Infront Sports & Media signs Veolia Umweltservice, a subsidiary of the Veolia Environment group, as the club’s new main sponsor

Rostock, Germany, 26 March 2010 - The waste management and resource recovery firm Veolia Umweltservice (Veolia Environmental Services) is to become the main sponsor of F.C. Hansa Rostock. The second division football club and Infront announced the sponsorship agreement during a press conference today. The new sponsorship deal, signed nearly six months before the start of the 2010/2011 season, will run for two seasons. The new partner is a subsidiary of the Veolia Environment group, the world leader in environmental services.

“It is always a very positive sign when an existing partner chooses to increase its commitment to F.C. Hansa Rostock. Veolia Umweltservice’s decision to extend its involvement and to become our new main sponsor is a fantastic endorsement of our marketing work. We are looking forward to working even more closely with the resource recovery specialists,” Hansa Rostock’s Chairman, Jörg Hempel, said at the press conference.
 
“As a long-established club, Hansa is a good match for us because we also have a long tradition of involvement in Rostock. We have been operating as a waste management partner in the region for more than 50 years and like the club, we have had our ups and downs. Our long-term commitment to Hansa underlines our confidence that the club will get through this difficult period, but also highlights our intention to continue our involvement with the whole Rostock region in the long term,” said Dr Christian Knaape, Chief Operating Officer of Veolia Umweltservice GmbH.

“The fact that Veolia signed up to be F.C. Hansa’s new main sponsor early in the year is testament to the club’s outstanding potential, even during challenging times. Thanks to a loyal following, excellent communication platform and first-class hospitality opportunities, the F.C. Hansa Rostock brand remains bright,” added Reinhardt Weinberger, Managing Director of Infront Germany.

Strong brand visibility and fan-oriented campaigns
Through this partnership, Veolia Umweltservice has secured it a spot on the Hansa shirt as well as extensive advertising in the DKB-Arena. In addition to traditional advertising banners and perspective logo carpets, the advertising in the sponsorship package also includes rotating perimeter advertising in areas not covered by the television cameras.

F.C. Hansa Rostock’s new main sponsor will also have other presentation platforms such as interview backdrops, press walls, the official F.C. Hansa website (www.fc-hansa.de) and the team bus. The company plans to run many fan-oriented campaigns together with F.C. Hansa Rostock, both inside and outside the DKB-Arena.

About Veolia Umweltservice
Veolia Umweltservice, with its head office in Hamburg, is among the leading waste management and resource recovery firm in Germany. The company is one of only a few providers covering all sub-areas of waste management (solid, liquid, industrial, hazardous and non-hazardous waste) throughout Germany. Its range of services includes everything from resource recycling and waste logistics to pipe and sewer services to street cleaning, through to the marketing of new and emerging raw materials. Veolia Umweltservice works in the municipal sector as well as for private, commercial and industrial customers. In 2009, the company generated a turnover of 1.1 billion euros and it currently has over 10,000 employees in around 200 service centres and waste management plants across Germany. Approximately 300 employees work at the Rostock branch of Veolia.
www.veolia-umweltservice.de

About Infront Germany
With 500 employees and 24 subsidiaries in 10 countries, Infront Sports & Media is one of the leading international full-service sports marketing agencies. With its subsidiary Infront Germany, based in Frankfurt/Main, it is one of the leaders in stadium advertising business in Germany, with a successful track record dating back 30 years. It currently markets the commercial rights of seven clubs in Germany, including four Bundesliga clubs, Werder Bremen (Weser-Stadion, stadium advertising), FC Schalke 04 (Veltins Arena, stadium advertising), VfL Bochum (rewirpowerSTADION, stadium advertising) and SC Freiburg (badonova-Stadion, major commercial rights), as well as three clubs of the 2. Bundesliga - Energie Cottbus (Stadion der Freundschaft, shirt sponsorship), Fortuna Düsseldorf (Esprit Arena, stadium advertising) and F.C. Hansa Rostock (DKB-Arena, all major commercial rights). In Rostock, Infront Germany also offers first-class hospitality opportunities. During the 2008/2009 season, also Infront successfully distributed media and marketing rights to the UEFA Cup home matches of the national champion VfL Wolfsburg.
www.infrontsports.de

For further information, please contact:

Jörg Polzer
Associate Director, Communication & PR
Infront Sports & Media AG
Tel. +41 41 723 15 15
Fax +41 41 723 15 16
press infrontsports.com

www.infrontsports.com

Sandra Tauchert
Press Officer
Veolia Umweltservice GmbH
Tel +49 40 78101-844
Fax +49 40 78101-9844
sandra.tauchert veolia-umweltservice.de

www.veolia-umweltservice.de