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Tag: Chennaiyin FC

  • Chennaiyin FC announce Nivia as official kit partner

    Chennaiyin FC announce Nivia as official kit partner

    MUMBAI: Two-time Indian Super League (ISL) champions Chennaiyin FC (CFC) has signed sports brand Nivia as the official kit partner on a multi-year deal, starting from the 2021-22 season.

    The Indian sports equipment manufacturer based in Jalandhar, Punjab has strong footprints in the football ecosystem in the country, as well as Asia. Nivia had associated with ISL in 2018 with a three-year multi-crore deal as the football league’s official ball partner. It has also worked with national football federations of India, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan.

    “We are excited to team up with Nivia, one of the most successful sports brands in the football ecosystem in India. This partnership clearly underlines our ascendancy within the sport and will help us widen our reach across Tamil Nadu through their distribution network. We are always keen to associate with brands that share the same passion for the sport as us and we welcome them to the Chennaiyin family,” CFC co-owner Vita Dani said about the partnership.

    With shared values and a compelling sporting proposition, coming together of both the brands will go a long way in helping Marina Machans tap the large and passionate football fan base from the region. This strategic partnership will also ensure the club explores various opportunities to develop football in the grassroots further alongside this indigenous brand.

    Nivia managing director Rajesh Kharabanda said, “The new season of the ISL is around the corner and Nivia is extremely proud to be kick-starting the association with the two-time champions, Chennaiyin FC. To manufacture the kits for them with the Dhrishti Bommai logo — the symbol of chasing away negativity and bringing the positivity — is an absolute honour. We hope this new collaboration between Chennaiyin FC and Nivia helps bring out the best. Finally, we wish the team all the best for the upcoming season and hope to have an extremely fruitful association over the coming few seasons.”

    Nivia will have exclusive retailing rights to CFC’s take-down and replica jerseys, adding pan-India merchandise reach for the franchise across retail and e-commerce channels. The collection will also comprise a fanwear selection of polo tees, shorts, trousers and boots, underscoring both brands’ desire to enhance the collaboration beyond a traditional sports sponsorship model. 

  • Star launches Tamil sports channel, localisation features Ashwin, Dhoni, TNPL & Chennaiyin stars

    MUMBAI: Star Sports has added another channel in its sports cluster and entered the Tamil market with Star Sports – Tamil.  The channel went live on 28 May.

    Star Sports Tamil will be available on all the DTH/cable operators across Tamil Nadu as well as rest of India.

    The channel has a rich calendar of sports starting with the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, moving into Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL 2.0), Vivo Pro Kabaddi Season 5 and Hero ISL. The channel would also provide curated Tamil content localisation of which would feature superstars R. Ashwin, M S Dhoni, TNPL Stars, and stars from Chennaiyin FC.

    A first-of-its-kind regional sports channel, Star Sports Tamil will bring fans across Tamil Nadu closer to their favorite sports and heroes. 

    The marketing campaign #MachiAreYouReady (Buddy, are you ready) has commenced along with the launch of the channel. A tribute to the multi-sport culture of the state, the campaign underlines Tamil pride and is rich with nuances such as the presence of the soil of Tamil Nadu in the TVC. The campaign will be supplemented by comprehensive, high-impact promotions on radio, TV, print, digital, and OOH.

    Tamil Nadu’s favourite cricketer Dhoni and Indian sports icon, the Star Sports ambassador, is featuring prominently in the campaign. Thala Dhoni embodies the pride, valour and sportsmanship of the Tamil culture.

    A Star India spokesperson said, “Tamil Nadu is a unique market with high affinity to language content and distinctive viewing habits. Star India’s strong presence in the state has helped us understand the pulse of the Tamil sports fans. Star Sports Tamil is an extension of our belief to give people more relevant regional sports content and celebrate the ‘Tamizh’ culture. This is another resolute step in our constant endeavour to bring fans closer to sports.”

    The channel will feature content exclusively packaged with a line-up of eminent Tamilian hosts and commentators from the sports fraternity such as K Srikkanth, L. Sivaramakrishnan, S. Badrinath, S Sriram, S Ramesh, H Badani.

  • Himalaya Men & BharatBenz kick-start festive season with Chennaiyin FC

    Himalaya Men & BharatBenz kick-start festive season with Chennaiyin FC

    MUMBAI: ESP Properties has enabled key deals for ISL’s Chennaiyin FC by roping in BharatBenz and Himalaya Men as jersey sponsors. Through this deal, BharatBenz comes on board with an ISL team for the first time and Himalaya Men continues their path breaking campaign of – Pimple Story.

