Supermarket chain Jumbo has agreed a deal to become sole title sponsor of Team LottoNL-Jumbo, the innovative entity that combines the Dutch speed skating team and UCI WorldTour cycling outfit of the same name.
The agreement announced today (Thursday) will run for at least five years, commencing on January 1, 2019. It will result in the Dutch national lottery ending its partnership when its current contract concludes on December 31. Lotto has sponsored the team for the past four years.
The deal comes after another hugely successful winter Olympic Games for the speed skating team, which accounted for all of the Netherlands’ 20 medals at Pyeongchang 2018, including eight golds.
Financial terms of the new deal were not disclosed, but Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf said the budget for the teams will be considerably increased, with the cycling outfit set to enjoy a budget of around €15m ($18.6m) per year.
“We are extremely proud of the fact that we commit our company to Team Oranje and thus the Dutch top tier sports for the next few years,” Jumbo chief commercial officer Colette Cloosterman-Van Eerd said.
“Jumbo has supported the speed skating and cycling team for many years now and we want to offer possibilities for sports talents to excel. In the meantime, this partnership gives us the possibility to inspire millions of customers to live more healthily. By combining forces between the two teams and our company we can actively carry out our expertise in regard to healthy food and encourage our customers to have a more active lifestyle.
“The cycling team already had a good season in 2017; the winning of two stages in the Tour de France were the highlights. This trend seems to be continuing as the team has already secured five wins in the early season.
“The speed skating team experienced the most successful World Single Distance Championships by winning six world titles last year and the Olympic Games went extremely well by winning four (short track) medals. We started our sponsorship four years ago and we are noticing an upward trend in many fields. We have a lot of confidence in both teams. As with Jumbo, the will to win and wanting to be the best is in the DNA of this team.”
Jumbo signed the deal with Team Oranje, the management group for the sport teams.