‘Our partnership is not just about Oranje’
7 September 2016
Late last month, ING in the Netherlands extended its sponsorship of Dutch football until 2022. ING Netherlands’ Director of Communication Johan van der Zanden explains why and what ING hopes to get out of the sponsorship.
ING just renewed its sponsorship with KNVB, the Dutch football association, until 2022. Why?
Our partnership with the KNVB is about so much more than the Dutch national team and the other selection teams. We are also truly committed to amateur soccer and want to show that commitment to society. We support 475 amateur soccer teams and almost 54,000 children wear a shirt with ING on it on the weekend.
We want to help to bring Dutch soccer to the next level. You can’t achieve that within a short period. It’s about long-term commitment. It takes a lasting partnership and that’s why we renewed our sponsorship.
Dutch people have been critical of ‘Oranje’ (the Dutch national team), since missing out on Euro 2016. Is now the right time to renew ING’s sponsorship of the KNVB?
Yes, it is. First of all, of course we felt sorry that sporting success eluded us at the last European Championship. But don’t forget the wonderful times that we have experienced over the years. We are confident that ‘Oranje’ will find its way up again and will participate again in 2018 during the World Cup. We stand behind the team, even when times are not so good. And of course we will cheer for the Dutch Lionesses. We will encourage them in our own country during the European Championships 2017. So, yes, now is the right time.
Apart from the money it costs us, what do we get out of this sponsorship?
We believe it is important that our sponsorship helps bring Dutch soccer to the next level. We find it important that soccer can continue to exist as we know it and that many Dutch people derive pleasure from it. It creates lots of sympathy for our brand and we also have some banking offers for the clubs involved, like contactless payments, crowd funding and finance workshops. Our relationship managers increase their network at several soccer events.
ING is quite keen on supporting amateur soccer teams, women’s soccer and the referees too. Why is this so important to you?
Soccer brings people together and connects us. The club has an important role in our society. It is a social meeting place, it generates friendships and playing soccer is healthy. Exercise is an essential part of the development of young people. The earlier that young people get in touch with sport, and soccer in particular, the better. Therefore, we consider it important that it’s accessible in the neighbourhoods.
We have a special focus on girls soccer making it better known and more popular. The love that has grown for the [Dutch – Ed.] women's handball and volleyball teams during the Olympics, is the love girls soccer also deserves. That’s why we are particularly pleased that the women's European Championship takes place here in the Netherlands in 2017. We will facilitate this and help to make it as successful as possible.
Johan van der Zanden (in the middle, holding the shirt): “Soccer brings people together and connects us. The club has an important role in our society. It is a social meeting place, it generates friendships and playing soccer is healthy.”
So five more years of sponsoring ‘Oranje’. What’s the ambition? How do you want to bring the sponsorship to an even higher level?
First, we hope that ‘Oranje’ will be successful again during the World Cup in 2018. We hope that the national team will be an inspiration to many again. But our ambition extends beyond the Dutch national team and the other representative teams. Our ambition is that soccer clubs be financially sound. Because it all starts there. No clubs? No soccer, right?
And we want Dutch people to have as much fun as much as possible with the sport. In addition to this, respect on and off the field is so important. Less, or even no negative news about incidents is one of our dreams.
There are more big sports sponsorships at ING, for instance with Belgium supporting the Red Devils. What have you learned from them?
Sponsoring teams from ING Belgium and ING Netherlands have frequent contact with each other and share best practices. They share the passion for soccer and the brand. When the two sponsor teams meet you can feel that energy. The Belgium team is making great content with players from the national team. Something we want to do more and know is a part of our new contract.