FDJ to sponsor 100 amateur clubs across France

ParionsSport, Française des Jeux’s (FDJ) sports betting brand, has announced 100 amateur football clubs from throughout France that it will sponsor during the coming year.

The 100 clubs will receive a complete equipment supply set including around 30 kits that can be personalised with team colours and logos. The clubs will also be supported throughout the season, in particular by various dedicated activities and their information will be relayed on the ParionsSport channels.

The clubs, which include men’s and women’s teams, were selected from more than 3,700 applications, with a minimum of five chosen from each region of France.

The selection committee comprised Smaïl Bouabdellah, a commentator for Qatari broadcaster BeIn Sports and ParionsSport ambassador, as well as professional football players, social development body Fondaction du Football and FDJ.

“Beyond FDJ's commitments in professional sport, the group is continuing its roots in amateur football,” FDJ said. “With more than 28,000 points of sale throughout France, it is natural for ParionsSport to become a sponsor of amateur football clubs throughout France.”

FDJ has supported French sport for more than 40 years and is an official partner of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. It recently extended partnerships with two of France’s biggest football clubs, Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille, and is an exclusive sports betting partner of the NBA in France in the sports betting sector, through the ParionsSport brand.

FDJ last month announced a decline in wagers of 18.4% year-on-year to €6.90bn (£6.25bn/$8.11bn) during H1 due to the impact of novel coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown. Revenue for the period was down 10.1% at €849m.

It noted that until France went into lockdown on 16 March, stakes had been up 5% year-on-year, before dropping 60% over the next two months.

For sports betting – for which figures were adjusted to reflect the contribution from Sporting Group, acquired in June 2019 – stakes were down 38.8% at €1.11bn, in a period where the sporting calendar was almost wiped out by Covid-19. France’s 2019-20 football season was also ended prematurely in April, with no league action to take place until September.