Five clubs from the German Bundesliga have extended their sponsorship contracts with sports betting operator bwin for a further three seasons.
As a result of the extension, Borussia Dortmund, FC Cologne, St Pauli, Dynamo Dresden and Union Berlin will maintain their agreements until 2023/24, with Entain’s Austrian brand continuing to serve as the exclusive sports betting partner of each team.
The renewals maintain bwin’s foothold in the German sports sponsorship space, building on an official sports betting partnership signed with the German Football Association (DFB) in 2019, which includes advertising of the DFB-Pokal, the country’s knockout tournament.
“We’d like to thank bwin for placing their trust in us,” said Carsten Cramer, Managing Director of Borussia Dortmund. “We still believe that the two brands are an excellent match. Since we’re always interested in long-term partnerships, it’s only logical to continue our existing collaboration.”
Bernd von Geldern, Sales Manager of FC St Pauli, commented: “Over the past three years, we’ve found bwin to be a reliable partner, and we’re thrilled to be able to continue working together in the long term.
“bwin is an internationally networked brand with high appeal, yet also closely associated with German football. We look forward to the fantastic projects we’ll be carrying out together in the coming seasons.”
Under the terms of the initial deal with the DFB, bwin holds advertising rights for the national teams until 31 December 2022 and the Women’s Bundesliga and third division 3. Lliga until the summer of 2022.
Entain has described the renewed sponsorship agreement with the DFB as reflecting “ambition for its global brands to be part of great sporting experiences enjoyed by customers”.
Outside of Germany, bwin sponsors FC Valencia in the Spanish LaLiga and acts as official partner of Spanish teams competing in the Euro League – a similar agreement to the latter also exists in Greece.
Furthermore, the operator sponsors Olympiacos in the Super League Greece and maintains deals with the Jupiler Pro League in Belgium as well as the Portugese national league, which will be branded as Liga Bwin from the 2022/23 season onwards.
Stephan Heilmann, Managing Director of Digital Europe Entain: “It’s a great honour for us to continue our long-term partnership with these long-standing clubs. Our sponsorships underline the importance of the fans and the passion for football.
“Authenticity is a top priority for bwin, just as it is for our five partner clubs. We’re therefore delighted to be maintaining our close partnership with them over the next three years.”
