Ladbrokes becomes official partner of FA

Ladbrokes has become the official betting partner of the Football Association (FA), the sport’s governing body in England.

The bookmaker’s partnership with the FA, which will commence in August, is to include activities relating to the England national team, as it begins its qualification campaign for the 2018 Fifa World Cup, and the FA Cup.

Under the terms of the agreement, Ladbrokes will benefit from premium brand exposure alongside England senior men’s matches, and ties across all rounds of the FA Cup. Also included within the partnership are in-stadium betting rights at Wembley Stadium.

Martin Glenn, chief executive of the FA, said: “Ladbrokes joins an outstanding portfolio of official FA partners, providing support across the England team, and the most famous cup competition in the world, the Emirates FA Cup. We are delighted to welcome them on board.”

Ladbrokes said that it believes the deal will help it to drive new customer acquisition around showpiece events.

Jim Mullen, Ladbrokes’ chief executive, said: “Football is the holy grail of sporting sponsorship opportunities. We are absolutely delighted to have secured exclusive rights that will see Ladbrokes at the beating heart of the beautiful game.

“When I became CEO last year I announced that the Ladbrokes organic growth plan would require us to ramp up our marketing spend in those places where we know are customers are engaged. Being at the heart of football in this country is precisely what I had in mind. We're keen to invest where we know we can make a difference and this deal further strengthens the sporting passion that is evident throughout Ladbrokes.”

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