Dutch Eredivisie side Ajax Amsterdam announced an €8M ($9.1M) per year "shirt sponsorship deal with Ziggo and a further partnership with Hublot," according to SOCCEREX. Newly formed cable and media company Ziggo will become the club’s lead partner beginning in January, "with its logo set to appear on the front of the team’s playing shirts for four and a half years," until the end of the '18-19 season. Ajax "will be able to bring in separate sponsors" for its youth, women’s and Saturday amateur teams, as well as its training facilities. The club confirmed that the deal will have an additional variable fee of a maximum of €2M ($2.48M). For the first six months of the contract these will be set at €4M ($4.96M) and €1M ($1.24M). Ziggo "will have the right to terminate the deal after two and a half years at 12 months’ notice." Meanwhile, Hublot "has become the official timekeeper of the club." The Ajax sponsorship "is the first the Swiss luxury watch brand has signed in the Netherlands." The partnership "will see Hublot-branded ‘Big Bang’ clocks installed at the Amsterdam Arena" (SOCCEREX, 11/7).
