Kelme becomes Official Global Supporter of the AFC’s National Team Competitions
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) today announced its partnership with sportswear brand Kelme for the 2021 to 2024 rights cycle. Kelme joins the AFC family of sponsors as the Official Global Supporter of AFC national team competitions and will provide sports apparel and accessories for the AFC’s national team competitions from 2022 to 2024, and the official match ball for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023TM.
The partnership encompasses major AFC competitions, including but not limited to the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to QatarTM featuring the Continent’s top-12 football nations, and Asia’s flagship national team competitions – the AFC Asian Cup China 2023TM – which will be played in ten state-of-the-art venues across China PR, and the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022TM as well as the AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022TM.
As a world-renowned sports apparel company with professional football in its DNA, Kelme has accumulated more than 60 years of brand history and heritage. The brand is currently in partnership with a number of La Liga First and Second Division clubs, and has in recent years also provided professional football equipment to an English Premier League club, Russian Super League clubs and other top international sports clubs.
Moreover, Kelme has also established extensive partnerships with leagues and clubs in China PR including the China Women’s Super League clubs, Chinese League One, China League Two and others.
Dato’ Windsor John, the AFC General Secretary, said: “The AFC is delighted to welcome Kelme to the ever-growing AFC family of global partners, which exemplifies the worldwide appeal of the AFC’s brand and its competitions.
“Kelme has established its presence as one of the world’s leading sporting apparel companies and we thank them for their belief and confidence in the AFC and Asian football.
“The AFC’s commitment to deliver world-class competitions is stronger than ever and together, we are confident of creating a mutually beneficial partnership that will enable both the AFC and Kelme realise our shared ambitions.”
Mr. Ke Yongxiang, President of Kelme remarked: “We are very pleased to partner with the AFC, who we will collaborate with closely to promote football development in Asia and the rest of the world. For decades, football has been at the core of our brand and we are dedicated to continue challenging ourselves to drive innovation and to supply high-quality equipment to the sport industry. We are hence looking forward to collaborating with the AFC on the upcoming national team competitions including the AFC Asian Qualifiers – Road to QatarTM and the AFC Asian Cup China 2023TM.”
This partnership deal was secured and will be managed by the AFC’s exclusive commercial partner Football Marketing Asia (FMA). The partnership includes rights to a comprehensive set of tailored digital promotional content and innovative advertising formats.
Patrick Murphy, Board Member and CEO at Football Marketing Asia commented: “We are delighted to welcome Kelme to the family of AFC national team football sponsors. Kelme’s strong football heritage makes it a wonderful fit with AFC competitions, being a brand driven at its core by innovation and a desire to promote football in Asia and beyond.
“As the supplier of sports apparel and accessories, as well as the official matchball for the AFC Asian Cup China 2023TM, Kelme will enjoy great brand exposure and our team at FMA is very excited to begin collaborating with Kelme on bringing unique experiences to fans of Asian football through digital and traditional channels.”
About the AFC
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of Asian football and one of the six Confederations making up FIFA. Established in 1954, the AFC is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and comprises 47 Member Associations. The AFC organises the AFC Asian Cup and the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, which are the flagship Continental national team competitions, while the AFC Champions League is the premier competition for Asian clubs, drawing millions of fans to the beautiful game across the length and breadth of the Continent and beyond.
About Kelme
Kelme Sporting Product Co., Ltd.’s core business combines sporting goods research, design, manufacturing and sales, with sport event organisation and hosting, sports stadium management and sports communication. Kelme offers sportive casualwear and professional equipment to all ages across different regions globally, covering a wide range of sports including football, basketball, tennis, handball, athletics, cycling and sailing.
Kelme’s past and present are made up of big successes, such as the official technical sponsorship of the Spanish Olympic Team during the Barcelona 1992 games, sponsoring Real Madrid CF between 1994-1998, and sponsoring the Kelme cycling team, one of the best Spanish teams in cycling history. Kelme has also shared victories with tennis player Conchita Martínez who became the first Spanish woman to win the Wimbledon title in 1994.
In recent years, Kelme has sponsored the 2019 World Military Games and the 2021 Shaanxi National Games among others. As a brand that has always had football at the core, Kelme has developed a leading international brand, and a leading brand in football in China PR.
Business inquiries: [email protected]
About Football Marketing Asia (FMA)
Football Marketing Asia (FMA) is the exclusive commercial partner of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) for the rights cycles 2021-2024 and 2025-2028 (excluding (i) Japan in the case of media and certain sponsorship rights; and (ii) MENA in the case of media rights). FMA is headquartered in Hong Kong S.A.R., with offices in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and China PR. FMA combines unparalleled global football experience with in-depth Asian know-how and expertise.
