LaLiga, the men’s top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system and AJEAST Nigeria, makers of Big Cola, have signed a strategic regional partnership deal for an intensified engagement with the league’s fan base in the country.
The strategic deal announced Thursday at a press conference in Lagos makes the multinational beverage company the latest regional partner with the league in Nigeria.
The partnership is expected to reinforce both LaLiga and AJEAST’s continued commitment to consumer satisfaction in Nigeria. Moreover, it will enable the beverage company, which is a major stakeholder in the country’s fast-growing consumer goods industry, to offer its customers access to exclusive content related to the Spanish football competition.
In a statement following the signing, Gregory Bolle, LaLiga’s head of global partnership sales, said that “LaLiga loves Africa and Nigeria is a strategic country for us, because of its fans and numerous football talents such as Francis Uzoho (Deportivo de la Coruna) and Oghenekaro Etebo (UD Las Palmas).
LaLiga is proud to kick off this partnership with a leading beverage brand such as Big Cola. This partnership will allow our millions of Nigerian LaLiga fans to further engage with the best league in the world. Through this innovative collaboration with Big Cola, we will prove once again that we are committed to becoming closer than ever to our fantastic Nigerian fans,” he said.
On his part, Theo Williams, country director of AJEAST Nigeria, stated that “We are proud to launch this partnership with LaLiga. This partnership provides us with a remarkable platform to broaden Big Cola’s profile and values while giving us another opening to create distinctive experiences for football fans all over Nigeria.”
Also speaking at the event, Javier Del Rio, LaLiga’s delegate for Nigeria said “This is another major step for LaLiga in the right direction here in Nigeria. Through this partnership with Big Cola, we´ll be able to bring the best League in the world closer to the Nigerian fans and all the young football talents in the country.”
Under this agreement, AJEAST Nigeria will gain access to intellectual property and marketing rights, tickets and hospitality deals, merchandising, rights to digital assets and social media, public viewing events for El Clásico, access to trophy tours and exclusive content from the 20 clubs participating in the Spanish top flight league.
The partnership reaffirms AJEAST’s status as a major player in the development of football in Nigeria, while further illustrating LaLiga’s successful international expansion in Africa to get closer to its Nigerian fans.
The partnership with Big Cola continues LaLiga’s commitment to Nigeria, joining projects already taken up by the LaLiga office in Nigeria, such as the MoU signing with the NPFL, the NPFL All-Star Trip to Spain, the Legacy Sports Partnership, the LaLiga – NPFL coaching seminar for Nigerian youth coaches, the NPFL U-15 tournament, the MoU signing with the NWFL, and the official LaLiga in Naija media event.
