March 13 – Nike has signed a five-year exclusive deal with UEFA Women’s Football to supply their ball to all UEFA women’s competitions and become an official partner of the Together #WePlayStrong campaign.
The agreement will cover the UEFA Women’s Champions League and UEFA Women’s EURO 2021 as well as the UEFA Women’s Champions League, UEFA Women’s EURO, UEFA European Women’s Under-19 and Under-17 Championships and UEFA Women’s Futsal EURO.
The partnership will run up to and include the 2021 UEFA Women’s EURO in England and will see Nike design a bespoke match ball for exclusive use in women’s competitions.
Payments technology company Visa recently signed as the first-ever main sponsor of UEFA Women’s Football in a seven-year deal. Nike’s deal is further confirmation of the commercial interest and marketing opportunity provided by the women’s game as separate to the men’s game.
UEFA unbundled the sales of the men’s and women’s marketing rights early last year as it built on its five-year plan to “cement” football as the leading female team sport in Europe.
“We are delighted to have such a prestigious global brand such as Nike, who are committed to equality within sport and renowned for empowering female athletes all over the world,” said Nadine Kessler, UEFA’s head of women’s football.
“Becoming the official match ball supplier and supporter of UEFA Women’s Football across our competitions and campaigns, including Together #WePlayStrong, not only sends a powerful message that the game is now being judged and supported on its own merits, it underlines also its important milestones beyond the field of play.
“We took the step of separating the rights and partnerships from the men’s game, because at UEFA, we believe in it and with exactly the same belief and continuous commitment for the women’s game, we will aim to reach new heights together with Nike.
A core part of that objective is to get more women playing football and staying in the game for longer.
“Nike and UEFA share a common ambition, and that is for women’s football to realise its enormous potential,” said Bert Hoyt, Nike’s VP/GM EMEA. “UEFA’s competitions represent the elite of club and international football and through our unparalleled innovation and support of the women’s game from elite to grassroots level, we will grow football for the next generation of young female players.”
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