Bridgestone Back As Title Sponsor Of International Series Excitement continues for Chargers-Saints game at London’s Wembley Stadium on Oct. 26
NASHVILLE, TENN., and NEW YORK, N.Y. (Oct. 13, 2008) — Propelled by the success of the first NFL overseas regular season game last season, Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) and the NFL announced today that BFNT will return as title sponsor of the Bridgestone International Series.
The Bridgestone brand, which also is the “Official Tire of the National Football League” and title sponsor of the Bridgestone Super Bowl Halftime Show, will play a key role in the promotion of the San Diego Chargers-New Orleans Saints game on Oct. 26 (1 p.m. ET) at Wembley Stadium in London, England. This will include field-level LED boards with brand logos, stadium signage, presenting sponsor of the pre-game show on Sky Sports, videoboard features and print program ads among other activation plans.
“As a global company, sponsoring the International Series game is a terrific opportunity for the Bridgestone brand to get high exposure here in the United States, in Europe and beyond,” said John Baratta, President, Consumer Replacement Tire, BFNT. “We’re thrilled that the Bridgestone NFL International Series has been such a success and is helping us reach football fans across the world with our message that for drivers who want to get the most out of their cars…it’s Bridgestone or nothing.”
The game will be televised in more than 200 countries worldwide. CBS will broadcast the game in the United States, while BBC Two and Sky Sports will both air the game in the UK, making it one of the very few major sports events to be broadcast simultaneously live.
Excitement for this year’s game is unprecedented. In May, the first 40,000 tickets for the game sold out in 90 minutes. An additional 15,000 tickets made available in June sold in 30 minutes.
“We are pleased to welcome Bridgestone back to the International Series,” said Mark Waller, the NFL’s Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales. “We continue to see tremendous excitement from our sponsors and fans who are clamoring for more football. We expect the atmosphere to be electric when the Saints and Chargers take the field.”
In addition to its national partnership with the NFL, BFNT has a long tradition of high-profile sports sponsorships. For example, Bridgestone is the Official Tire of the National Hockey League, PGA TOUR and GOLF CHANNEL; and the brand sponsors the World Golf Championships–Bridgestone Invitational played at the Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio. In motorsports, Bridgestone is the Official Tire of Formula One. The Firestone brand is the Official Tire of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race®, as well as the IndyCar Series and Indy Lights Series. BFNT also has local and regional sponsorships with properties such as the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators.
Also returning as sponsors for the International Series are: Canon, Coors Light, GMC, Reebok and Visa.
The NFL has committed to playing at least one game in the UK for each of the next three seasons, beginning with this year’s matchup of teams that each came within one game of reaching the Super Bowl in the past two seasons.
The New York Giants and Miami Dolphins played at the start of last season in the first Bridgestone International Series in front of a sellout crowd of 81,176 at Wembley Stadium. The Giants earned a 13-10 win en route to capturing a Super Bowl title.
Among the events leading up to this year’s game is the second worldwide sports summit. Economist Conferences, in association with the NFL, is bringing together global leaders from sports, business and government to discuss future developments in the industry at the Landmark Hotel in London on Friday, Oct. 24.
The Summit, “The Global Sport Summit – Innovation vs. Tradition: The Quest for Growth,” will feature many of the most influential names in world sports and will be staged two days before the game. ESPN is the lead sponsor of the day-long event.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Daniel Franklin, executive editor of The Economist, will welcome the diverse group of sports leaders to the Summit. Among the major figures who will speak at the event are: Richard Scudamore, Chief Executive, FA Premier League; Lord Sebastian Coe, Chairman, London 2012 Organizing Committee; George Gillett, Joint-owner Liverpool FC, and Owner, Montreal Canadiens; HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan, President, Fédération Equestre Internationale, and Member, International Olympic Committee; Peter Kenyon, Chief Executive, Chelsea FC; Philippe Le Floc’h, Marketing Director, UEFA; Dan Marino, Former Miami Dolphins and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback; Mike Miller, CEO, International Rugby Board, and Managing Director, Rugby World Cup Limited; and Lalit Modi, Chairman and Commissioner, Indian Premier League, and Vice President, Board of Control for Cricket in India
About Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC:
Nashville, Tenn.-based Bridgestone Firestone North American Tire, LLC (BFNT) is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas Holding, Inc., whose parent company, Bridgestone Corporation, is the world’s largest tire and rubber company. BFNT develops, manufactures and markets Bridgestone, Firestone and associate brand tires. The company is focused on wholesale and original equipment markets, supplying passenger, light truck, commercial vehicle, off road, motorcycle, agricultural and other tires to its customers in North America. In addition, through its Bridgestone Bandag Tire Solutions unit, retreading customers have access to industry-leading research and development, manufacturing, marketing and sales expertise, providing them with a total tire solution.