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Benfica looks to sell naming rights for Estádio da Luz

Portuguese Primeira Liga football club SL Benfica has entered into a partnership with WME Sports, which will lead the search for a first naming-rights sponsor for the Estádio da Luz.

WME Sports, which is the sports representation branch of the Endeavor-owned WME agency, will also be tasked with finding a commercial sponsor for the club’s Benfica Campus training ground and youth academy complex.

The Estádio da Luz opened in 2003 ahead of Portugal’s staging of the UEFA European Championships the following year. It has since hosted the UEFA Champions League final in 2014 and 2020.

The stadium, which has also hosted a range of concerts and other events, has never had a naming-rights sponsor and Benfica is hoping its agreement with WME Sports will help to open up new revenue streams for the club.

SportBusiness reports that WME Sports has agreed a two-year deal with Benfica, with the agency to work on a commission-only basis at industry standard rates of around 15%.

Benfica chief executive Domingos Soares de Oliveira said: “It will be an asset to work with the prestigious WME Sports agency. We are committed to finding the right partners for our two most precious assets, the stadium and the academy.

“This is part of our strategy to further position Benfica as a truly international club with a global reach, ensuring that we maximise the potential of our brand.”

Karen Brodkin, co-head of WME Sports and executive-vice president of content development and strategy at Endeavor, added: “We are excited about our partnership with Benfica and representing two of the most unique assets in European football.

“The iconic Estádio da Luz and the club’s award-winning star production academy provides not only an opportunity for brands to connect with millions of football fans around the world, but also to the six million tourists who visit Portugal’s vibrant capital every year. We look forward to using our international experience in promoting sports properties to find the right strategic partners for these prestigious assets.”

Benfica has previously had agreements in place with Sagres, Coca-Cola Portugal and PT for naming rights to stands at the Estádio da Luz, but the club has never had a stadium-wide deal in place.

Image: Florent Dusonchet/CC BY 2.0/Edited for size