JUICY PREY FOR TIGERS: Hull City sign lucrative deal with SportPesa

SPORTPESA Hull City's Mo Diame when SportPesa signed shirt sponsorship deal with the English Premier League side on Monday July 25, 2016 at the KC Stadium. [PHOTO: COURTESY]

Kenyan betting firm SportPesa on Monday made history by becoming the first African company to sponsor English Premier League (EPL) side, Hull City, after announcing a three-year shirt sponsorship deal.

The deal is reportedly worth Sh2 billion per year and is the most lucrative shirt sponsorship by Hull City who are making a return to the top flight after one season in the lower league.

The Tigers confirmed on their website that the new sponsorship deal is the most lucrative in the club’s 112-year history.

SportPesa will have its name and company logo on the Tigers’ home, away and third shirts for the 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons.

Furthermore, Hull City will also visit Kenya to play a select side according to the deal.

Simon King, Commercial Manager at Hull City Tigers told the club’s website: “We are delighted to form a three-year partnership with SportPesa. SportPesa are so much more than a betting brand, this is a company with a huge footprint across grassroots sport in Kenya, as well as the rest of Africa.”

He added: “The deal is by far the largest in our history and a sign of our ambition to grow our club and become a household name in our sport globally.”

Ronald Karauri, chief executive officer of SportPesa, termed the move a milestone for the company.

“This is a big milestone for SportPesa as it marks the scaling of a Kenyan brand into the global market. The SportPesa platform will now be available in the United Kingdom and later in the year present in several African countries. One year from now we will have presence in at least four continents,” he said.

“Even as a global brand, staying consistent with our core values that centre around grassroots sport and community development will replicate the success SportPesa has enjoyed in Kenya,”

“Part of our deal will see The Tigers be the first English Premier League team ever to come to Kenya to play a select side as part of our campaign towards having Kenya compete in the World Cup for the first time in 2022,” he added.

Betway, another betting company that also operates in Kenya, also sponsors an English Premier League (EPL) side West Ham in a deal reportedly worth Sh2.8 billion per year and the move by SportPesa is seen as taking the battle to their competitors to the global market.

Apart from becoming the official sponsors of Hull City, SportPesa is also the official betting partner of Arsenal. Under the deal, Arsenal sent some of its coaches to Nairobi last month to conduct coaching courses.

Locally, SportPesa has huge sponsorship deals with a number of sports properties among them the Kenyan Premier League (KPL). It is also the official sponsors of Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards.