English top flight soccer club Leicester City and their main sponsor King Power International, the Thai-based travel retail group, have announced a season-long shirt sponsorship deal with the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
The agreement for the 2020/21 campaign will look to support the country’s Covid-19 recovery by encouraging tourism to the nation, and sees the slogan ‘Thailand Smiles With You’ feature on the front of Leicester’s shirts.
The branding will also be present for the club’s final game of 2019/20 campaign against Manchester United at the King Power Stadium on 26th July. King Power will retain its front-of-shirt presence for domestic cup and European competitions.
King Power, which has owned the Foxes since 2010, currently pays the club a reported US$5.1 million per season as the club’s principal partner, which covers shirt branding and stadium naming rights.
The campaign – called Thailand Smiles With You – will see the three parties working together during the global emergence from the pandemic, to reintroduce one of the world’s most visited tourist destinations.
Programme aims to support Thailand’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic:
- Thailand Smiles With You features on LCFC players’ shirts for 2020/21 Premier League games,
- King Power have pledged significant support to Leicester communities during the pandemic,
- LCFC Chairman highlights opportunity to strengthen international relationships.
Since being acquired by Bangkok-based King Power in 2010, Leicester City have enjoyed incredible support from the people of Thailand, whose passion for football has been a feature of the Club’s international progress in the last 10 years.
Thailand Smiles With You is an opportunity for the Club and King Power to return that support to Thai communities affected by the pandemic – just as they have to the communities of Leicester.
Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha, Leicester City Chairman and CEO of King Power International, said: “The impact of Covid-19 is being felt all over the world and the relationship between Leicester City and King Power gives us the opportunity to support the shared communities that are closest to us. In Leicester, the Club has been able to reach out directly to make support available to a number of causes affected by the pandemic and will retain the backing of King Power to continue supporting Leicester’s future recovery. This campaign is our opportunity to make a difference in Thailand, where tourism contributes significantly to the nation’s economy and, as a result, the livelihoods of millions of Thai people. The relationship between King Power and Leicester City has been such a powerful vehicle for success for our entire organisation in the last 10 years. I’m extremely proud to make the power of that relationship available to the Tourism Authority of Thailand in the 2020/21 season.”
The King Power home shirt will go on sale to supporters online and at the Foxes Fanstore at King Power Stadium on Monday 27 July. Supporters will also have the option of placing a pre-order on a limited run of the Thailand Smiles With You home shirt for delivery this autumn. Further details will be confirmed on LCFC.com before Monday’s launch.
The prices of all retail shirts will remain frozen, with Adult shirts priced at £55.
“The world has changed in recent months, sharpening everyone’s focus to take care of our communities and to do the right thing. That doesn’t happen without some agility in our business and we have had to make some changes to our plans for 2020/21 as a result. But I feel confident it is a campaign Leicester City supporters will get behind, strengthening the sense of solidarity that already exists between the city and the people of Thailand,” Leicester City Chairman, Khun Aiyawatt added.
