Record Deal For The Blues

Everton Football Club will today confirm the biggest shirt sponsorship deal in its history.
The Blues are set to finalise a new three-year extension to their current deal with Chang and will put pen to paper in Bangkok on Thursday afternoon (8am UK time).The agreement will take Chang’s sponsorship of the Blues through to 2014 and could be worth in excess of £12m to the Club.
To help mark the deal, star midfielder Marouane Fellaini has flown to Thailand as part of a senior delegation from Goodison, and will spend the day meeting Chang officials and members of the Club’s burgeoning army of Thai supporters.
The Chang logo has been emblazoned upon Everton Blue since 2004 and the partnership is now the longest-running shirt sponsorship deal in the Premier League.
Everton Chief Executive Robert Elstone, also in Bangkok, said: “We are delighted to be signing a new three-year extension with Chang. We consider Chang to be very much a part of the extended Everton family.
“We are proud of what we have achieved in our time together and to have contributed to the development of young Thai footballers and the coaching infrastructure. Thai Bev has harnessed the years of accumulated expertise in our Academy and used it to deliver their own agenda on the ground in Thailand.”
He added: “Chang have always been very supportive of Everton since we first signed with them in 2004 and have been extremely proactive in driving the partnership forward, helping Everton grow internationally, whilst we have assisted in supporting Chang in key markets around the world.
“We understand that in the modern sports sponsorship market it is vital to generate as much value as possible and together we believe that the Everton/Chang relationship will continue to provide a significant payback on the investment.
“We are extremely excited about the new contract and look forward to working with our Thai colleagues to further develop the relationship.”
Charlie Jitcharoongphorn, Deputy Managing Director of Thai Beverage Marketing Co Ltd, said: “Chang has been a major sponsor of Everton for seven consecutive seasons. Over the course of these seven years, our partnership has been nothing short of truly fulfilling and rewarding.
“The Chang logo on the shirts of Everton players has successfully launched the brand into international fame and the partnership enables us to contribute to the development of Thai footballers in many ways.
“So, we have decided to extend our sponsorship contract with them for the fourth time, which will run well into 2014.”
As part of the trip the Everton delegation will visit the Thai Bev Academy and meet with a group of Thai Everton supporters to celebrate the Blues’ ever-growing fan base in Thailand.