While taking on Norwich City FC sponsorship

Aviva has been unveiled as the new shirt sponsor of Norwich City Football Club, on the same day the insurance giant announced it is scrapping its Norwich Union brand. It replaces travel brand Flybe, which earlier this week revealed it would not be renewing its deal.

An Aviva spokeswoman says the decision was taken to “reassure” the city that it is “committed to the community” despite scrapping the Norwich Union brand. It employs 6,700 people in the Norwich area. The three year deal will start from the coming season and also includes renewed sponsorship of the Community Stand and grass roots support for the club.

Aviva will also replace Norwich Union as the £8m sponsor of UK Athletics from next month and says it will benefit from being able to “amplify the global impact” of its sponsorship spend.

The deal was originally negotiated as a UK sponsorship aimed at a UK audience but the spokeswoman says that UK athletics is televised in over 150 countries. “When we rebrand this to Aviva, we will benefit from the TV coverage these events receive all over the world,” adds the spokeswoman.

The first Aviva sponsored event, the Aviva UK Championships, which will incorporate Team GB Selection Trials for the Beijing Olympics, will take place in Birmingham in July.