Royal Yachting Association Appoints Capitalize To Secure Naming Rights Partner

Capitalize–The BrandFan® Agency has been appointed as the commercial agency to the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), the UK’s national governing body for sailing and windsurfing. The partnership will see the agency’s sponsorship division create a sponsorship procurement programme that includes the naming rights to the British Sailing Team.   

The British Sailing Team enjoyed continued success at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games last summer, reinforcing its status as one of Great Britain’s most high-performing Olympic sports. The focus has already turned to Rio 2016 where the RYA will compete in a number of new classes.  

Coupled with recently secured funding from UK Sport, the partnership will provide the investment needed to develop the RYA’s World Class Programme. The scheme provides coaching, technical and sports science support to its elite team who will be competing at the World Championships, European Championships and World Cup Series regattas through to Rio 2016 and beyond.  

Capitalize has previously worked with the RYA to develop its original commercial strategy and bring onboard its first round of corporate partners. The agency has also helped to develop marketing campaigns for brands such as Puma Ocean Racing and Alpari to rights holders like the Volvo Ocean Race, Sail Training International, International Boat Show and the Alpari World Match Racing Tour.    

Stephen Park, the RYA Olympic Manager, said: “The start of a new Olympic cycle presents exciting opportunities both for the British Sailing Team and for potential new commercial partners who share our vision and high-performance values.  We’re delighted to be working with Capitalize again, who I’ve no doubt will strive to realise our sponsorship potential just as hard as we strive to deliver success on the global sporting stage .”

Richard Moore, CEO at Capitalize, added: “The British Sailing Team is a beacon for sporting excellence and the envy of many elite performance teams across the world. We’re delighted to be working with the RYA to develop its commercial structure. This is a hot property which we are sure will generate considerable interest in the sponsorship market.”