GER - Leverkusen looking for new backers
LEVERKUSEN (BBL) - The German BBL league and several clubs have joined together in support of Bayer Giants Leverkusen, who revealed earlier this week that they will lose a main sponsor. Pharmaceutical giants, Bayer, who has been associated with the club for over four decades, announced cutbacks in its sponsorship programme with the Bundesliga club, leaving the team 14 months to find a comparable deal to replace the estimated two million euros (£1.4million) the company gave them this season.
LEVERKUSEN (BBL) - The German BBL league and several clubs have joined together in support of Bayer Giants Leverkusen, who revealed earlier this week that they will lose a main sponsor.
Pharmaceutical giants, Bayer, who has been associated with the club for over four decades, announced cutbacks in its sponsorship programme with the Bundesliga club, leaving the team 14 months to find a comparable deal to replace the estimated two million euros (£1.4million) the company gave them this season.
“First off, the group management's decision must be respected,” said BBL managing director Jan Pommer.
“Bayer showed great support for basketball for decades and not only helped the club to lots of tremendous success, but also turned them into what they are today - a respected address with a very high reputation.
“And the basketball club can build upon this basis and their tradition. Of course the re-positioning without Bayer will be hard work. But the team around (Leverkusen head of basketball operations) Otto Reintjes will conquer it with vigour.”
Alba Berlin chief executive officer Marco Baldi echoed similar sentiments, saying that everything needed to be done in order to “keep the club in the league”.
“It's a tough hit for Leverkusen. They are one of our favourite opponents because they have so much tradition. And because of this tradition, I'm sure they'll find a new way.
“Everyone in the league is supporting them in their own way. We have to keep this club in the league.”
The Leverkusen club are 14-time German champions, but without a title since 1996 and Walter Tigers Tubingen's Tobias Fischer admitted that losing the club would be a blow.
“We are concerned about the development in Leverkusen and we hope that they will find a new big sponsor for their BBL team.
“Leverkusen are a big team in Germany, and it would be a dramatic scenario if they have to leave the BBL due to financial problems.”
And RheinEnergie Koln sporting director Stephan Baeck added: “As someone from Koln, we always concentrated fully on our derbies with Leverkusen. This is a major loss, and it will be tougher for them to present basketball at the highest level.”
The club will now need to raise one million euros (£681,000), the BBL's current minimum annual budget.
While football side Bayer Leverkusen's annual budget of 25 million euros (£17million) will not be affected, Bayer is also pulling their funding from the German women's handball champions and from leading volleyball teams.
FIBA