AirAsia scores 3-year sponsorship deal with FAS

SINGAPORE — Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia has signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the Football Association of Singapore (FAS). The sponsorship, worth S$1.8 million, will include flights for the under-21, under-23 and senior national teams, as well as the National Football Academy’s age-group teams and women’s teams. The partnership with FAS is set to provide the necessary support to the association to gamer further success and raise footballing standards for all levels. The Singapore national football team is the recent victors of the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Suzuki Cup campaign. AirAsia will also offer “attractive travel packages” for football fans travelling to away matches, it said in a release. “I never looked at the commercial aspirations ... but to aim high and do something meaningful for Singapore football,” said AirAsia Group CEO Tony Fernandes. “Having AirAsia on the Singapore jersey is important, we want to put forward the message that we want to do better, that we want to dream. We hope to be part of that success; to help some of those young kids realise their aspirations.” Mr Fernandes added that the sponsorship does not have “a fixed set of rules”. “Whatever the FAS comes up with and requires our assistance, we are ready to help,” he said. AirAsia has a track record of sports sponsorship, having backed the English Premiership football team Queens Park Rangers, Formula 1 outfit Lotus, the ASEAN Basketball League and MotoGP. FAS President Zainudin Nordin said he is “absolutely thrilled to have concluded an agreement with an organisation of AirAsia’s calibre and reputation”. “We are really thankful to Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and AirAsia for their staunch support for football and we are looking forward to working closely with them to further promote the sport in the coming years,” he said. He added: “It is a positive thing for us, because AirAsia and Mr Fernandez are supporting youth, and sports in particular.”