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UEFA strike landmark seven-year deal with Visa
7 December 2018
UEFA and Visa have agreed a seven-year contract until 2025
UEFA has announced a ground-breaking seven-year sponsorship deal with Visa dedicated to women's football.
The agreement between the two, which will run until 2025, will see Visa become the main sponsor of all UEFA's women's football tournaments, including the Champions League and European Championships, as well as the Women’s U19s and U17s tournaments and the Women’s European Futsal Championship.
Visa will also support Uefa’s marketing platform, Together #WePlayStrong, which was set up in order to encourage more girls and women to take up the sport.
The move to revolutionise Uefa’s traditional sports sponsorship model is a highly significant one, with the change allowing women’s soccer to grow more rapidly thanks to the increase in commercial opportunities available to further develop the game.
UEFA's head of women's football Nadine Kessler said: "The women’s game has always had tremendous value for football and the wider society, but today marks yet another milestone for women’s football and what it can offer.
“It proves that women’s football has truly taken on a new dimension within the commercial landscape. Visa’s commitment and excitement embodies the new heights we have reached with our sport.”
Charlotte Hogg, chief executive of Visa Europe, added: “It is an exciting time for women’s football. Twenty-one million women and girls participate in the beautiful game across Europe and at Visa we want to celebrate every single one of them.
“We want to inspire, enable and leave a legacy to girls and young women to follow their dreams. With UEFA, we plan to bring women’s football to the forefront because at Visa we believe in acceptance everywhere, from the pitch to the boardroom.”
Uefa’s director of marketing, Guy-Laurent Epstein, said: “This will not only help to inspire current fans of women’s football but also ensure future generations take an interest in the sport. We are pleased Visa shares our vision for a vibrant women’s game – a vision that has taken a significant step forward with the signing of our partnership agreement.”
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The women’s game has always had tremendous value for football and the wider society, but this marks yet another milestone for women’s football and what it can offer."
Nadine Kessler
Head of Women's Football, UEFA