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Revealed Newcastle United sponsor found via this middle man

7 years ago
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Last month a new Newcastle United sponsor was revealed.

Little known Chinese betting company FUN88 announced as taking over from Wonga, after the payday lender didn’t have the cash to try and extend the sponsorship deal, following the UK government at last tightening the rules on how these companies were operating.

At the time, local media praised Newcastle United Managing Director Lee Charnley for sourcing the deal, even though nothing has been made public about how much money the deal will bring in.

However, it has now been revealed by SBC News that it wasn’t Lee Charnley/Newcastle United who sorted/sourced the deal.

Instead it was sports marketing agency SportQuake who put together the three year FUN88 shirt sponsorship deal with Newcastle United.

Not the greatest surprise, with unlike other major clubs, Newcastle having no proper business team off the pitch trying to bring in major business deals/partnerships, instead the club still mostly given over to giving Mike Ashley’s retail empire free exposure, despite a pledge in the NUFC official accounts a year ago that stated Sports Direct were going to start and pay a market rate for the promotion/advertising.

SBC News also had this brief interview with SportQuake CEO Matt House:

‘This new shirt sponsorship wasn’t confirmed until after Newcastle secured promotion to the Premier League; was this deal dependent on them getting back in the top flight?’

“The partnership was planned based on Newcastle successfully securing promotion to the Premier League (EPL), but it wasn’t dependent on it.”

‘Was there any reluctance from FUN88 to enter a three-year deal, given that Newcastle have twice suffered relegation in their last seven seasons in the Premier League?’

“Newcastle have had their ups and downs but are a massive club in the UK and internationally, so this felt like a really good time to buy and be a small part of the story. 125th birthday year, promotion back to EPL, Rafa at helm, famous black and white stripes, famous international legends such as Shearer…”

‘Have you been made aware of any special campaigns between Newcastle United and FUN88 to commemorate the club’s 125-year anniversary?’

“We have many exciting initiatives we are working on to engage and delight Newcastle fans in UK and internationally.”

‘How does your work activating sports marketing strategies in the UK differ from China and Hong Kong?’

“SportQuake is the go to international sport marketing agency for high growth brands looking to powerfully connect with customers through sport. Of course, there are regional differences in the role sport plays culturally to how and where it is consumed, but our planning and buying and activation principles remain consistent in all markets.”

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