Maxxis Signs 3 Year Deal with Liverpool FC

Maxxis has announced that it will extend its brand awareness activities at Anfield, the home of Liverpool FC, following its tie up for the final stages of the 2008/09 Barclays Premier League. The company has concluded a deal which will lengthen the relationship by a further three years. As an Official Partner of Liverpool FC until the end of the 2011/12 season, Maxxis will be heavily involved with the club – one of the giants of the game – showing the company’s desire to further its commitment to football and sport in general.

Under the terms of the deal, Maxxis will be entitled to an extensive rights inventory, providing it with prominent exposure through a pitchside advertising presence at every home fixture (except Champions League matches) plus advertisements in This is Anfield (the matchday programme) and in LFC Magazine, the club’s weekly magazine. Maxxis will also feature on Liverpool FC’s own TV channel, LFC TV – which was launched in 2007 and keeps almost three million UK viewers up to date with the club’s activities. The brand will continue to advertise on one of the UK’s most popular football websites, www.liverpoolfc.tv.

Maxxis plans to develop opportunities surrounding a 5-a-side competition at Liverpool’s Youth Academy, and is also looking into promotional spin offs, since its status as Official Partner means it is entitled to use Liverpool FC marks, logo and imagery on promotional items such as pens, T-shirts, posters and mugs.

Warren Lin, managing director of international sales for Maxxis and a director of Maxxis UK, was in the country to see the contract being signed and learn more about Liverpool FC. The club organised tours of Anfield, the Melwood training facility and the Youth Team Academy for its Maxxis guests.

“Our investment in football over the past few years has served us well, so we are delighted to continue supporting our UK retailers, especially the Maxxis Centres of Excellence network, and carry the brand forward by agreeing a new strategic partnership with one of football’s biggest and best known clubs,” says Maxxis UK’s managing director Derek McMartin.

“We look forward to capitalising on Liverpool FC’s strong brand values and sense of community to promote Maxxis and our ability to deliver quality, reliable products at an affordable price.”

Ian Ayre, Liverpool FC’s commercial director, adds, “We’re delighted to welcome Maxxis into our partnership family at what is an exciting time for the club. The past three years have seen Maxxis establish itself as a brand that understands football fans and we look forward to developing a mutually beneficial programme of activity, not just in the UK, but on a global basis.”

This new deal will enable Maxxis to reach not only the thousands of ardent Liverpool FC fans who follow the team home and away, but also the millions who tune in to watch live games on Sky Sports and Setanta, as well as the Match of the Day highlights on BBC1. The Barclays Premier League attracts an annual TV audience of over three billion people across 200 territories, so this deal ties in with Maxxis’s global marketing strategy of professional sport sponsorship, which includes support for the New York Yankees, LA Dodgers and Chicago White Sox baseball franchises.

The manufacturer commenced its football sponsorship in 2006/07, developing a perimeter advertising and hospitality package with Aston Villa FC. This deal was renewed for two further seasons and in 2008/09 Maxxis extended its football activities by signing a 12-month perimeter advertising deal with both Everton FC and Tottenham Hotspur FC. Maxxis will now focus on developing initiatives in conjunction with Liverpool FC until the end of the 2011/12 season.