Kia Motors has become the Official Partner of the UEFA Europa League for 2018-21. As part of Kia’s three-year sponsorship agreement which will last until the UEFA Europa League final in 2021, the company will be involved in launching a series of new programs and initiatives to take football fans closer to the tournament than they have ever been before.The UEFA Europa League is billed as the largest professional club football competition in the world, and involves 48 clubs drawn from 27 countries. During the 2018-19 tournament, a total of 205 matches will be played and these matches are expected to attract a cumulative TV audience of around one billion fans. As the UEFA Europa League’s Official Partner, Kia Motors will help UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) to further strengthen its engagement with football fans across the globe.Kia has plans to introduce the company’s exclusive ‘Official Match Ball Carrier’ youth program to the UEFA Europa League. As part of the program, young football fans from all over Europe, who are between the ages of 8 and 12 years, will get a chance to participate in the pre-match ceremony for each of the 205 matches. The Official Match Ball Carriers will get a once-in-a-lifetime chance to carry the Official Match Ball out on to the pitch in front of crowded stadia across Europe, walking ahead of the referee, match officials and players.KIA MOTORS BECOMES OFFICIAL PARTNER OF UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE FOR 2018-21Kia will also be supporting UEFA’s online game, UEL Daily Fantasy, which is accessible from www.UEFA.com. Fans can opt to select players from the clubs playing on that particular day, and each player is given a rating based on their involvement in the game which can include aspects like scoring goals or helping to score them, saving or conceding penalties, lasting throughout the 60 minutes or more, or even receiving yellow or red cards. The fans participating in UEL Daily Fantasy contest are then ranked on a leaderboard, with each day’s top performers winning exclusive football-themed prizes.Another marketing tool Kia plans to use is to operate on- and off-line ticket promotions for local football fans in each country. Kia will partner with UEFA to conduct the first UEFA Europa League ‘Trophy Tour’. This will give club supporters from across Europe the chance to see the iconic Trophy for themselves, and meet some of the renowned football players at the same time.Kia’s role as Official Partner will give the car manufacturer new chances to enhance brand awareness, while getting access to a huge audience of global football fans. Kia has a longstanding history as an official sponsor to major regional and global sports events, including the FIFA World Cup, UEFA European Championship, and Copa América. Kia has also supported the Australian Open tennis championship every year from 2002, and sponsors athletes and renowned sportspersons across a wide range of disciplines.For the UEFA Europa League, Kia will supply a fleet of 90 vehicles for the 2019, 2020 and 2021 Finals. This fleet of vehicles will be deployed to transport referees, officials, delegates and VIPs, and will support the operation of the tournament final. The 2018-19 UEFA Europa League final will be played at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, Azerbaijan on May 29, 2019.
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