United Arab Emirates-based teams Al Ain FC and Al Jazira FC have agreed sponsorship deals with Khalifa Port and Etihad Rail respectively, reports SportsPro. Khalifa Port will become the new front-of-shirt sponsors of Al Ain FC, the current UAE Pro League champions.
The deal will see the logo of Khalifa Port, which is operated by the Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC), adorn the front of Al Ain's playing shirts in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League.
Mohamed Al Shamisi, executive vice president of ports at ADPC, said: "There is no doubt that the presence of Al Ain in AFC Champions League 2013, as one of the cup's previous holders, and now carrying the name and logo of Khalifa Port, will help to position the United Arab Emirates as one willing to go the extra mile to support its sporting heroes, while, in turn, Al Ain Club can provide a platform for highlighting one of the UAE's key achievements in modern times - a commercial maritime centre that has all it takes to attract investment and trade."
Meanwhile, the logo of Etihad Rail - the developer and operator of the country's planned national railway network - will appear on the shirts of Al Ain's UAE Pro League rivals Al Jazira FC for the next three seasons.
Etihad Rail becomes the team's strategic sponsor and will receive advertising exposure at the club's Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium. Hamad Al Hurr Al Suwaidi, a board member of Al Jazira FC, said: "We are very pleased to be partnering with Etihad Rail, a national company that will improve the transport and logistics
