Hero Lager Partners NPFL, Becomes Official Sponsor of Enyimba, Rangers, Others

Sunday Okobi

Premium lager, Hero, has entered into a partnership with the Nigerian Professional Football League (NPFL) to further promote the game of football in Nigeria.

Known as the preferred lager in the South-East and many parts of the country, Hero is a product of International Breweries Plc, a part of AB InBev, the world’s largest brewer with over 400 beer brands.

According to the management of the company, Nigerian Premier League elite clubs such as Enyimba Football Club of Aba, Heartland FC of Owerri, Rangers United, Ifeanyi Uba FC, Abia Warriors FC, Rivers United FC and others in the east will enjoy the compliments of being officially sponsored by the premium lager.

This partnership with the NPFL is coming at a time when many clubs are struggling to stay afloat not just in the Nigerian Premier League, as a result of poor funding.

Speaking to journalists recently at a press conference to announce the partnership, Marketing Director, International Breweries Plc, Tolulope Adedeji, explained that as a culturally-inclined brand that always has the welfare of the people at the heart of its campaigns and initiatives, Hero seeks to elevate the status of the round leather game in Nigeria.

Adedeji said: “Football is a game that brings people together no matter who they are or where they are located. In a football game, people celebrate as one and they share the win or loss of their team as one, and in this sense Hero Lager is much like the game of football because it unites people. Now that Hero lager is stepping up to promote local football, we should expect a lot more development in this area. Our ambition is to see our local players get more visibility, career development and love of our people”

Also, the Marketing Manager, Hero, Margaret Igabali, added that: “These clubs bring joy to many Nigerians across the country and should be supported just the way foreign brands support foreign clubs. Football teams go beyond the game, they are traditions,and we are happy to be the official sponsors of these great football traditions”

The sponsorship deal between Hero and the football clubs in the Southeast will directly benefit the clubs, the NPFL, the players, and indirectly benefit the fans, the club’s communities as their clubs can now focus on winning the league for them. The sponsorship contract takes immediate effect.