Barca ties up with Nestlé Milo as new global sponsor after Rakuten deal

FC Barcelona (Barca) has partnered with Nestlé Milo to promote healthier lifestyles and the importance of physical activity to young people across Asia, Oceania, Africa and Latin America.The four-year global partnership will make Nestlé Milo the official tonic food drink of FC Barcelona. In some countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, the partnership will extend to include Nestlé’s Nesquik brand.In a statement to A+M, Nestlé said that Milo is its billionaire brand and for more than 50 years, has been running grassroots sports programmes for young people around the world. Currently around 22 million children are involved in sport and nutrition projects delivered by Milo, year after year, it said.The news also comes about a week after the Spanish football club signed a four-year shirt sponsorship deal with Japanese e-commerce firm Rakuten. The contract, which is worth US$58 million a year, is one of the biggest football shirt sponsorships and it will begin with the 2017-18 season, according to BBC.On its latest partnership, Manuel Arroyo, vice president for marketing and communication at FC Barcelona said that the global sponsorship deal with Nestlé Milo consolidates its attempts to make the club more global and reinforces the club's association with market leaders. Arroyo said: "Nestlé Milo, like FC Barcelona, believes in the importance of playing sport from a young age as a key tool for learning essential values for children’s development.”As one of the world’s largest food manufacturers, Patrice Bula, executive vice president of Nestlé SA said its committed to make a difference to the lives of children across the world, "By educating young people about the importance of sport and physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle, we can build a better future for the next generation. By regularly taking part in sport, young people learn from an early age, the values of fairness, effort, respect and confidence."“Building on these shared values, we are delighted to partner with FC Barcelona to develop a series of sports programmes with our well-known Milo and Nesquik brands, designed to encourage more young people to take part in sport and enjoy a balanced diet. With this partnership, we aim to help make a difference to lives of millions of children across the world,” he added.Nestlé said it has been working to enhance the quality of life and contribute to a healthier future, helping children to get the best start in life. The new partnership with FC Barcelona supports this purpose by promoting the importance of education, nutrition and sport.