    After the successful collaboration of Himalaya Men and IPL (with RCB team), ESP Properties has continued Himalaya’s Pimple story campaign with PKL (with Patna Pirates team) and now ISL (with Chennaiyin FC team). As an activation, for the first 2 matches of Chennaiyin FC during ISL 2016, the back of jersey would have ‘Pimple’ written on it and from 3rd match onwards, it’s going to change to ‘Himalaya Men.’ A key idea which was implemented through a unique sports marketing led campaign than vanilla advertisements!

    For BharatBenz, it would be their first foray into sports sponsorships. They have crafted a unique campaign to spread their ‘Safety First initiative’ roping the kids who accompany the players to the field at the start of the game.

    ESP Properties business head Vinit Karnik said, “The strategy is being seen as a move to leverage ISL as a platform to target Himalaya’s and BharatBenz’s key consumers by associating with the Chennaiyin FC. ISL marks the beginning of the festive season in India where brands are looking to increase their share of voice need clutter breaking and engaging platform to occupy consumer mind space.”

    Chennaiyin FC co-owner Vita Dani said, “We are delighted to welcome Himalaya Men as the Co-Sponsor of Chennaiyin FC.”

    Himalaya Men’s Ashwani Gandhi said, “Sports lends itself as a perfect platform for us to connect with our TG, the youth. After fruitful associations with IPL and PKL, we are hoping to continue our success run by associating with the Chennaiyin FC.”

    “Chennaiyin FC, the club is young, dynamic and a powerful force in the league – just like what BharatBenz is in the commercial vehicle segment. We also share a strong affinity with Chennai being our home ground,” added BharatBenz, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles general marketing manager Apar Bansal.

  • Himalaya Men & BharatBenz kick-start festive season with Chennaiyin FC

    Himalaya Men & BharatBenz kick-start festive season with Chennaiyin FC

    MUMBAI: ESP Properties has enabled key deals for ISL’s Chennaiyin FC by roping in BharatBenz and Himalaya Men as jersey sponsors. Through this deal, BharatBenz comes on board with an ISL team for the first time and Himalaya Men continues their path breaking campaign of – Pimple Story.

    After the successful collaboration of Himalaya Men and IPL (with RCB team), ESP Properties has continued Himalaya’s Pimple story campaign with PKL (with Patna Pirates team) and now ISL (with Chennaiyin FC team). As an activation, for the first 2 matches of Chennaiyin FC during ISL 2016, the back of jersey would have ‘Pimple’ written on it and from 3rd match onwards, it’s going to change to ‘Himalaya Men.’ A key idea which was implemented through a unique sports marketing led campaign than vanilla advertisements!

    For BharatBenz, it would be their first foray into sports sponsorships. They have crafted a unique campaign to spread their ‘Safety First initiative’ roping the kids who accompany the players to the field at the start of the game.

    ESP Properties business head Vinit Karnik said, “The strategy is being seen as a move to leverage ISL as a platform to target Himalaya’s and BharatBenz’s key consumers by associating with the Chennaiyin FC. ISL marks the beginning of the festive season in India where brands are looking to increase their share of voice need clutter breaking and engaging platform to occupy consumer mind space.”

    Chennaiyin FC co-owner Vita Dani said, “We are delighted to welcome Himalaya Men as the Co-Sponsor of Chennaiyin FC.”

    Himalaya Men’s Ashwani Gandhi said, “Sports lends itself as a perfect platform for us to connect with our TG, the youth. After fruitful associations with IPL and PKL, we are hoping to continue our success run by associating with the Chennaiyin FC.”

    “Chennaiyin FC, the club is young, dynamic and a powerful force in the league – just like what BharatBenz is in the commercial vehicle segment. We also share a strong affinity with Chennai being our home ground,” added BharatBenz, Daimler India Commercial Vehicles general marketing manager Apar Bansal.

  • Hero Indian Super League 2015 opening ceremony ticket available online

    Hero Indian Super League 2015 opening ceremony ticket available online

    MUMBAI: Online ticket sales to the much anticipated Hero Indian Super League 2015 Opening Ceremony scheduled on 3 October 2015 in Chennai, commenced today.

     

    Tickets for the Opening Ceremony and opening match priced from Rs 150 (General category) to Rs 2500 (Hospitality) are available online at http://in.bookmyshow.com/chennaiyinfc

     

    A galaxy of stars are expected to descend upon the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Marina-Arena in Chennai on Saturday, 3rd October to witness the Hero ISL 2015 Opening Ceremony followed by the season’s first ‘Big Clash’ between the hosts Chennaiyin FC and defending champions Atletico de Kolkata.

