Under the deal, ABN Amro will be the title sponsor of the Men’s Champions Trophies in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The bank will also be involved in all of FIH’s 29 events over the four-year period.
ABN Amro becomes the fourth WorldHockey partner, joining existing sponsors, Ata Holding, BDO International and Samsung.
ABN Amro’s deal also means the bank will title sponsor the WorldHockey Magazine programme in 2007.
FIH president Els van Breda Vriesman said, "This agreement is a major step forward for us. ABN Amro is, like FIH, an organisation present on all continents and in nearly all of our hockey countries. They are very proactive in making all of their sports sponsorship work for both parties, not just in hockey and I am sure, together with FIH’s other partners, ABN AMRO will add major value to continue to professionalize FIH’s major events."
Being WorldHockey partner of the FIH, ABN AMRO will strengthen its position in the international hockey world. The bank is looking to achieve a better position in strong hockey countries like Pakistan and India and being title sponsor of major FIH events will be beneficial in achieving this goal.
The new FIH sponsorship structure has been in place since January 2007. It comprises a group of top tier sponsors, the WorldHockey partners, and a group of official suppliers. All WorldHockey partners are allocated to different tournaments, including the rights as a title sponsor and advise the FIH about their preference in finding the best location for the FIH events.
