The Football League play-off finals last month marked the start of a new official car partnership between Fiat-Chrysler and the Football League. Fiat was an event partner at the Sky Bet finals, held at Wembley, which saw Norwich City, Preston North End and Southend United victorious in their respective divisions.
There was no shortage of branding opportunities for Fiat-Chrysler at the weekend’s events, with the car manufacturer’s name emblazoned around the perimeter, the centre circle and on the giant screen. A promotion also saw ten lucky fans win tickets to each final, one of whom also won a new Fiat 500X at half-time in each match.
The agreement between Fiat-Chrysler and the Football League won’t kick off in earnest until the start of next season. FCA UK will be launching an affinity scheme with all 72 Football League clubs. The idea is to raise awareness of the firm’s offerings among thousands of football fans through activities at matches, online promotional campaigns and dealer promotions.
Chief Executive of the Football League Shaun Harvey said, “We are delighted to be entering into a partnership with a leading international brand such as Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles. The company’s range of vehicles will be attractive to every football fan in the country and it is very encouraging to see another high-calibre company wanting to invest in our competitions, especially such a vibrant brand that promises to engage with The Football League fanbase”.
Deputy Managing Director of FCA UK Karl Howkins added, “This is a fantastic opportunity for both Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles UK and The Football League. We are enjoying considerable success with other football and sports cooperation and I am sure this latest partnership with The Football League will bring us similar results.”
FCA UK has strong football connections and supplies cars to Premier League side Aston Villa, who will take on Arsenal in the FA Cup final this Saturday. FCA UK’s Motor Village, based in London, is also Fulham FC’s Official Car Partner. The new move to partner The Football League, though, is a much bolder move into a broader football market.
The Football League covers the second, third and fourth tiers of professional football in England – The Championship, League One and League Two.
In this year’s play-off finals, Norwich City won the ‘120-million-pound match’, beating Middlesbrough at Wembley and winning a golden ticket to the Premier League. Preston North End beat Swindon 4-0 to reach The Championship and Southend scraped past Wycombe on penalties to reach League One.
Now that the football season is done and dusted, it’s your chance to test drive any of Fiat’s award-winning range of vehicles. So pop down to Richard Hardie’s showrooms in Ashington or Silverlink in Newcastle, this weekend.
