Hitachi has agreed a one-year extension to its shirt sponsorship contract with Brazilian top flight football club Ponte Preta.
The Japanese electronics giant sponsored the Campinas-based club during the 2012 Brazilian season, and will now have its brand displayed on the chest and back of Ponte Preta’s shirts during the 2013 Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A campaign, which kicks off at the weekend.
Both Ponte Preta and Hitachi said the new deal has been struck with a view to expanding it to involve the club’s bid to develop a new 30,000-seat stadium. “We made this contract until the end of 2013 because Hitachi has an interest in participating in the Complexo Arena Ponte Preta project,” Ponte Preta president Marcio Della Volpe said. “If this comes to fruition, we will have to consider this partnership on a new wider contract.”
Toshiro Iwayama, chief executive of Hitachi Brasil, added: “Ponte told us about the project and we are interested. Of course having the name of Hitachi in an arena would be a dream, but as we are producers, I believe we can make a partnership using our products.”