Zug, Switzerland — Infront Sports & Media, a Wanda Sports company, has secured an Associate Sponsor agreement with SEK, the Turkish milk and dairy brand, for the Jr. NBA TBF Basketball League. The school-based league offers children aged between 11 and 12 years old, from schools across Turkey, an opportunity to play in a professionally-organised tournament. Infront assisted with the sponsorship procurement for the event as a result of its involvement as exclusive global media and marketing partner of the Turkish Basketball Federation (TBF).
The Jr. NBA TBF Basketball League, entering its second season of competition, shoots into action on 10 April, with games played through until 4 June 2017. In total, 30 local schools from Ankara, Mersin, Istanbul and Izmir will participate in the league with each school team representing one of the 30 NBA teams.
SEK is the leading Turkish milk and dairy brand. As a result of its sponsorship commitment, the company will receive a comprehensive package of rights with exposure across the competition that includes: Court-side branding through LED advertising, on-court branding, logo integration on jerseys and shorts as well as press backdrops and the rights to use the composite Jr. NBA TBF Basketball League and SEK logo on products.
Arzu Aslan Kesimer, General Manager of Tat Gıda (SEK): “We believe that the partnership with the Jr. NBA TBF Basketball League will help our children to understand fair play and the importance of team spirit. Our goal is to teach children the common benefits of doing sports alongside healthy eating. SEK and the TBF are collaborating to encourage healthy individuals that support each other and compete fairly.”
Naci Cansun, Associate Vice President of NBA EMEA: “The NBA is excited to witness the growth of basketball in Turkey – a country, which has one of the most passionate NBA fan groups. Our aim is to trigger long-lasting basketball passion among children and we believe that giving NBA team names to local schools will contribute to this valuable endeavour. We would like to thank the Turkish Basketball Federation for the abundant support provided through the Jr. NBA TBF Basketball League, which we wish to turn into a long-term cooperation. We would also like to express our gratitude to SEK for supporting our aim to spread greater passion for the sport of basketball.”
Ömer Onan, CEO of Turkish Basketball Federation: “We believe the Jr. NBA TBF Basketball League is a valuable project for basketball in Turkey. Through this partnership we are aiming to encourage young people in Turkey to adopt an active lifestyle and sports culture at an early age. We would like to thank all participating children and coaches and the associate partner SEK for its valuable contribution.”
Ender Uslu, Managing Director of Infront Turkey: “At Infront, we are excited to further support the development and growth of basketball in Turkey. As such, we are delighted to have been able to support the Jr. NBA TBF Basketball League. We highly value our relationship with the Turkish Basketball Federation and the Jr. NBA TBF Basketball League - which appeals to the youth of today – our prospects for tomorrow. Building a solid healthy future for the sport is a win-win scenario for the TBF, NBA and the SEK brand.”
The agreement was officially announced on Wednesday at a press conference held in the Abdi İpekçi Sports Arena, Istanbul. The conference was followed by a draw ceremony where each participating school selected an NBA team name to participate with across the duration of the tournament. At the end of the signing ceremony, Jr. NBA TBF League jerseys were delivered to the participating students.
Infront Sports & Media, a Wanda Sports company, is one of the most respected sports marketing companies 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, event operation and digital solutions – 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 close to 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.
Wanda Sports is the world’s leading sports business entity, founded to capture the opportunities in the global sports industry and to contribute to the prosperous international sports landscape in three key areas: 1) Spectator Sports (media & marketing business), 2) Participation Sports (active lifestyle business), 3) Services (digital, production and service business). Led by President & Vice Chairman Philippe Blatter, Wanda Sports incorporates the international sports marketing company Infront Sports & Media, the iconic endurance brand IRONMAN and Wanda Sports China. The headquarters are in Guangzhou, China.