Sunderland may be struggling on the pitch this year at the Premier League – they’re tied for a league low 5 goals with format Norwich and only won their first game a couple of weeks ago against Wigan – but up in the corporate office, the team isn’t doing too bad at all. Recently, Sunderland Association Football Club inked a new sponsorship deal with TLC88.com to become the club’s official Asian betting and gaming partner.
The deal will last for two years and will allow the Black Cats to gain a strong footing in the ever growing Asian market. That’s a pretty sweet deal considering the range of online activities, including betting on Sunderland in its Premier League matches, will offer to fans of the team in the continent. Clearly, the team has to perform a lot better than what they’re currently showing, but then again, the season’s still young and there’s still a whole lot of football left to be played.
Speaking about the new partnership with TLC88.com, Sunderland’s international marketing director Mike Farnan issued a statement on this landmark deal, saying that the deal with TLC88.com is the first partnership the club has signed in Asia, one that will undoubtedly raise its growth and profile outside the confines of Europe.
Over on the other side, TLC88.com also voiced their excitement over the new deal with the Premier League football club. Mike Chong, the Asia-Pacific strategy director for TLC88.com sees the new partnership with Sunderland as an opportunity for fans of both entities to enjoy each other’s products. “In Asia, offline gambling is viewed very much as an engaging, social pursuit and the success of TLC88 has been to bring that sense of sharing and fun to the internet,” Chong said.
“This partnership brings together one of Asia’s top online gaming companies and one of the biggest clubs in English football. We believe that our knowledge of developing fun, interactive and engaging platforms will provide Sunderland’s international fan base with an exciting, new gaming experience.”
The deal looks to fit for both companies involved because they get the kind of exposure from the other’s fan base that can really make a difference, particularly in an Asian market that continues to grow. About the only thing that would make this partnership look even rosier is if Sunderland wins more matches in the Premier League. We’re not totally counting them out yet because the team really took off in the latter part of last season. But we expect more wins from these team moving forward. And by wins, we don’t mean in the corporate office – they already scored one with this partnership with TLC88.com – but out on the pitch.
