Zug, Switzerland – As the 2016/17 Champions Hockey League (CHL) starts tonight, engelbert strauss - the leading European company for work-wear and personal protective equipment – will be part of it. The brand has committed for a further season as Official Presenting Partner, following its original agreement which dates back to the inaugural 2014/15 season of the competition. The contract was closed with Infront Sports & Media, the exclusive marketing and media partner for the CHL.
Through its sponsorship, engelbert strauss enjoys the most significant package of rights available for commercial partners of the competition securing extensive exposure in TV camera view at all 157 games. Clearly visible branding is featured at the heart of the action in the centre circle of the ice rink, on the players’ jerseys, the perimeter boards and the platinum circle above the boards. In addition, engelbert strauss is to benefit from full integration across all communication and promotional materials – including the website and streaming platform www.championshockeyleague.net.
Karl–Heinz Brenner, Head of Marketing from engelbert strauss, commented: “The Champions Hockey League has seen tremendous development since its inception and the competition has already built a steady standing in the European sports landscape. We are pleased to commit to the CHL platform as Official Presenting Partner for a further season, as our sponsorship has been a great success so far. Due to the strong sportive appeal, we have gained great visibility in our key sales markets including Germany, Sweden and Switzerland but also worldwide, which contributes to our own growth vision.”
Bruno Marty, Infront’s Executive Director Winter Sports, added: “engelbert strauss has demonstrated its steadfast commitment to help boost the profile of the CHL and appeal from the very start, and is – as a brand – one of the winners of the Champions Hockey League development. With a cumulative audience of 153.1 million and 514,000 onsite spectators in the last season, engelbert strauss has received massive exposure and highly positive brand alignment with an appealing sport and growing platform.”
Following the third General Assembly Meeting of the Champions Hockey League held in June, a new qualification system from the 2017/18 season onwards has been presented. A new total of 32 professionally ranked teams will be granted entry based purely on sporting merit. Within the new criteria, 24 of the best teams from the founding national leagues, 8 from the Challenge Leagues with a maximum of 5 teams per country will be accepted into the competition alongside the previous season CHL Champion and the Continental Cup Winner which are granted automatic qualification.
The 2016/17 Champions Hockey League season opens with four games tonight. Game Day 1 will conclude on 19 August. In the Group Stage, 48 teams will compete in 16 groups, with winners and runners-up all qualifying for the Round of 32. The final will be played on 7 February 2017 at the home arena of the club with the best record leading up to the final.
engelbert strauss is Europe’s market leader for workwear and occupational safety. The owner-run family company is headquartered near Frankfurt a.M./Germany and has various subsidiaries across the continent, as well as the United Kingdom. A wide range of products are developed, produced and sold directly online, by catalogue and in the company’s own workwearstores®. Due to the high design and functional standards, the products are also growing in popularity within the private sector.
The league is fully owned and operated by the Champions Hockey League AG/Ltd which includes, as its shareholders, 26 Founding Clubs, six national Founding Leagues and the International Ice Hockey Federation. The Founding National Leagues are: Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland. The best teams from the Challenge Leagues (Belarus, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Norway, Poland and Slovakia) are extended Wild Cards (C-Licenses). Poland is the new and 13th league in the competition. The teams which participate in the 2016/17 season represent a total of 267 national championships between them.
Infront Sports & Media is the most respected sports marketing company in the world, managing a comprehensive portfolio of top properties. Led by President & CEO Philippe Blatter, Infront covers all aspects of successful sporting events – including distribution of media rights, sponsorship, media production and event operation – and has won a reputation for its high standards of delivery. As the number one player in winter sport and with a leading role in football, summer and endurance sports, Infront enjoys long-lasting partnerships with 170 rights-holders and hundreds of sponsors and media companies. Headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, Infront has a team of more than 900 experienced staff working from over 35 offices across more than 15 countries, delivering 4,100 event days of top class sport around the world every year. In November 2015, Infront was integrated into Wanda Sports Holding, part of the Chinese conglomerate the Dalian Wanda Group.