FIFA 2010 World Cup Sponsors Could Pay $125m

Some of the world's top football and sponsorship experts spoke at the Octagon Football Conference held at the Hilton Hotel in Johannesburg. The biggest announcement to the big brand marketers attending was - if you want to be one of six Worldwide Partners involved in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, you will need an estimated $125 million.  Not too high a price when you are reaching 2.78 million stadium attendees and a television audience of 30 billion in 209 territories.  However, as any sponsoring company knows, the costs don't stop with buying a sponsorship rights package.  A second budget needs to be available to leverage maximum value from the sponsorship. Octagon South Africa Group Managing Director Neill Duffy, who also chaired the conference, said he was pleased to hear the commercial structure will be changing for the 2010 World Cup.  'There will be only six 'tier one' partners, eight FIFA World Cup sponsors and four to six national sponsors,' he said.  'The cost of the other packages is currently speculative.  My message to corporate South Africa is - if these sponsorships are financially out of reach, there are lots of smaller opportunities in between each FIFA World Cup to build an association with this overwhelmingly popular game, and to integrate your products with the masses of SA consumers, who are passionate followers of football.' According to Phil Carling, Octagon UK Senior Vice President, 'The top six partnerships are likely to be multinationals that have a football sponsorship pedigree.  Only Coke and Philips have been with this game from the onset and are likely to continue.  Mass target market brands in the industry categories such as airline, automobile, fuel, digital, soft drink, financial services, alcohol beverage and a restaurant chain are the most likely to get involved.  FIFA's goal is to get a major South African brand on board that has global ambitions and my best guess is probably South African Breweries.’ The $125m will buy the prospective sponsors with hospitality rights, 500 tickets per match, designation, accreditation, category exclusivity, media exposure, broadcast rights, and internet, on screen credits, rotation boards and public viewing rights.