The Government of Rwanda has entered into a partnership with Aston Villa FC, a Premier League club in England, to promote the Visit Rwanda campaign.
According to The Athletic, which reported the breaking football news, Aston Villa FC has signed an agreement with Visit Rwanda as the club’s new sponsor.
Sources said the agreement the club has entered into with Rwanda is the most valuable in its history, following its previous main sponsor, the betting company Betano.
The publication reports that the agreement is worth £20 million (39 billion Frw) per year.
Announcing the partnership, Aston Villa said Visit Rwanda will serve as the club’s Principal Partner, Official Tourism Partner and Official Coffee Provider, with Rwanda Development Board branding appearing on the front of the men’s, women’s and academy teams’ shirts.
Francesco Calvo, Aston Villa’s President of Business Operations, said: “This is a very exciting partnership for Aston Villa Football Club and a symbol of the club’s continuing expansion and growth into international markets.”
“There is a great range and depth of opportunities for collaboration, learning and innovation and we are looking forward to working with Visit Rwanda to deliver meaningful activations through tourism, investment and sporting development.”
Janet Karemera, Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Convention Bureau (RCB), said: “This sponsorship is a powerful expression of Rwanda’s ambition to engage global audiences through one of the world’s most influential platforms and position our country as a destination to visit, invest and do business. Bringing together the Land of a Thousand Hills and the City of a Thousand Trades celebrates a shared commitment to enterprise, innovation and ambition.”
“Building on eight successful years of raising awareness and engagement in the United Kingdom, one of Rwanda’s key tourism source markets, we look forward to working with Aston Villa to expand our reach to new audiences in the UK, across Europe and beyond. Through this partnership, we aim to deepen the connection with those already considering travel to Rwanda, whether for tourism, investment or business events, all while contributing to the long-term growth and development of the football ecosystem in Rwanda.”
Rwanda entered into this partnership after its previous deal with Arsenal FC, also of England, ended with the football season that concluded this summer.
Rwanda’s agreement with Arsenal for the Visit Rwanda campaign, which encourages people around the world to visit Rwanda, had been in place since 2018.
Rwanda also already has partnership agreements with other clubs, including Paris Saint-Germain of France, Atlético Madrid of Spain, and FC Bayern Munich of Germany.
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