Ooredoo Announces Sponsorship of Paris Saint-Germain
Ligue 1 Champions and Global Communication Company Will Collaborate on Football Coaching for Youth around the World to Support Human Growth
Doha, Qatar
Ooredoo, one of the world’s fastest-growing communications companies, today announced that it will sponsor the 2012/2013 Ligue 1 Champions Paris Saint-Germain.
H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani, Chairman, Ooredoo, and Nasser Al-Khelaifi, President, Paris Saint-Germain, announced the partnership, which will run through to 2018.
A major focus of the agreement will be the development of youth and community support, as Ooredoo and Paris Saint-Germain will launch a community coaching programme across Ooredoo’s footprint in the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia that will include football clinics for young people.
The coaching clinics will be designed to create life opportunities for young people. Ooredoo and Paris Saint-Germain will bring qualified coaches and Paris Saint-Germain training programmes to a number of key markets, with a focus on outreach to underserved communities and supporting youth in these communities.
The Ooredoo logo will appear on the backs of Paris Saint-Germain team shirts and on the sleeves of their training kits, and at the team’s Parc des Princes Stadium on the pitch side LED system. The team’s training complex “Camp des Loges” will also be renamed the “Ooredoo Training Center”.
H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Mohammed Bin Saud Al Thani, Chairman, Ooredoo, said: “Football brings people together from all nations and all walks of life, and we have found a great sponsorship partner in Paris Saint-Germain. Through our talks with the club, we have come to know them as a team that is keen on bringing football to new markets, committed to developing communities and is passionately connected to their fans. We share these values, and look forward to a long and mutually-beneficial partnership with Paris Saint-Germain.”
The inspiring educational sessions provided during the coaching clinics will include information on proper nutrition, injury management, how to prepare for matches and will focus on encouraging young people to achieve their ambitions at key points in their lives.
Nasser Al-Khelaifi, President, Paris Saint-Germain, said: “Paris Saint-Germain and Ooredoo both have set high goals in reaching audiences around the world. This sponsorship will enable us to reach out to new Paris Saint-Germain fans in markets with large youth populations that follow and play football. We also look forward to using our global reach to give back to communities through our shared community coaching programme.”
Bringing them closer to the team, Ooredoo’s customers will be able to access exclusive Paris Saint-Germain content. This will include behind-the-scenes footage on how players prepare and recover from a match, along with opportunities to see Paris Saint-Germain play live with free ticket giveaways.
Ooredoo, which changed its brand name earlier in 2013, is rolling-out its new brand throughout its markets across the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. Ooredoo reflects the company’s vision for enriching people’s lives and its goal of delivering life-enhancing services to customers.
H.E. Sheikh Abdullah said: “We believe that young people should be given a full range of opportunities, so that they can realise their dreams, whether it coaching as a professional sportsperson or support to start their own company. We work with partners who are champions in their field, because this provides us with a strong connection with young people, and a platform to help them achieve their ambitions.”
The global sponsorship of Paris Saint-Germain is an ideal fit within the company’s sponsorship portfolio. Paris Saint-Germain enters the 2013-2014 season as the reigning champions of France’s Ligue 1, and carries high expectations in the prestigious UEFA Champion’s League.
Sponsoring Paris Saint-Germain and the Community Coaching programme continues Ooredoo’s long-standing tradition of providing support for a wide variety of international, national, and grassroots sporting activities.
During the London 2012 Olympics, Ooredoo was the Official Sponsor of the Qatar Olympic Committee, and the company has previously sponsored the Arab Games 2011 and the Asian Games 2006. Ooredoo is currently sponsoring the 2013 Jeux de la Francophonie (“7th Francophone Games”) in Nice, France, until 15 September 2013.
About Ooredoo
Ooredoois a leading international communications company delivering mobile, fixed, broadband internet and corporate managed services tailored to the needs of consumers and businesses across markets in the Middle East, North Africa and Southeast Asia. As a community-focused company, Ooredoo is guided by its vision of enriching people’s lives and its belief that it can stimulate human growth by leveraging communications to help people achieve their full potential. Ooredoo has a presence in markets such as Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Algeria, Tunisia, Iraq, Palestine, the Maldives and Indonesia. The company reported revenues of $9.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2012 and had a consolidated global customer base of more than 92.9 million people as of 31 December 2012. Ooredoo’s shares are listed on the Qatar Exchange and the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange.
Twitter: @OoredooMedia
Facebook: facebook.com/ooredoogroup
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/ooredoo
About Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain is a sporting club located in Paris that boasts three professional teams:
- Men’s Football (Paris Saint-Germain),
- Women’s Football (Paris Saint-Germain Women),
- Men’s Handball (Paris Saint-Germain Handball).
Founded in 1970, Paris Saint-Germain has become one of the most prestigious football clubs in Europe, and this year won the French Ligue 1 championship for the third time in the club’s history. The team also reached the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League in 2013.
The Paris Saint-Germain digital assets include PSG TV, which is available on internet, and PSG.fr, which averages more than 15 million page views per month, more than 18% of which originate from outside of France. The Paris Saint-Germain is the No. 1 professional French sports franchise on social media, with 18 million fans and followers globally across all franchise, teams, and player platforms.
Twitter: @PSG_inside
Facebook: facebook.com/PSG
