BetFred Extends World Snooker Sponsorship

Spectators at the Crucible in Sheffield have been enjoying over two weeks of world class snooker action. The World Championship is the pinnacle of the season and, following an eventful set of earlier rounds, Judd Trump and John Higgins faced off in the final.

Around the time that those two players were battling through tough semi finals, the future of the competition received a boost with news that existing sponsor BetFred had agreed to extend their current agreement.

Extension Called

Under the terms of the new offer, BetFred’s partnership with the tournament has been continued for another two years. The deal, signed at the Crucible itself, will take the contract up to 2021 and many expect that the sportsbook will be involved for much longer.

BetFred first got behind the event when sponsorship began way back in 2009. It’s therefore one of the longest, current deals in sport and naturally, both sides are delighted to be extending the existing agreement.

Massive Exposure

Founder of BetFred Fred Done said:

At BetFred we absolutely love sponsoring the World Snooker Championship.

It’s a fabulous event which receives massive exposure around the world and the Crucible is a very special place. We look forward to working with World Snooker for years to come.

In response, Chairman of World Snooker Barry Hearn added:

We are delighted to extend our partnership with BetFred for at least another two years. This is our biggest event and it is fitting that we are working alongside a fantastic sponsor.

Half a billion people across the planet will be fixed to the action over the coming days as the 2019 Championship reaches its conclusion.

Those figures will be good news to BetFred who receive that massive exposure that Fred Done is referring to. The operator is becoming synonymous with the event and their logo will be prominent throughout the venue and on players’ clothing over the next two years.

That exposure will also extend to digital mediums via the world snooker website and social media accounts. These are two powerhouses in their respective fields but this does seem to be a partnership with good balance on both sides.

Taking Their Cue

BetFred, like a number of sportsbook operators, like to get involved with the glamorous area of football sponsorship but they are also happy to reach down into other sports. Snooker has enjoyed a healthy following which has been steady since the glory years of the 1980s which gave us great characters such as Alex Higgins, Jimmy White and Steve Davis.

But the sport cannot ever hope to earn the type of money that football enjoys so partnerships of this kind are vital for the future. We’ve seen operators such as MansionBet get involved with smaller tournaments on the tour such as the Gibraltar Open and there seems to be a growing interest in snooker partnerships. BetFred have landed the big one but it’s positive news to see this agreement continue and the World Championship will continue to flourish with the help of their support.