America's Cup- Team Korea announces seven figure football partnership

by Sail-World on 24 Aug 2012
Team Korea America's Cup challenger has joined the Barclays Premier League by partnering with Northern English side Sunderland AFC in a seven figure deal that sees the two teams working together to offer sponsors and partners exposure and a fan following on a global basis.

Korean football star striker Ji Dong Won plays for Sunderland and so already cements a strong link between the Black Cats and Korea.

The club also traveled to South Korea during pre-season to take part in the Peace Cup tournament.

Sunderland’s International and National Marketing Director, Mike Farnan, said: 'The America’s Cup is a true sporting phenomenon and, like the Barclays Premier League, it enjoys an enormous following from audiences and high-profile brands across the world.

Dong Young Kim, chief executive of Team Korea, echoed Farnan’s comments: 'This is a great opportunity for both partners to expand their reach to a wider audience offering a more attractive opportunity for prospective sponsors.'

'Football has a very large following in Korea and there is a very strong connection with Sunderland. We can expect to see many opportunities to work together to link an expanded fan base for both teams in Europe, Asia and the Americas.'

The Sunderland logo will feature on the White Tiger boats for the next 18 months and fans at ‘The Stadium of Lights’ in England will be entertained by images and video of the spectacular footage from on board between the football.

Sponsors of both teams will be benefiting from exposure to an audience far greater than either team can offer individually.