£113 m Emirates Arena in Glasgow opens on Friday

Emirates, one of the world’s fastest growing airlines has announced a major sponsorship deal that includes a multi-million pound sponsorship with Glasgow City Council. As part of the agreement Emirates now holds the exclusive naming rights for the city’s new world class sports facility, the ‘Emirates Arena’.  

The ten-year partnership will enable the airline to strengthen its presence in Glasgow with prominent branding on and throughout the Emirates Arena, highlighting a long-term investment in Glasgow and giving the venue an internationally recognised brand name.

 “As a truly global airline we are committed to connecting people and cultures and this new sponsorship in Glasgow is a true reflection of this commitment. We sponsor a number of the world’s most prominent international sporting and cultural events and this multi-million pound agreement will not only help to inject significant funds into the Glasgow economy, but will also highlight Glasgow’s place on the international sporting stage,” said Richard Jewsbury, Emirates’ Senior Vice President Commercial Operations Europe.

The £113million Emirates Arena will open its doors for the first time on Friday 5th October and in its first four months of operation, will play host to eight Scottish, European and world level sporting events. As well as creating an all-round sport and community facility available to professionals and locals alike, this deal has secured employment for over 500 people during construction.

Emirates has a long history of supporting sport both in the UK and worldwide, including The International Cricket Council, the FIFA World Cup, the 2012 Ryder Cup and the Arsenal Football team at the Emirates Stadium in London.

“This is a fantastic deal for the people of Glasgow,” said Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council “Many of the world’s top sports venues already enjoy the considerable benefits and prestige secured through a naming rights agreement and this partnership with Emirates puts us firmly in that elite group.

“The Emirates Arena is a truly world-class venue that will host a genuinely world-class sporting events program. This partnership will bring that venue and global brand together and it will be the people of Glasgow who will reap the benefits. Over the next 10 years this multi-million pound deal will leave a lasting legacy.

“We are one of the world’s top 10 sporting cities and the Emirates Arena will play a huge part in ensuring we retain and build on that position in the coming years. We can’t wait for the action to get underway at the Emirates Arena.”

The indoor arena will have 6,500 spectator seats when set up for sporting competitions, while the velodrome will have a permanent capacity for 2,000 seated and 500 standing spectators viewing the 250-metre cycle track. The facility will be a national training centre for athletics, basketball, netball, track cycling and volleyball, and will include Scotland’s first dedicated indoor velodrome, providing elite training and an international competition standard venue.

There are now over 175 people employed in the Emirates Arena, including local residents who secured employment after completing a local training program with Clyde Gateway, Scotland’s largest regeneration partnership.

 “The state-of-the-art multi-purpose Emirates Arena is a true representation of our new brand platform, ‘Hello Tomorrow’, which focuses on the endless possibilities of the future,” added Jewsbury.