Wimbledon nets multi-million pound deal with Vodafone

Vodafone announced as Official Connectivity Partner.

UK-based telecommunications firm Vodafone has signed a five-year deal with Wimbledon, which will see Vodafone become the Grand Slam’s Official Connectivity Partner till 2025. The deal is reported to be worth ‘multi-million pounds’.

British tennis players Tim Henman and Laura Robson have been announced as Vodafone brand ambassadors.

The partnership will see Vodafone use 5G to ‘help enhance the Wimbledon experience’ for the fans through Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, 360, haptic and IoT technologies in an attempt to make them feel more involved with the sport.

Vodafone will also work with the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) on a new competition for the grassroots players.

Gus Henderson, Commercial Director of the AELTC, commented:

“We are thrilled to welcome Vodafone as the official connectivity partner of The Championships. We are looking forward to seeing how Vodafone will create unique experiences to bring our fans even closer to the action at Wimbledon this summer.

“It is also very exciting to have a partner who shares our aim of promoting tennis to an even wider audience.”

Max Taylor, Vodafone Consumer Director, stated:

“There is a huge buzz around British tennis and Wimbledon is set once again to be a high point of the summer. We want to build on this momentum long-term by helping people get involved in the sport.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for us to use our connectivity to deliver a world-class experience for fans both on and off the court. We can’t wait to get involved.”

Taylor also mentioned that Vodafone was in talks with British tennis sensation Emma Raducanu for a brand ambassador deal.

Taylor added:

“We think [Raducanu] would be a fantastic ambassador and would be great for our partnership and ambitions around grassroots tennis. There is nothing formal to announce, but we are in talks.”

Laura Robson, former British Number One and Wimbledon Junior champion, said:

“British tennis is going from strength to strength right now, and it’s so exciting to see where we could end up. I’m delighted to be teaming up with Vodafone to help encourage as many people as possible to pick up a racket.”

The addition of Wimbledon expands Vodafone’s already stellar sponsorship portfolio, which includes Formula E, Wasps Rugby Union team, the British rugby team and the Irish rugby team.