Emirates Airline has signed on as main sponsor of Hamburger SV, one of Germany’s top-flight soccer clubs consistently ranked amongst the best performers in the Bundesliga. The multi-million Euro deal was announced today in Hamburg, just one day after the Dubai-based airline officially inaugurated its new daily flights to the German city.

Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group, and HSV Vice Chairman Dietmar Beiersdorfer made the announcement at a media conference held at the AOL Arena, the club’s home stadium. Also present were senior executives from Emirates including Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline; Ghaith Al Ghaith, Executive Vice President Commercial Operations Worldwide; Mike Simon, Divisional Senior Vice President Corporate Communications; with HSV management and star players Daniel van Buyten, Khalid Boulahrouz and Mehdi Mahdavikia.

Beginning this season and extending over three years, the sponsorship deal will see HSV players sport the distinctive ‘Fly Emirates’ insignia on their shirts and the airline’s branding prominently displayed on boards around the AOL Arena.

The partnership will also provide Emirates with premier hospitality facilities at the club’s home stadium and include provisions for joint marketing activities.

Sheikh Ahmed said:

“This sponsorship underlines Emirates’ commitment to our customers in Germany. We are very pleased to be able to support a sport that so many of our customers are passionate about, and we believe our association with HSV will help bring Emirates closer to soccer enthusiasts in Germany, Europe and around the world.”

He added: “Our partnership is a perfect fit for two established brands with strong ambitions to be the best in their fields. Both Emirates and HSV have a very international approach, a passion for quality, and a track record for consistently delivering high standards and results. We look forward to a mutually rewarding relationship with the club.”

Beiersdorfer said: “We welcome Emirates as HSV’s new main sponsor and are proud to join their portfolio of top global soccer properties including Arsenal FC and Paris Saint German in Europe.”

“Emirates is an exciting global brand and its presence is a familiar sight at top sporting events around the world. Their support of our club is an endorsement of HSV’s solid reputation and consistent performance, and we look forward to living up to the faith they have placed in our club.”

Thomas Röttgermann, Managing Director of HSV’s marketing partner SPORTFIVE commented: “We are delighted to have won a top-notch global corporation like Emirates as the new main sponsor for our partner Hamburg SV. This sponsorship bears impressive witness to the international appeal of HSV.”

A major supporter of sport globally, Emirates is one of the world’s fastest growing and most successful international airlines. Sport sponsorship is a vital part of Emirates’ growth strategy and it believes sport is an ideal platform to reach out to its customers through sharing and supporting their interests.

Emirates’ extensive sponsorship portfolio includes some of soccer’s most prestigious properties including: Official Airline for the 2006 FIFA World CupTM, main sponsor for English football heavyweights Arsenal FC for eight years starting 2006/07 plus naming rights to the club’s new stadium; Official Airline for the Asian Football Confederation and France’s Paris Saint Germain FC. In Germany, Emirates also sponsors the BMW Munich Open as Official Airline of the PGA European tour golf tournament.

Hamburger SV has been an integral part of German football’s long and illustrious history. It is the only German club to have never been relegated from the highly competitive Bundesliga, the country’s top professional soccer league. Its past and present players include football icons such as Franz Beckenbauer, Kevin Keegan, and Rafael van der Vaart. The popular club enjoys a strong fan base not just in Germany and Europe, but also in South America and the Far East.

Emirates will work closely with HSV to extend this ever-growing fan base, to develop exciting opportunities for the team and the airline around the world. The airline currently connects travellers to 80 cities around the world, and operates 42 flights a week from its Dubai hub to four cities in Germany - Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf and Hamburg.
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