The title sponsor of the last two seasons of the Coupe de la Ligue BKT takes stock of their experience. And for us it’s time to give a name to the Ligue 2 BKT.
Seregno, 30 July 2020. The last final of the Coupe de la Ligue, the French football competition to which BKT has lent its name over the last two years, is scheduled for tomorrow, Friday 31 July, at 9.10pm at the Stade de France in Paris.
Balkrishna Industries Ltd (BKT) is the number-one off-road tyre manufacturing company, of B2B and non-B2C tyres, to invest in football and the first Indian company to invest in French football. The group is one of the main manufacturers of off-road tyres worldwide, that is to say, tyres for off-road vehicles and especially those used in the agricultural, construction, mining, industrial, port and gardening sectors and for all-terrain vehicles.
The history of BKT in French football began with an agreement signed in September 2018 with the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP), following which the company became official sponsor of the Coupe de la Ligue BKT. This collaboration was originally planned to continue until 2024. Due to the interruption of the competition that was decided last year by the LFP’s Board of Directors, the two partners have worked in close contact to find a perfect solution to continue the Indian group’s sponsorship activities in French football. Then in January 2020, came the agreement making them title sponsor of Ligue 2.
«One adventure has come to an end», declares Lucia Salmaso, President of BKT Europe, «but another is already beginning with Ligue 2 BKT. We are very satisfied with this partnership with LFP, which has truly enabled us to differentiate ourselves. The Coupe de la Ligue BKT has given us a high profile on television and in all French stadiums, thereby increasing the renown of our brand and our entry into the French agricultural market, which is hugely important for us. Ligue 2 BKT will give us the opportunity to establish links with the territory on a more regular basis, conserving a great deal of passion at the same time. We can also present ourselves to a target much closer to our final consumers, namely the farmers themselves.
We must thank the Coupe de la Ligue BKT, with which we are associated and which we have had the pleasure of supporting. We wish the two teams that will face each other on Friday, Paris Saint Germain and Olympique Lyonnais, the best of luck, because winning this cup is even more exciting now, since this will be the last one. A perfect victory, to be added to the list of winners.
We will be present at the Stade de France with all our support, and you will find us again in the stadiums where the matches of the Ligue2 BKT will be played. That’s why I won’t say farewell, but rather see you soon».