Sportfive, the international sports marketing agency, has extended its relationship with the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF), the regional governing body for soccer in southeast Asia, through 2032.
The new agreement. announced today (May 19), will see Sportfive remain the AFF’s exclusive commercial agency for an additional eight years from 2025 when the current agreement between the two was set to expire.
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The present deal between Sportfive and the AFF was struck in March 2017.
Sportfive will retain all commercial and media rights to the AFF Championship, the crown-jewel biennial men’s national team tournament. The deal also expands the tie-up to cover the AFF Under-23 Championship and the AFF Women’s Championship, creating a single, unified commercial program.
Sportfive has said the new agreement is “a testament to the successful collaboration of the past but also highlights the capabilities of Sportfive as one of the leading sports marketing agencies globally.”
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The agency further commented that the extension will allow the AFF to “explore new avenues to elevate the sport, evolve event presentation, and build on the success of their iconic competitions.”
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By GlobalDataStefan Felsing, Sportfive’s chief executive, said: “To have AFF reappoint us as its exclusive commercial agency once again speaks volumes of the trust and confidence the AFF Council has placed in us. We will continue to focus on our collaboration with the AFF and enhance the footprint and commercial relevance of the various competitions even more.
“I am convinced that our vast experience and local presence across the APAC region in combination with our global sales capabilities are assets that are highly beneficial for the AFF, and will ensure commercial success and ongoing product innovations in the future. We look forward to continuing our journey to grow ASEAN football together with AFF in the coming years.”
Khiev Sameth, president of the AFF, added: “As an agency operating worldwide with local presence and deep knowledge of the ASEAN landscape, Sportfive has demonstrated their expertise and capability over the years in developing partnerships and commercial products that bring long-term value for AFF and our partners alike.
“I am excited that our collaboration will now extend to the Under-23 and women’s tournaments and I am confident that Sportfive's extensive global network and influence within the industry will help propel AFF to greater heights and deliver commercial stability.”
The last AFF Championship took place between December 20 last year and January 16 and contained 10 teams.
For that edition of the tournament, Sportfive brokered a title sponsorship deal for Mitsubishi Electric, while other commercial partnerships included deals with TikTok and Tiger Brokers.
This extension comes the week after Sportfive announced the appointment of industry veteran Seamus O’Brien as president of its Asia-Pacific (APAC) division.
O’Brien comes with over 30 years of experience in the industry, including as founder, chair, and chief executive of World Sports Group (WSG), the sports marketing agency which had its brand – a sister of Sportfive – discontinued in 2015 when Sportfive and other agencies were rebranded as Lagardere Sports.
In terms of its Asian presence, Sportfive has offices in Japan and China and regional headquarters in Singapore.
