFA EURO 2012 in the milestone year of our 100th anniversary.

"Through this sponsorship we intend to boost Sharp's brand value and work to further enhance our business in Europe," said Toshishige Hamano, representative director and executive vice-president of Sharp.

Commenting on the signing, David Taylor, CEO of UEFA Events SA, said: "We are really pleased to welcome back Sharp to our exclusive group of partners after the fruitful relationship we enjoyed between 2003 and 2006. Sharp has an established football heritage and this agreement marks the start of a new era in our partnership which will be beneficial to all UEFA's elite national team competitions under the EUROTOP umbrella."

In addition to UEFA EURO 2012, the EUROTOP programme includes other national team competitions, such as the UEFA European Under-21 Championship (in 2011 and 2013), the UEFA European Women's Championship (2013), and the UEFA European Futsal Championship (2012).

UEFA Events is a wholly owned subsidiary of UEFA, created to manage and handle the European football governing body's commercial and event operations. It is, among other things, responsible for generating media rights, sponsorship, licensing and hospitality revenue from all professional national team and club competitions, and for managing relationships with all associated commercial partners.