March 17 – UEFA has confirmed that one of European football’s longest established commercial partnerships is about to end with the announcement that its leading clubs are set to drop the Swiss agency that has sold Champions League rights since 1992 and replace it New York-based Relevent Sports.
The news marks the end to the reign of TEAM Marketing with Relevent given exclusive negotiating rights “over the global commercial rights to the UEFA men’s club competitions for the period 2027-2033,” a decision made jointly with the European Club Association.
UEFA men’s club competitions – including the Champions League, Europa League, Conference League and Super Cup – have earned gross commercial revenue of at least €4.4 billion for each season through 2027, almost entirely sold by TEAM Marketing.
The 36 Champions League teams this season will share about €2.5 billion but now UEFA and the ECA have nevertheless decided to change partner.
UEFA said the decision to switch to Relevent followed a tender process “which attracted bids from a number of global and regional agencies.”
TEAM clearly feel they have been hard done by in what is a serious blow.
“Naturally we are disappointed, but we remain incredibly proud of the work we have done alongside UEFA over the past 35 years,” TEAM said in a statement. “Together, we have built a world-class commercial programme that has delivered over €50 billion in revenue for European club football.”
Relevant are backed by Stephen Ross – owner of the Miami Dolphins NFL franchise – and the appointment has been made by UC3, the joint venture between UEFA and ECA.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, who has been serving as UEFA Events SA Marketing Director and is UC3 co-managing director argued: “Building on the success of the new UEFA men’s club competitions, we see a need to keep innovating and bringing new approaches and fresh ideas to the market. We are confident that our already flourishing partnership with Relevent will be a part of taking us to the next level, creating significant incremental value for the competitions, partners, and fans.”
The deal covers the UEFA Champions League, second-tier Europa League, and third-tier Conference League, as well as the annual Super Cup UEFA Youth League youth category competition, and the Futsal Champions League – also organised by UEFA – for six seasons between 2027-28 and 2032-33.
Danny Sillman, chief executive and co-founder at Relevent, commented: “We are honoured to partner with UC3 in representing the rights to UEFA’s men’s club competitions globally – including some of the most iconic and historic properties in global sports. We understand the history and significance, and plan to deliver on the potential for growth with fans and commercial partners around the world.”
UEFA further explained that Relevent “presented an innovative, dynamic, and forward-looking vision” for the club competitions and that it “demonstrated a comprehensive understanding of how to maximize value to all stakeholders.”
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