FRANKFURT – The big winner of the bank swap is Frankfurt Eintracht, which has benefited directly from the assignment of naming rights for the first time since the stadium was converted to the 2006 World Cup. The club lashed this out with the city of Frankfurt a few months ago under a contract dated 2035. From July the club itself takes over the marketing rights. And from July, Deutsche Bank will also join the company for at least seven years.
“We feel very attached to harmony. we are two strong partners for the region, ”Christian Sewing, head of Deutsche Bank, had recently said. “This is a very strong sign, a remarkable commitment to the location, not just for the Rhein-Main location, but for Germany as a location,” said Axel Hellmann, Eintracht CEO, “that we have now completed this together is an outstanding achievement of everyone involved. ”
“Planning security” in difficult times
For Eintracht, the new strategic partnership means “planning security” in difficult times and “a big step into the future,” said Hellmann. The bank had always stood by its word in the discussions since last autumn and had shown great reliability even in the corona crisis. The new contract is lucrative for the club, a quantum leap. Eintracht will probably receive a little more than five million euros per season.
An option right is also enshrined in the contract. The partnership could, therefore, be extended beyond 2027. Eintracht writes in the official press release: “This partnership is long-term. It is not just about sports sponsorship and naming rights, but also about jointly developing new digital business models and products that play a role in people’s everyday lives far beyond today’s stadium experience. ”
Not all fans are enthusiastic
According to bank manager Sewing, it is about “a comprehensive regional commitment together with an even closer business cooperation”. From Eintracht’s point of view, the partnership is a positive signal, especially during the corona crisis. “It continues to Corona, there will be concerts and soccer games in the stadium, where people get together and get excited,” said Axel Hellmann.
Due to the current crisis, the future partners only want to “present further details on future cooperation at a later date”. Eintracht fans are not all enthusiastic about the new partnership with the financial institution, which has been controversial in recent months, which is documented in entries in many Internet forums. Hellmann attests to the negotiating partners’ “reliability and reliability and a set of values that I consider exemplary.”
The Deutsche Bank is about “focusing on the home market”, about the “emotionality of sport, the institute wants to” connect more with the people in the region. “The first visual changes will soon be recognizable. Instead of the yellow Commerzbank lettering, the blue of the new partner will now shine on the roof of the arena.
Conversion of the stadium probably only over the years
The conversion of the stadium from the previously dominating colors yellow and blue to black-red-white of Eintracht will only take place over the next few years in parallel with the expansion to capacity from 51,500 to 60,000 spectators. “We have taken up the ideas of the fans and in the future, we will accommodate many black, white and red elements in the stadium,” says Hellmann. The blue seats will be softened and replaced by black and red, the yellow-painted staircases will be red in the future.
In addition to the stadium, the Deutsche Bank Park will also include the new Eintracht professional campus, the four training areas, and the digital center to be created. There is also a rumor that Eintracht will play again in the “Waldstadion” in the Deutsche Bank Park, which is loved by its followers. That would be the second arena after the Volkspark Stadium in Hamburg, which would get its original name back. On Wednesday, nothing was heard of Eintracht.
