Carlsberg to sign £2m Wembley sponsorship

Carlsberg is poised to sign up as the first founding partner of the new Wembley National Stadium, in a deal thought to be worth close to £2m.

The brewing giant is already an official partner of the Football Association, which owns the stadium, and will be relieved to win the sponsorship rights rather than risk having a rival beer brand served at the venue.

The deal includes alcohol-pouring rights to events at the stadium – a lucrative source of revenue. An industry insider says that this aspect is likely to have doubled the price of the deal.

Gareth Roberts, sponsorship manager for Carlsberg and Tetley, confirms that the company is in negotiations with Wembley National Stadium, although he says that nothing has yet been confirmed.

Roberts says all five of the FA’s official sponsors were approached to become official partners of the stadium. Wembley is looking for four “founding partners”, as well as a second tier of official suppliers. Wembley National Stadium marketing director Jonathan Hill, who is overseeing the search, was not available for comment as Marketing Week went to press.

Last month, Wembley appointed start-up agency Isobel to develop an advertising campaign to sell seats (MW September 25).