Biggest sponsorship agreement in history: Bigbank sponsors Tartu Volleyball Club with 500,000 euros
The men’s volleyball team Bigbank Tartu, who starts the final series of the Estonian Championships today, and Tartu Ülikool/Bigbank women’s team concluded a three-year sponsorship agreement for the record amount of 500,000 euros with their long-term sponsor Bigbank.
According to Alari Jõesaar, member of the management board of the non-profit association Duo Sports Club, managing the men’s team of Bigbank Tartu and the women’s team of Tartu Ülikool/Bigbank, half a million euros is the largest support given to volleyball and one of the biggest sponsorship deals ever in the history of Estonian sports. „Without such sponsors it is exceedingly difficult to go in for high-level sports. We are lucky to have had the loyal support of Bigbank for nine years aIready; to a large extent thanks to their help, we are playing in the finals again this year, competing for the title of champion,“ Jõesaar explained.
„I am sure this gives us more strength for the coming finals and motivates the players to do their best,“ Jõesaar said, adding that the money will also be used for developing the women’s team and youth volleyball over the next years.
According to Bigbank Group CEO Martin Länts, they had made a conscious decision to conclude the agreement for the next three seasons before the end of the current finals. „In difficult times it is most important to have partners you can rely on. The past few months have been quite turbulent for Estonian top-level sports. However, the volleyball teams of Tartu can definitely trust Bigbank and there is a clear reason for that. We are not only continuing our support, but we will increase it to a record level,“ Länts said.
„We have many shared values with Bigbank Tartu volleyball club, one of them being the desire to be the best in our field. The Duo Sports Club is doing an excellent job in developing volleyball and in addition to supporting the men’s and women’s teams, the half a million euros is going to help create an integrated system for young volleyball players. Raising volleyballers starts at an early age and with the Bigbank Tartu men’s team and Tartu Ülikool/Bigbank women’s team the young players have always a goal in sight,“ Länts enthused.
The record sponsorship agreement will be signed today during the first match of the Estonian Championships finals in Tartu. The next games of the finals will take place on 31 March and 3 April.
Bigbank has given a total of one million euros in support of the Tartu men’s and women’s volleyball teams over time.
In 2020 the Bigbank Tartu men’s team were runners-up in all major competitions: the Estonian Cup, the Baltic League Championships, and the Estonian Championships. In addition, in 2020 Bigbank Tartu won the first official 4 vs 4 Beach Volleyball Championships held in Estonia. The Tartu Ülikool/Bigbank women’s team came second in the Estonian Championships and third in both the Estonian Cup and the Baltic League games last year.