Emirates and AC Milan have announced the extension of their long-standing partnership. Emirates will continue as Official Airline Partner and a Principal Partner of the Rossoneri in a relationship that has successfully spanned over 15 years.
The iconic Emirates “Fly Better” logo will continue to prominently feature on the men’s First team AC Milan playing jerseys across all of the club’s season fixtures. Emirates branding will also appear on youth jerseys across all national and international AC Milan Academies around the world with the mission to share the positive values of football through the initiatives of the Club’s Academies.
In addition to the airline’s high-profile jersey sponsorship, the agreement will also continue to include highly visible signature Emirates branding across San Siro Stadium, as well as hospitality, ticketing and other marketing rights.
Emirates first signed a sponsorship agreement with AC Milan in September 2007. The following year, the relationship was elevated to Top Institutional Sponsor. The prestigious shirt sponsor deal first featured during the 2010/2011 season, connecting Emirates to millions of Rossoneri fans all over the world. Since then, Emirates has been visible on AC Milan jerseys for 590 official matches, with a total of 967 goals scored by players donning the airline’s shirt branding.
To mark the renewal of the partnership, AC Milan paid a visit to Emirates Group Headquarters in Dubai, where the Rossoneri are currently holding a warm-weather training camp and also competing in the Dubai Super Cup. As part of the visit, coach Stefano Pioli, members of the men’s first team, AC Milan’s senior management team and representatives of the ownership group met with His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive, Emirates Airline & Group in a special moment that officially kicked off renewed collaboration, and marked a shared vision for more great moments ahead.
Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Arline said: “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with AC Milan, and we look forward to more opportunities to engage with one of the most passionate fan bases in the world. We’ve been a committed supporter of the club for over 15 years, and as we enter the next phase of our relationship, we’re working closely with AC Milan on innovative opportunities to showcase the best of each of our brands. Our partnership with the club also complements the deep investments we have made in Italy over the last three decades, as part of our ongoing commitment to support our customers, and the businesses and communities we serve across our four Italian gateways.”
Casper Stylsvig, Chief Revenue Officer of AC Milan, said: “We are truly proud to extend our partnership with Emirates and to continue to build upon our relationship with the world’s largest international airline. Much like Emirates, AC Milan is committed to strengthening our bond with our global audience and continuing to do so alongside a brand that is capable of connecting the world from its global centre in Dubai makes us all very proud. With this new deal, AC Milan and Emirates will be side by side for almost two decades, a testament to the strength and depth of our unique relationship.”
AC Milan’s partnership with Emirates underlines the club’s commitment to strengthening its physical presence in the Middle East. The region is a strategic focus area for the Rossoneri, where football remains the most popular and played sport and the club has the support of over 2.5 million passionate fans. As a testament to the commitment of the Club to the region, AC Milan has plans to open a new office in Dubai, which will serve as a base for the club to further develop its commercial and communication strategy in the Middle East. More details of the new office will be shared in due course.
The partnership is also a testament of Emirates’ commitment to Italy, which the airline has been proudly serving for more than 30 years. Emirates currently operates 44 weekly flights from Italy across four gateways which include Milan, Rome, Venice and Bologna.
Emirates also supports an impressive roster of high profile football clubs and events including Arsenal FC, Olympique Lyonnais, Real Madrid FC, Hamburger SV, Olympiacos FC, S.L Benfica, The Emirates FA Cup, and the Asian Football Confederation.
