Brighton & Hove Albion confirm multi-year extension of long-term partnership

Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club (BHAFC) and American Express (NYSE: AXP) have today confirmed that they have reached agreement on a multi-year extension of their long-term partnership, making it the longest and most valuable in the Club’s 118-year history.

The extended partnership will see American Express continue its naming rights of the iconic American Express Community Stadium (“the Amex”), its naming rights of the Club’s world-class American Express Elite Football Performance Centre and as the Official Shirt Sponsor of Brighton & Hove Albion, including the club’s men’s, women’s, development, youth and disability teams.

The deal includes specific and additional investment from American Express for women’s and girls’ football, reflecting both the Company’s and the Club’s strong commitment to inclusion and diversity.

This includes naming rights to the Women & Girls’ Football HQ, a new state-of-the-art facility currently under construction at the American Express Elite Football Performance Centre.

Off the pitch, the Company will partner with the Club to develop and support ways of further enriching the fan experience at the Stadium.

American Express will continue its work with Albion in the Community, the Club’s official charity. The local community benefits from this award-winning partnership through a range of initiatives for young people and adults, at the Amex and the Training Ground, across health and well-being, education, social inclusion and diversity.

Paul Barber, Brighton & Hove Albion’s Chief Executive and Deputy Chairman, said: “We are thrilled to be extending our partnership with one of the world’s best-known and most respected companies.

“We believe the breadth and longevity of the partnership is unrivalled in the sporting world. American Express has been a long-standing, loyal and supportive partner for close to a decade already – and together we have been able to achieve so much for the Club’s supporters and the local community.

“The Company’s continued commitment to the Club and to our community reflects our shared long-term vision and demonstrates its belief in our approach and ambitions for the future.”

Charlotte Duerden, Managing Director UK at American Express, said: “We are delighted to confirm our continued backing of the Albion and are excited about what the future holds, for the Club and for our collaboration.

“As a global company many of our colleagues internationally, as well as locally, are Albion fans and we have enjoyed being part of the Club’s incredible journey to the Premier League.

“We are also extremely proud of the community programmes we’ve been involved in with Albion in the Community over the years. Our continued partnership underscores our shared aspirations in the Club’s future success and is a further demonstration of our commitment to the Brighton community.”

One of the largest private sector employers in Brighton and Hove, American Express signed a naming rights agreement for the Stadium in 2010 ahead of the official opening in 2011.

Since that time, the Company’s partnership with the club has evolved to include Official Shirt sponsorship in 2013 and the Amex Training Ground’s naming rights deal in 2014.

The 30,750 capacity Amex Stadium has won multiple awards for best new venue, best stadium events venue, disability access and is widely used for community engagement programmes delivered by Albion in the Community.