Emirates Get Title Sponsorship Rights to Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Venue

Emirates have secured title sponsorship rights to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games venue in a £5m ($8m) sponsorship deal.

The facility includes the Commonwealth Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome.

The deal has been struck by Glasgow City Council with Dubai-based Emirates Airlines that will see the facility bear its name for at least ten years.

Next month the £113m arena situated in London Road across from Celtic Park will open to the public for the first time.

Council leader Gordon Matheson said: “This is a fantastic deal for the people of Glasgow. Many of the world’s top sports venues already enjoy the considerable benefits and prestige secured through a naming rights agreement and this partnership with Emirates puts us firmly in that elite group.

“The Emirates Arena is a truly world-class venue that will host a genuinely world-class sporting events programme. This partnership will bring that venue and global brand together and it will be the people of Glasgow who will reap the benefits. Over the next ten years this multi-million pound deal will leave a lasting legacy.

“We are one of the world’s top ten sporting cities and the Emirates Arena will play a huge part in ensuring we retain and build on that position in the coming years. We can’t wait for the action to get under way at the Emirates Arena.”

In 2004, Emirates took a significant step into sports sponsorship after agreeing a 15-year naming rights deal for Arsenal FC’s new stadium which will be worth at least £100m to the English Premier League side.

Richard Jewsbury, Emirates’s senior vice president of commercial operations in Europe, said: “As a truly global airline we are committed to connecting people and cultures and this new sponsorship in Glasgow is a true reflection of this commitment.

“We sponsor a number of the world’s most prominent international sporting and cultural events and this multi-million pound agreement will not only help to inject significant funds into the Glasgow economy, but will also highlight Glasgow’s place on the international sporting stage.”

The Emirates Arena consists of a 6500-capacity indoor stadium when set up for sporting events, while the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome within it will have a permanent capacity for 2000 seated and 500 standing spectators viewing the 250m cycle track.