Serie A side Inter Milan announced a multi-year sponsorship agreement for a package of naming rights to include the training center at Appiano Gentile. Effective immediately, Inter's first team training center will be known as the Suning Training Centre in memory of Angelo Moratti. Also included in the package are the naming rights for the club's youth team training center. The "Interello" will now be known as the Suning Youth Development Centre in memory of Giacinto Facchetti. The final part of the agreement concerns the rights as the official training apparel partner for the senior and youth teams. In addition to the naming rights of both facilities, as the official training grounds' naming partner, Suning's rights include: brand visibility across all pitches including pitch-side advertising boards, logo position on main partner displays and logo position on the background LED in the press rooms. Additional positions will be developed as the club looks to enhance the facilities. As official training apparel partner, Suning.com will receive brand visibility on LEDs at all home matches, secondary logo position on media backdrops and partner displays, as well as the tunnel entrance hoarding at the San Siro (Inter Milan).
BRAND BUILDING: INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL's Paul Nicholson reported Suning Sports Group, part of the Suning Group, was "only formed as its standalone own entity" in '16, sitting alongside retail, real estate, media and entertainment, investment and financial services divisions. While the sports group "has ambition across the full range of the sports business from athlete representation to data services," its "core is club management" and it controls Chinese Super League side Jiangsu Suning and Suning Women’s Football Club. Networking the Inter sponsorships through group companies is not "just about getting money into the club but makes sense as it ties the Suning brand to Inter, building it international, as well as maximising the Inter brand opportunities for Suning in China, and growing the club there" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 12/21).
