Kenya’s sports betting firm has signed up a three-year multi pound deal as official sponsors of Hull City Tigers, a deal that will see Sportpesa’s name and logo on Hull City Tigers’ home, away and third shirts for the 2016/17, 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons.
Speaking about the most lucrative deal in the Club’s proud 112-year history, Simon King, Commercial Manager at Hull City Tigers, said: “We are delighted to form a three-year partnership with SportPesa. SportPesa are so much more than a betting brand, this is a company with a huge footprint across grassroots sport in Kenya, as well as the rest of Africa. The deal is by far the largest in our history and a sign of our ambition to grow our Club and become a household name in our sport globally.”
SportPesa, a two year-old firm founded and based in Kenya with ties to various international and local pensioners has become one of the biggest online gaming companies on the continent. The firm has been sponsoring a number of sporting events in the country, including becoming the title sponsor of the Kenya’s top-tier football competition – the SportPesa Premier League. This new partnership with the Tigers sponsorship marks the company’s global expansion starting with the UK where gaming services will be available on their platform within the next one month.
In Feb, Sportpesa announced a deal with Arsenal to set up training camps led by Arsenal-trained coaching staff. The deal also gave SportPesa chance to advertise Arsenal’s digital channels, promotional activities and marketing initiatives featuring first-team players and club legends and offer Arsenal fans club-related benefits, including official merchandise and match tickets to see the team in action at Emirates Stadium.
Locally, Sportpesa also sponsors Gor Mahia, who are currently the defending champions of the SportPesa Premier League, and AFC Leopards.
One of SportPesa’s key focus areas is to contribute to the sustainable growth of a number of different sports in Kenya and are committed to positively influencing the communities that they are part of, and as such have gone the extra mile to partner a vast amount of community based initiatives.
Ronald Karauri, Chief Executive Officer of SportPesa, said: “This is a big milestone for SportPesa as it marks the scaling of a Kenyan brand into the global market. The SportPesa platform will now be available in the United Kingdom and later in the year present in several African countries. One year from now we will have presence in at least four continents.”
“Even as a global brand, staying consistent with our core values that center around grassroots sport and community development will replicate the success SportPesa has enjoyed in Kenya.”
“Part of our deal will see The Tigers be the first English Premier League team ever to come to Kenya to play a select side as part of our campaign towards having Kenya compete in the World Cup for the first time in 2022.”
