CITY'S bid to take off as a football superpower has been aided by the biggest sponsorship deal in the club's history.
Although neither party was willing to reveal a figure at Sunday's launch Etihad Airways, the Abu Dhabi-based national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is understood to be paying around £25m for the three-year deal to be the Blues' official shirt sponsor and partner.
It is an agreement that dwarfs all others struck since the club returned to the Premier League.
And City fans began the new association by having some fun with the name of the new sponsors which in Arabic means `United'.
On the airlines' Wikipedia website entry, quick-witted City fans quickly changed the meaning to `Blue Army'!
Whatever the definition of the name, the Blues are delighted with the deal.
Global
"This day marks a time for us when we are clearly moving in a new direction," declared Blues' CEO Garry Cook. "We have a global partner that has the same vision and ambition as we do. Etihad have a history of only being in partnership with great quality businesses.
"These are exciting times at City as we look to build a world-class team and sustainable success on and off the field. This partnership will play an integral role in our strategy."
The partnership is initially for three years and was announced ahead of the game against Bolton by Cook, Etihad CEO James Hogan, and Sir Howard Bernstein, Chief Executive of Manchester City Council.
The airline was launched in 2003 and now flies to 54 cities around the world. It started daily flights to Manchester in 2006 and last year it carried six million passengers on its international network.
"This new partnership marks the beginning of what we hope will become a strong and lasting relationship between City and Etihad Airways. Our home-base is Abu Dhabi and therefore we have a strong bond already with the club and its owners and we look forward to building on this in the months and years to come," declared Hogan.
He announced that the airline and club will work together on several overseas projects including team tours to the UAE and South Africa, as well as community-based schemes in the United Arab Emirates and East Manchester.
"Etihad Airways and Manchester City both have a strong sense of community and we will work together on building ties between Abu Dhabi and Manchester, especially with youngsters through our highly successful soccer school programmes.
"City have a huge emphasis on community and tradition. We believe that these elements will help cement the partnership.
"Sponsoring City at this time is a fantastic opportunity.
"We have no doubt that this partnership will be successful and as we become the best airline in the world we look forward to being associated with the best club in the Premier League. We look forward to winning together."
As well as appearing on the sky blue shirt, the deal will see the Etihad Airways' logo and branding at the City of Manchester Stadium, as well as on the club website.
Sir Howard Bernstein, Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, concluded: "The Abu Dhabi partnership with the city is hugely important and one which will bring significant benefits to everyone associated with Manchester."
New shirt deal for City
May 25, 2009
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Good news and thanks thomas cook for your support to date,lets hope the new money is spent wisely !
i have a good positive feeling regarding the future of us blues. so our season didnt go to plan we didnt qualify for europe but i see that as a good thing. our season starts a lot later and therefor alot more time to build a solid team starting with tevez and drogba then 4 top class defenders and bentley to cover swp if injured another dmf and watever else we can get. WE DESPARATELY NEED TO GET RID OF ALL THE DEAD WOOD ALSO
CTID
NO MORE FOOTBALL (FOR NOW)
It's quite sad to see the end of the Thomas Cook era. They have been excellent sponsors. Offering superb discounts and offers and seeing us through a tricky period on a financial basis. I understand they will still be involved in some sponsorship capacity - which is good news - and thanks THOMAS COOK from all City fans.
Great news for Manchester City.Thomas Cook have been really good sponsors but the timing is right for a change.
Another 12 month shirt now out of date !!!
I expect 2 years out of each shirt I buy
Will City offer part ex every season that they change the shirt ???
Should pay Robinho's wages for a couple of months...... now we have missed out on the extra £5.5m we would have got if we had of finished 7th (as they had projected and budgeted for at the start of the season)......
Then we have to find Hughes £5,000,000 year salary from somewhere next..... can anybody sell their granny?
I would have loved to have seen the front of the shirt donated to a local charity ala Randy Lerner with Villa. Do City really need the money? And I think the charitable donation would have brought much wider exposure.
Edski Vega : You are a plank...................Go away
Thank you to Thomas Cook who have supported us through very dark financial times. And so to the brave new world with one of the worst kept secrets at last revealed, welcome Eithad.
The shirt sponsor for those who have been in Outer Mongolia over recent months is Umbro.
I gather that the shirt designs are retro in design and a big improvement on some of the recent ones in style and make , home is darker blue with white round neck : away and third strips are white with a diagonal red and black stripe and plain black.
I still hanker after the red and black stripes (1969 cup final) and of course the unforgettable fluorescent yellow and navy stip (1999 Gillingham)
On holiday in Sorrento the ONLY non-Italian football shirt I saw on sale there were three City shirts with Robinho's name on the back! No sign of a Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal shirt ANYWHERE - just City and Robinho.
What if, the okey cokey really is what it's all about?, Florida
Fully agree with you, that would be a wonderful gesture.
From a personal point of view, can we PLEASE take this oppotunity to go back to the true City blue, the 60s, and 70s blue, and not the washed out excuse for blue that has been foisted on us and have been forced to wear in recent years, cheasea, arsenal, liverpool and the rags havnt changed their colours, so why have we? Maybe its my age and era but i for one associate that blue with success, and im sure there are 1000s of others who feel the same.
Keeping thr faith
I believe TC are staying on as a part sponsor by having the East stand being renamed The Thomas Cook Stand.
edski and tameside
do you only see the negative in everything?
addidas will be sponsoring you next
Good to see we have reverted to Umbro & I believe we were the first team to wear their kit back in the 20's. Pity about the design as earlier in the season signals were sent out that we would be returning to a more traditional look & even a very welcome end to the sponsors name on the shirt. Still yearn for a return to traditional values such as a replica of our fabulous strip of the late 60's with black & red 2nd strip! One fine day perhaps this will happen. Modern kits are awful!!!
25 mill is nothing to the owners, we shud have definately had a charity on the front!
I used to think as others have said on here about a charity's name on the shirt - but apparently the VIlla deal has had almost the opposite effect. People there think that because the charity are getting Villa's money they don't need other donations, hence thei actual income has dropped.
I think Garry Cook has said this too - and the City's charitable contributions and commitments will continue in other ways than the name on the shirt.
I bet this is the last comment on this subject. WHOO! GO ME!
Why can't we revert to the proper blue and maroon / black stripes as second colours ?
trublu Taplow