Nissan and City Football Group extend global partnership

Nissan and City Football Group have extended their global partnership, ensuring the carmaker will continue to be the official automotive partner of the group and its soccer teams in the U.K., U.S. and Australia.

The announcement comes as City Football Group’s Premier League team, Manchester City, prepares to arrive in Japan for the last leg of its preseason tour of Asia. The tour culminates with a sold-out July 27 match at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama, where the team will take on the J-League’s Yokohama F. Marinos, which is owned by Nissan and in which City Football Group holds a minority stake.

Nissan and City Football Group have been partners since 2014. The carmaker was City Football Group’s first multi-club partner, working with Manchester City, Major League Soccer’s New York City FC, and the A-League’s Melbourne City FC.

As part of the extended partnership, Manchester City Manager Pep Guardiola has been named a Nissan ambassador. Guardiola is one of the world’s most decorated and highly acclaimed coaches, most recently presiding over his club’s record-breaking “Fourmidables” season, in which Manchester City won the Premier League, the FA Cup, the League Cup and the Community Shield.

Nissan will continue its high-profile presence at all Manchester City men’s and women’s games at the world-famous Etihad Stadium and Academy Stadium; at New York City FC’s games at Yankee Stadium; and at Melbourne City FC’s matches at AAMI Park.

“Nissan was the first ever partner of City Football Group in 2014,” said Damian Willoughby, the group’s senior vice president of partnerships. “It was the first global business to understand our vision and our objectives and see the value of using our multi-club model as a way to engage their audience in different key markets around the world. It is a great endorsement of our partnership that we are extending our relationship and will continue to work closely together. Nissan is a world-class brand and has set an incredibly high standard in sports marketing. Just as Nissan stands for innovation that excites, which has run through our partnership, we are excited to see what we can create together next.”

Roel De Vries, Nissan senior vice president and global head of marketing, customer experience and brand strategy, said:

“With teams all over the world, City Football Group is the perfect partner for Nissan. We share an ambition to excite people everywhere, whether it’s through world-class football or world-leading automotive technologies. Pep Guardiola’s innovative strategies have kept Manchester City at the top of their game, so he’ll be the ideal ambassador to elevate the story of our innovative Nissan Intelligent Mobility vision.”

Guardiola added:

“I’m looking forward to working even more closely with Nissan. Nissan has been a great partner for Manchester City, and I know there are lots of exciting plans ahead. I’m particularly looking forward to visiting Nissan Stadium in Yokohama this Saturday.”

_{About Nissan sponsorship
The City Football Group partnership is part of Nissan’s focus on key global sports, aligning the Nissan Intelligent Mobility vision with the best in sports properties around the world. Alongside Nissan’s global sponsorships of the UEFA Champions League and leading world cricket events via the International Cricket Council partnerships, as well as leading local partnerships with the NBA (China), Heisman and NCAA (U.S.), the relationship with CFG provides a platform to connect with fans, customers, owners and employees all over the world through the excitement of their own passion points. Nissan also has a number of sporting ambassadors, including Eden Hazard, Philippe Coutinho, Liecke Martens and Naomi Osaka.}

_{About City Football Group
City Football Group (CFG) is the owner of a number of football related businesses with global relevance. These include high profile professional football clubs, academies, technical support and marketing companies. CFG’s majority-owned clubs include Premier League Manchester City FC, Melbourne City FC of the A-League and MLS Franchise New York City FC.
CFG’s other club investments comprise Yokohama F. Marinos of the J-League, Club Atlético Torque in the Primera Division of the Uruguayan league, FC Girona of La Liga and the most recent addition to City Football Group, Sichuan Jiuniu FC from China League Two. The common aim across all clubs is to provide the best possible experience and an unmatched opportunity for fans and communities to participate in, and benefit from, football at both a local and global level. The Group’s support companies - Global Football and City Football Marketing - operate from a number of offices around the world in support of the Group’s clubs, associate organisations and customer organisations. Global Football shares footballing IP and “know-how” to recruit, develop, train and win. City Football Marketing creates media, marketing and fan engagement properties to support the commercial development of clubs and their partners.
City Football Group is majority owned by Abu Dhabi United Group (ADUG). ADUG is an investment and development company privately owned by His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
In December 2015, ADUG divested a 13% shareholding to a China Media Capital-led consortium, creating an unprecedented platform for the growth of CFG clubs and companies in China and internationally. City Football Group’s headquarters are in Manchester and it has offices in Abu Dhabi, Girona, London, New York, Melbourne, Montevideo, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Singapore and Tokyo.}