By Mark Baber
August 21 – Beşiktaş has signed a $145 million deal with Vodafone, the club revealed in a statement on the Turkish Stock Exchange. The deal, including shirt sponsorship and sponsorship of the new Beşiktaş stadium which will be named the ‘Vodafone Arena’, is a timely one for the Istanbul club who have debt of about €100 million.
The new stadium will not be ready until next year.
The club statement read: “Our company and Vodafone have reached a sponsorship agreement for $29 million which will see Vodafone advertised on the front of the shirt for 3+2 years.
“Also Beşiktaş Gymnastic club have signed a stadium deal encompassing advertising, stadium naming rights and stadium technology infrastructure investment rights for 10+5 years worth $116 million.”
The new deal is a major coup for Beşiktaş president Fikret Orman who said: “Our priority is the stadium. We need to finish the stadium fast and we want to return to our home next year.”
The new 42,000 seat stadium will be built on the location of the current stadium and some ancient ruins which are being demolished to make way for the project.
Vodafone Turkey CEO Gökhan Öğüt said: “This is not only Vodafone Turkey’s biggest deal, but also the biggest sponsorship deal in Turkish sports history.”
As part of the deal, the new Vodafone Arena will become a ‘smart stadium’, where fans will enjoy StadiumVision and Wi-Fi technology being planned in conjunction with Cisco.
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