     

    Chennaiyin FC, who finished top of the league stage in the inaugural season and were the first team to qualify for the knock-out stage, narrowly missed out on a place in the final after losing to Kerala Blasters 4-3 on aggregate.

     

    Chennaiyin FC have retained the core of their squad including Italian World Cup winner Marco Materazzi as the Head Coach and the inaugural season’s Golden Boot awardee Elano Blumer as Marquee Player.

     

    Chennaiyin FC is currently having its pre-season preparations in Perugia, Italy.

     

    Chennaiyin FC’s rest of League Fixtures (Home):-

     

    24th October 2015 : vs FC Pune City

    5th November : vs FC Goa

    11th November : vs NorthEast United

    21st November : vs Kerala Blasters

    24th November : vs Delhi Dynamos 

    1st December : Mumbai City FC

  • Chennaiyin FC sign ISL winning duo Edel and Fikru

    Chennaiyin FC sign ISL winning duo Edel and Fikru

    MUMBAI: Chennaiyin FC has signed Indian Super League (ISL) champion franchise Athletico de Kolkata’s (ATK) duo Apoula Edel Bete and Fikru Teferra Lemessa for the second season of the tournament.

     

    Cameroonian-born Armenian goalkeeper Edel and Ethiopian forward Fikru played pivotal role in ATK journey to conquest in the inaugural edition of the tournament.

     

    After the 2014 ISL, Edel played for Hapoel Tel Aviv in Israel while Fikru was with South African outfit Bidvest Wits.

     

    Edel has previously had a spell with French giants Paris Saint-Germain in his career and has also represented Armenia at senior international level. The custodian made nine appearances in last year’s ISL and kept four clean sheets with a memorable award-winning save in the final.

     

    Fikru has captained Ethiopia at senior international level and also has ten goals for the African country. The striker is assured of a place in ISL history as he scored the first-ever goal of the competition in the inaugural game last year. Fikru netted five goals in 12 appearances in the 2014 ISL.

     

    Chennaiyin FC manager Marco Materazzi said, “We are very happy to have signed Edel and Fikru for the 2015 ISL. They were both highly consistent performers last year and of course won the ISL. They were two of the best foreign players of the first ISL with Edel doing some outstanding goalkeeping throughout the tournament and Fikru had a great presence upfront with clinical finishing. The duo will add plenty of quality and experience in our squad.”

     

    Edel added, “I had a great experience playing in India last year and I am thankful to Chennaiyin FC for providing me the chance to come back again this time. Chennaiyin FC were one of the most competitive teams of the first ISL so I am delighted to have joined them and it will be an honour playing under World Cup winner Materazzi. I still remember the game against Chennaiyin in Chennai. The atmosphere was electric so it will be great to have such home support this time. I won the ISL last year and I want to lift the trophy with Chennaiyin this time.”

     

    Fikru opined, “I am delighted to have joined Chennaiyin FC as the opportunity to work with the legendary Materazzi is something you can’t turn down. Playing in the ISL was one of the best experiences of my career. I still can’t forget the moment when I scored the first goal in the competition’s history. I want to perform even better this time and make Chennaiyin FC the champions. Chennaiyin were the most consistent team in the league stage and they enjoyed great support throughout the tournament. I can’t wait to get started with CFC.”

  • Chennaiyin FC retains Bruno Pelissari

    Chennaiyin FC retains Bruno Pelissari

    MUMBAI: Chennaiyin FC have retained Brazilian attacking midfielder Bruno Pelissari for the second season of the Hero Indian Super League.

     

    The 22-year-old will be joining Chennaiyin FC on loan from Brazilian club Atletico Paranaense to feature in the 2015 Hero ISL. Bruno was on loan to CFC from Atletico Paranaense in the inaugural edition of the ISL also and played his part in Chennaiyin’s run to the semis with four goals in six starts.

     

    Bruno’s goals came against FC Pune City, Mumbai City, Kerala Blasters and Delhi Dynamos. All three goals were quality strikes from the Brazilian but perhaps the most memorable one was the ‘Olympic Goal’ against Delhi Dynamos as he scored directly from a corner, beating world’s tallest goalkeeper Kristof Van Hout.

     

    Following ISL 2014, Bruno returned to Atletico Paranaense and made five appearances for them in the Paranaense state championship.

     

    Chennaiyin FC manager Marco Materazzi said, “We are very happy to have retained Bruno for the second edition of the Hero Indian Super League. Bruno is a player with great potential and he showed that many times last year, producing moments of magic in tight games. His presence in the squad gives us strength in depth in attacking midfield and I have full faith in him to have an even better season this time.”

