The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has signed up dairy products producer Yili as the first official global partner of its national team competitions from China PR.
Under the terms of the deal, which spans the 2021 to 2024 rights cycle, the brand will serve as the exclusive sponsor in the dairy products category, the water category, and other selected beverage categories.
Furthermore, the agreement encompasses all major AFC national team competitions, including the final round of the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to Qatar and Asia’s flagship national team competition, the AFC Asian Cup China 2023, as well as the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 and the AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022.
Dato’ Windsor John, AFC General Secretary, stated: “The AFC is delighted to have entered into a global partnership with Yili from 2021 to 2024.
“Today’s agreement represents a partnership between two world-class brands. The AFC’s competitions have continued to grow in stature, and I am confident that this collaboration will promote the long-term objectives of both the AFC and Yili in forging stronger relationships with our fans and consumers respectively.
“We thank Yili for their confidence and trust in Asian football and we look forward to working with Yili to ensure we continue to strengthen the game for all our stakeholders across the Continent.”
Yili has also been designated as the exclusive presenting partner of the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 opening ceremony and benefit from prominent brand exposure through the provision of the official flag bearers of the tournament.
The partnership was secured by the AFC’s exclusive commercial partner Football Marketing Asia (FMA), which will manage the rights delivery and work closely on launching a range of activation campaigns.
“We are delighted to become the AFC’s first official global partner from China PR,” added Zhang Jianqiu, CEO of Yili Group.
“In line with our corporate belief – ‘Yili means the best quality’ – Yili has pledged an unwavering commitment to producing quality products and being the most trusted global healthy food provider.
“Since 2005, Yili has been a proud partner of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, the Chinese Olympic Committee and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games, providing high-quality healthy products for athletes and consumers and actively promoting a healthy lifestyle.”
