The bank will be the sponsor of Latin America’s most prestigious women's football competition for the 2020, 2021 and 2022 tournaments
The deal adds to the other initiatives the bank supports in sport, such as the CONMEBOL Men’s Libertadores, UEFA Champions League and LaLiga Santander (Spain’s top-flight football league), because of its ability to have a positive impact on people's lives.
Madrid, 10 March 2021 - PRESS RELEASE
Banco Santander will be a sponsor for the 2020, 2021 and 2022 CONMEBOL Women’s Copa Libertadores, Latin America’s most prestigious women's football competition. The deal starts with the 2020 tournament, which was cancelled because of the pandemic and is being played throughout this month in Argentina.
The bank's sponsorship includes brand positioning during the broadcast of games as well as tickets and commercial experiences. Santander, which supported the competition in 2010, is also the oldest sponsor of the CONMEBOL Men’s Libertadores, which it has been associated with for over a decade.
Sergio Rial, country head for the Group in Brazil and head of South America, said: "Football stirs up emotions and engages society like no other sport, especially in South America. That's why our partnership with the CONMEBOL Women’s Copa Libertadores marks an important step in our goal to promote equality and diversity in the region. We want to touch the hearts of players and fans, and women have an enormous part to play on the pitch".
Juan Emilio Roa, Commercial Director at Conmebol, said: “At CONMEBOL we are very pleased that a company such as Santander, which has supported us all these years, is joining us to sponsor the Women's CONMEBOL Libertadores, a tournament that is gaining prestige and arousing higher interest than ever in the region. At CONMEBOL, we believe in football without gender or exclusion. Football is written with F for female and F for FUTURE”
The bank’s commitment to sport and its support for equal opportunity between women and men are demonstrated by its sponsorship as well as its International Scholarships Programme for Women's Football. This programme, currently in its third year, targets women footballers from 15 countries. Each year, it gives them the opportunity to earn a degree at the best US universities on athletic and academic scholarships.
Santander believes in the positive impact football can have on people's lives. This is the essence of its Football Can strategy to drive its “Help people and businesses prosper” message among football fans. The strategy’s initiatives help Santander promote the values of sport and make society more diverse, inclusive and fair.
Santander has a steadfast commitment to effective gender equality in all the countries where it operates, promoting and empowering talented women. Its initiatives on equality places it among the ten leading companies in the world, according to the 2021 Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index.
This endorsement cements Santander’s position as the bank of football in Latin America, where it has been a sponsor of main competitions since 2008.