     

    “I am thankful to Chennaiyin FC for retaining me and giving me the chance to play in India again. It was a wonderful experience to feature in the ISL last year both on and off the pitch. The fans of Chennaiyin FC are absolutely fantastic and I really enjoyed playing at home in Chennai. I am looking forward to the second season and the objective will be to make Chennaiyin the champions,” Bruno stated.

  • Hero Indian Super League 2015 to kickoff on 3 October; extended by 9 days

    Hero Indian Super League 2015 to kickoff on 3 October; extended by 9 days

    MUMBAI: Hero Indian Super League (ISL), which sparked a football revolution in India with its inaugural edition last year, featuring eight city franchises, renowned international footballing stars, coaches and a host of Indian talents, is all set to stage its second season starting Saturday, 3 October, 2015.

     

    The promoters of Indian Super League, Football Sports Development— a joint venture between IMG, Reliance Industries and Star India; has announced the fixtures for its second season, featuring 61 games spread across 79 days.

     

    The League stage will witness 56 games in a home and away format, followed by two-legged semi-finals starting 11 December, 2015 with the ‘Super Sunday’ final scheduled on 20 December, 2015 at a pre-decided venue to be announced at a later date. All the matches will kick off at 1900 hrs (IST).

     

    Chennaiyin FC will host the opener when they take on the might of Hero ISL defending champions Atletico de Kolkata on 3 October, 2015 at their home ground Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. The action will then move to Goa the next day with FC Goa pitted against Delhi Dynamos FC, while fans in Mumbai will witness the ‘Maharashtra Derby’ on 5 October, 2015 when Mumbai City FC locks horns with FC Pune City at D Y Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai.

     

    The Hero ISL bandwagon will reach Kerala on 6 October, 2015 when last year’s runners-up Kerala Blasters FC play their first home fixture against NorthEast United FC. The newly laid pitch at Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata will be put to test for its first big match night when Atletico de Kolkata tussle with arch rivals FC Goa on 7 October, 2015. Delhi Dynamos FC, FC Pune City and NorthEast United FC will host their first home matches on 8, 9 and 16 October, 2015, respectively.

     

    The inaugural year of Hero Indian Super League witnessed an unprecedented response in the history of Indian football, achieving a rare feat of being the fourth most watched football league in the world. For the first time in Indian football, globally renowned players like, Alessandro Del Piero, Nicolas Anelka, Robert Pires, Fredrik Ljungberg, David James, Luis Garcia, David Trezeguet, Elano Blumer and Joan Capdevila played alongside the best Indian football talents.

     

    Hero ISL’s first edition saw participation of footballers from 36 varied nationalities, including India; changing the way football was perceived in the country so far. The globally viewed tournament had 129 goals scored at an average of 2.11 goals per game.

     

    Over 1.5 million fans made their way to eight city based club’s home stadiums to witness this footballing event unfold. As per the data released by the broadcaster, the inaugural season of Hero ISL was watched by 429 million viewers on TV in India, which was more than 2.5 times of the viewership of 2014 FIFA World Cup.

     

    Talking of the engagement on social media, a release says, “The social media presence of Hero ISL has grown exponentially since the inaugural season with over 1.7 million ‘Likes’ on the League’s official Facebook page in addition to another 120 thousands that follow @IndSuperLeague on Twitter. The ISL website www.indiansuperleague.com has received 3.4 million unique visitors and over 28 million page views over the duration of the League with 32 million online views on www.starsports.com.”

  • Indian cricketer MS Dhoni forays into football

    Indian cricketer MS Dhoni forays into football

    MUMBAI: Indian cricket team captain M S Dhoni has been announced as the new team co owner of Chennaiyin FC team.

     

    Dhoni, who is known to have a passion for football and bikes other than cricket, will be part of the upcoming Hero Indian Super League that promises to create a revolution in Indian football and help launch a new era for the game. Other cricketers who own a stake in various teams include Saurav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.

     

    The announcement was made by Chennaiyin FC co-owner Vita Dani who felt that it was an absolute honour to have Dhoni as one of the co owners of the franchise. “Mahi has a strong association with the people of Chennai and so with him coming on board, we take another giant step towards achieving the goal of creating a world class football club in Chennai” she commented.

     

    Expressing his excitement on becoming a co-owner of Chennayin FC, Dhoni stated that he used to be a goalkeeper in school and always enjoyed playing and watching the game. “The Hero ISL is a fantastic platform for football to grow with IMG-Reliance and Star India associated with it. I look forward to an exciting season ahead but at the same time it’s important that we develop the grassroots level and produce more football stars in India,” he added.

     

    Chennaiyin FC starts its Hero ISL campaign with an away game against FC Goa on 15 October while their first home fixture is against Kerala Blasters on 21 October.