Ford has embarked on its fair share of professional sports partnerships around the globe over the years, including with its hometown Detroit Lions. In Germany, that list has also long included 1. FC Köln, a professional football club that Ford has been an exclusive sponsor of since 1994. Now, that partnership has been extended yet again, this time, through June 2029, which makes perfect sense given the fact that The Blue Oval has a strong presence in the same city that the club is based in – Cologne, Germany.
“We are incredibly proud and look forward to the continuation of our unique, over 30-year partnership with the 1st FC Köln for another four years,” said Christoph Herr, Managing Director Ford Germany, Austria and Switzerland. “For Ford in Cologne, this is much more than pure sponsorship: it is an absolute matter of the heart, lived tradition and a deep, inseparable connection. Because Ford belongs to Cologne like the FC! Here in our home country, we produce pioneering electric cars with the Explorer and Capri, and thousands of our employees are themselves ardent FC fans. This deep, common roots and the concentrated Cologne passion make our partnership so unique, authentic and future-proof.”
Over the years, Ford’s Blue Oval has been displayed on the team’s jerseys on more than one occasion, as well as advertising and the scoreboard at the RheinEnergieSTADION – for 31 years, in fact. When the partnership began back in 1994, Ford provided a variety of vehicles to the club for use – such as the Mondeo and Scorpio – but things have obviously changed quite a bit since then.
Now, the current FC fleet includes such modern vehicles as the all-electric Ford Capri, which is built in Cologne alongside the Explorer EV, plus the Kuga PHEV and Tourneo Custom PHEV – helping to transport not only players, but also, office employees that work with the team, too.
No Comments yet