Athletic Brewing Co has penned a “multi-year” sponsorship deal with the Canadian National Hockey League (NHL) for its namesake non-alcoholic beer.
The tie-up will see Athletic assume the moniker ‘official non-alcoholic beer’ of the professional ice-hockey league, making it the organisation’s first dedicated non-alcoholic beer partner. Athletic’s branding will appear on the NHL’s digital marketing output, social media channels, retail activations and at events.
The brand will make its first appearance at the Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic match in Winnipeg on 25 October. Activity is to include fan activations, product sampling, in-stadium advertising and “broadcast visibility” during TV coverage of the match.
The pair are also planning to roll out a national retail campaign, “to promote the [Athletic] brand to adult amateur hockey players and leagues” in Canada.
Athletic’s co-founder and CEO, Bill Shufelt, said: “This partnership gives us an incredible platform to introduce Athletic to more consumers across Canada and become a meaningful part of the hockey experience.”
The tie-up is the latest in the company’s growing number of international sports-related sponsorship deals, such as an agreement with MetLife Stadium and its two affiliated NFL teams, the New York Giants and New York Jets, signed in August.
