BIRMINGHAM, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Genting, the leading international leisure and hospitality group and the UK’s largest operator of casinos, is pleased to announce that it has entered into an agreement to be the Main Club Sponsor of Aston Villa F.C. The sponsorship is for an initial two years, covering the 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 seasons.
As part of the agreement, the Genting Casinos logo will feature on the home and away Aston Villa shirts, and the company will enjoy a host of sponsorship benefits. In addition, Genting and Aston Villa will support each other’s activities locally and internationally.
Genting, which has its offices at Star City in Birmingham, operates over 40 casinos throughout the UK. It is part of the Genting Group, one of Malaysia’s largest multi-national corporations, which has operations in the leisure & hospitality, power generation, oil palm plantation, property development, retail, biotechnology and oil & gas sectors. One of Genting’s most prominent consumer brands is ‘Resorts World’, which offers integrated resorts and casinos in Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, with further venues under development at Aqueduct racetrack in New York and planned for the NEC in Birmingham. Genting also operates Asia’s leading cruise business, Star Cruises (in turn holding 50% of Norwegian Cruise Line).
Aston Villa is one of the grandees of the UK’s premiership football clubs. It is the fifth most decorated club in English football history – with 19 major domestic honours and one of only five UK clubs to have won the European Cup. The club has made an invaluable contribution to the development of the sport as one of the founding members of the Football League in 1888, which was created thanks to the instigation of then Villa director, William McGregor. In addition, Villa Park is one of the oldest stadiums in Europe: it has hosted World Cup, European Championship and other international championships as well as more FA Cup semi-finals than any other venue.
Peter Brooks, Executive Deputy Chairman of Genting, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with a football club with such an esteemed heritage as Aston Villa. The English Premier League is the pre-eminent football league with a vast international following – while Genting is a leading leisure and hospitality group also with a huge international presence. Importantly, we have been associated with Birmingham since the 1970s and look forward to strengthening our relationship with this great city. So this sponsorship is a natural fit and marks an important milestone in Genting’s development as we continue to expand our presence both within the UK and internationally.”
Paul Faulkner, Chief Executive of Aston Villa, commented: “We are pleased and excited to be partnering with Genting and we are looking forward to benefiting from their position as a leading international corporation in the leisure and hospitality industry. We believe this will be a good and positive partnership for the Club and it reflects our continued growth. The fact that Genting has strong local connections in addition to its international dimension makes this a good relationship for the Club and we anticipate that it will work well as we embark on a new chapter for Aston Villa.”
Notes to Editors
About Genting UK
Genting UK plc, a wholly owned subsidiary of Genting Malaysia, trades in the UK as Genting Casinos. It is the UK’s largest operator of casinos with 45 facilities. The casinos outside of London operate under three brands: Circus, Maxims and Mint. The five London clubs have maintained their separate identities, with the exception of London Mint.
Genting UK, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Genting Malaysia, which has a primary focus on operating integrated resorts and casinos under its Resorts World brand.
For more information, please visit: www.gentingcasinos.co.uk
About Genting Malaysia
Genting Malaysia Berhad was founded in 1980 and is one of Malaysia’s leading multinational corporations. Genting Malaysia is part of Genting Berhad, one of Malaysia’s largest multi-national corporations with a market capitalization of c.£25 billion, with operations in the leisure & hospitality, power generation, oil palm plantation, property development, biotechnology and oil & gas sectors. The Genting Group has 45 years of gaming experience running some of the most popular land-based casinos and resorts in Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the Philippines and in the UK.
Genting Malaysia is principally involved in the leisure and hospitality industry, and its activities cover theme parks, gaming, hotels, seaside resorts, entertainment and cruise ships. The jewel of its crown is Resorts World Genting, a premier integrated family leisure and entertainment resort at the peak of Genting Highlands in Malaysia. Resorts World Genting was voted the World’s Leading Casino Resort (2005, 2007 to 2010) and Asia’s Leading Casino Resort from 2005 to 2010 by the World Travel Awards.
About Aston Villa
Aston Villa is one of the grandees of the UK’s premiership football clubs. It is the fifth most decorated club in English football history – with 19 major domestic honours and one of only five UK clubs to have won the European Cup. The club has made an invaluable contribution to the development of the sport as one of the founding members of the Football League in 1888, which was created thanks to the instigation of then Villa director, William McGregor. In addition, Villa Park is one of the oldest stadiums in Europe: it has hosted World Cup, European Championship and other international championships as well as more FA Cup semi-finals than any other venue.