J.League targets global brand growth with IMG deal
Japan’s J.League has appointed IMG to lead its global sponsorship strategy and sales as the competition looks to turn more than a decade of Asian expansion into broader international commercial growth.
The J.League has partnered with IMG to develop its global sponsorship strategy and sales operation, giving the agency a mandate to secure new international brand partnerships and support the Japanese competition’s expansion beyond Asia.IMG will advise the league on a renewed global brand structure, develop new sponsorship categories and pursue commercial agreements with international companies. The strategy will also support the J.League’s efforts to develop its audience outside Japan.J.League chairman Yoshikazu Nonomura said: “Partnering with IMG marks a significant milestone in expanding J.League’s global footprint. Combining IMG’s deep expertise with J.League will allow us to create meaningful opportunities for our partners and the league.”The agreement follows more than a decade in which the J.League has focused on building its presence across Asia. Its next phase will place greater emphasis on translating that international awareness into sponsorship inventory and commercial relationships with brands operating across multiple markets.The appointment gives the league access to IMG’s international commercial network and its existing football sponsorship business. The agency also handles global sponsorship sales across properties including FIFA, the CONMEBOL Libertadores and Sudamericana, Inter Milan, the Leagues Cup, the German Football Association and the Argentine Football Association.Adolfo Bara, IMG’s SVP and managing director of football, said: “J.League represents many of the qualities that make football such a powerful global platform: authenticity, community, long-term vision and excellence. Japanese football and its players, clubs and wider ecosystem continue to grow in relevance and recognition around the world.“We believe J.League has all the ingredients to become one of the leading leagues in world football in the years ahead. We look forward to helping bring the league’s story to global brand partners at such an exciting time in its evolution.”The partnership gives IMG a central role in determining how the J.League packages its international sponsorship proposition, including which commercial categories it takes to market and how the competition presents its brand to prospective global partners.