{"id":43698,"date":"2021-10-01T09:50:24","date_gmt":"2021-10-01T07:50:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cruyffalumni.org\/johancruyffinstitute-2026\/sport-sponsorship-the-power-of-a-message\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T07:08:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T05:08:20","slug":"sport-sponsorship-the-power-of-a-message","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/johancruyffinstitute.cruyffalumni.org\/en\/the-magazine\/sport-marketing\/sport-sponsorship-the-power-of-a-message\/","title":{"rendered":"Sport Sponsorship: The power of a message"},"content":{"rendered":"

Damian Bott (PSV) and Jason Lucas Luijckx (Team Liquid) reveal in a webinar from Johan Cruyff Institute<\/a> on sport sponsorship<\/a> what the key elements are of their tailor-made partnerships with Brainport Eindhoven and Alienware and other brands in the esports industry, respectively<\/h2>\n

Sport sponsorship<\/strong><\/a> value is evolving as the world around it changes. There has been accelerated shifts in the way rights holders sell their sport sponsorships and brands activate their partnerships<\/a>, according to the latest report \u20182021 Global Sport Marketing Trends\u2019<\/a> by Nielsen Sports. There are new ways to engage fans and create stories<\/a>, and millennials have become an important target group to connect with.<\/p>\n

Tailor-made deals are key in sport sponsorship<\/strong><\/a> today, but whether you are a football club with a long and rich tradition like PSV Eindhoven<\/strong><\/a>, or a leading brand in the young esports<\/strong><\/a> and gaming industry like Team Liquid<\/strong><\/a>, there are a lot more similarities in what we can share and learn from than we might perhaps think.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat is why we were delighted that two speakers, representing PSV<\/strong><\/a> and Team Liquid<\/strong><\/a>, prepared presentations for a <\/strong>webinar<\/strong><\/a> organized by Johan Cruyff Institute<\/strong> on sport sponsorship<\/strong><\/a> partnerships, to take us into their organizations and explain how sponsorship has evolved into a powerful marketing platform<\/a> for their organizations, as well as for their sponsors and the stakeholders they work with today,\u201d says Richard Denton<\/strong>, academic director of the Master in Sport Management Amsterdam<\/strong><\/a> and lecturer of the Master in Football Business in partnership with FC Barcelona <\/strong><\/a>from Johan Cruyff Institute<\/strong>, and the organizer of the webinar.<\/p>\n

The Brains<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\"Sport<\/div>\n
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Damian Bott<\/strong><\/p>\n

Damian<\/a> is head of marketing & media at PSV<\/strong><\/a>. He dives into the unique and historic sponsorship relation the club has with Brainport Eindhoven<\/strong><\/a>, to further promote the region as a global leader in knowledge, high-tech and innovation<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Sport<\/div>\n
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Jason Lucas Luijckx<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jason<\/a> is the senior partnerships manager at Team Liquid<\/strong><\/a>. He delves into the management and sales side of sponsorships within the esports industry<\/a> and some exclusive and long-term partnerships, one of them with Alienware<\/strong><\/a> and the training facility in Utrecht..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Sport<\/div>\n
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Richard Denton<\/strong><\/p>\n

Besides his academic work for Johan Cruyff Institute<\/strong><\/a>, Richard<\/a> has been working in the sport marketing<\/strong><\/a> and entertainment business for a variety of international brands and sport events<\/strong><\/a>. He was also managing director of the leading Dutch sport marketing agency Trefpunt-Prism, and he was manager of sponsorship and partner sales at Dutch football club Vitesse..<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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PSV\u2019s partnership with Brainport Eindhoven<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Right at the start of his presentation, Damian Bott<\/strong> reveals that “we put Brainport Eindhoven<\/strong><\/a> on the chests of our PSV<\/strong><\/a> players, which is quite unique, as it is a region and not a big brand that is\u2014I assume\u2014on the most important spot of every football club around the world: it\u2019s jersey.”<\/p>\n

\"Sport<\/p>\n

Noni Madueke.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Brainport Eindhoven<\/strong><\/a> is a remarkable region, and a brand owned by 21 cities in the south of the Netherlands. The five launching partners, now six, are committed to promoting this region brand.<\/p>\n

Not a company, but a region as a football club\u2019s premium partner. To further promote Brainport Eindhoven<\/strong> as a global leader in knowledge, high-tech and innovation<\/strong><\/a>, five top Dutch companies and PSV<\/strong><\/a> joined forces in a cooperation that goes beyond sponsoring. “It is a partnership focused on innovation, vitality, entertainment, talent development and talent recruitment. For everyone within and outside the region,” says Damian.<\/p>\n

It has existed since the start of the 2019-2020 football season, when the parties announced the new initiative. Toon Gerbrands<\/strong>, director of PSV<\/strong><\/a>, said about it: “The main feature of this concept is that the traditional main sponsorship is abandoned. We call it a premium partnership, there are no end dates to this sponsorship and new parties can step in along the way, as it is a self-evolving system, which is really unique in sport marketing<\/strong><\/a> and the sponsorship<\/strong><\/a> world.”<\/p>\n

The five companies that committed themselves as premium partners to Brainport Eindhoven<\/strong><\/a>, and as such also to PSV<\/strong><\/a>, are Philips<\/strong><\/a> (also the founder of the club in 1913 and in its name, which stands for \u2018Philips Sports Association\u2019 in Dutch), ASML<\/strong><\/a>, VDL Groep<\/strong><\/a>, Jumbo Supermarkets<\/strong><\/a> and High-Tech Campus Eindhoven<\/strong><\/a>. Later, Royal Swinkels<\/strong><\/a> joined Brainport Eindhoven as the sixth premium partner.<\/p>\n