The starting whistle has sounded for Sparinvest! The Danish investment company will be the new main sponsor of National League handball team SG Flensburg-Handewitt from 1st January 2008, when the second half of the season begins.
Luxemburg/Flensburg, 11.12.2007 – Danish investment company Sparinvest is moving onto a new playing field as the new main sponsor of top handball club SG Flensburg-Handewitt, currently Germany's number one national handball team. As soon as the second half of the season begins - on 1 January 2008 - the Sparinvest logo will be appearing on jerseys, team uniforms and courtside signs, among other things. Sparinvest, a corporation which does business throughout Europe, has signed for an initial 3.5-year partnership with this sporting organisation that is also steeped in tradition.
“Like our fund products, our sponsorships are also designed with a long-term
horizon in mind. And so our involvement with the club will not necessarily end
after a 3.5-year deadline,” said Jan Stig Rasmussen, Head of European Operations
and Managing Director of Sparinvest Luxemburg, who penned the deal with Fynn
Holpert, President of SG Flensburg-Handewitt.
“This sponsorship is something
that is very close to our hearts,” said J. Volker Grüneke, General Manager of
Sparinvest Deutschland. “Our two organisations have more in common than one
might think at first.” Indeed, strong emphasis on such shared values as: the
importance of family, healthy recreation and, above all, passionate commitment
will make it possible for Sparinvest and SG Flensburg-Handewitt to thrill
handball fans nationwide, and beyond. “It is also our common goal to make
handball an even more popular sport in Germany,” Grüneke emphasized, adding that
“based on experience, the most effective means of doing that is by winning.”
Getting to the top together
Club president Holpert sees
it as a good omen that his team has reached the Number 1 position in the
national first division, just as the new sponsorship agreement is being
announced. “The deal unveiled today at the Campushalle in Flensburg heralds a
most promising partnership,” said Holpert. “For us, this partnership also means
an obligation to remain as successful as we have been over the last few years.
We see the performance-linked components of our sponsorship agreement as an
opportunity to demonstrate our will to win. Sparinvest and SG
Flensburg-Handewitt are in many ways a perfect match as partners. We stand for
the same values, and share a strong conviction that continuity and confidence
always lead to success.” Holpert added.
“Handball is simply a great fit for Sparinvest,” said Rasmussen, explaining the sponsorship decision. “The average handball fan is highly skilled and educated. This profile dovetails perfectly with the target market for our products, which are designed primarily for intelligent investors.”
About Sparinvest
Sparinvest was founded in 1968 by a
group of savings banks as Denmark's first investment fund company. The company
now has more than 90 shareholders, including local banks, savings and loans,
insurance companies and pension funds. Since 2001, Sparinvest has been expanding
fund distribution throughout Europe through its Luxemburg
subsidiary.
Sparinvest manages more than 30 funds designed for both
institutional and private investors, now approved for distribution in 16
European countries. The flagship Sparinvest SICAV Global Value fund is one of
Europe's most successful global equity funds. Sparinvest's assets under
management now total in excess of 18 billion euros.
The SG story: a tradition of success
In March 1990, the
Flensburg region pooled together its handball potential through the formation of
the club SG Flensburg-Handewitt. Since the 1993/1994 season, SG has regularly
finished in the top four nationally in addition to posting a number of
international victories. After taking second place twice, in 1997 the EHF cup
went to Flensburger Förde, whereas in 1999 the team won the City Cup and took
the Championship Cup in 2001. In 2003, SG Flensburg-Handewitt claimed its first
national title when the team won the DHB Cup on 13 April.
SG had an unforgettable 2003/2004 season with a double triumph on a national level as both German Champion and Cup winner. Flensburg entered the “premier” league for the first time, making it into the finals. Thanks to the team's sound and consistent performance, SG again secured a spot in the premier league in 2005, taking the Cup for the third time in a row. In the meantime, SG is preparing itself for the future. The club’s players and management are passionate about “thinking outside the box” in both the sporting and business arenas.
Press enquiries:
Henrik Rolandsen Obel
Associate Director
Head of Marketing and
Communication
Sparinvest S.A.
28, Boulevard Royal
L-2449 Luxembourg
Phone: +352 26 27 47 1
E-mail: hro@sparinvest.lu