The chemical manufacturer’s partnership with Dortmund had been due to expire in the summer of 2013, but the new agreement will now run through to June 30, 2016. The agreement is reportedly worth in excess of Eur10 million per year and also includes performance-related bonuses. Dortmund lifted the 1.Bundesliga title last season and currently sits two points clear of Bayern Munchen in the 2011-12 table.
“We are a reliable partner for our business partners, and that is what we want to be for Borussia as well,” said Dr Klaus Engel, chairman of the executive board of Evonik Industries. “When we entered into the collaboration, the club was still trying to rebound from the low point of its history, but then they managed to clinch the league title within the space of five years, and they did that in a very exciting way. It doesn’t get any better than this. The people who know us as Dortmund’s sponsor find us a lot more likeable and creative than people who don’t know about our involvement with the club.”
Engel’s reference to Dortmund’s “low point” concerns the club’s struggles in the wake of its 2002 1.Bundesliga title, when it was close to bankruptcy before recovering in 2005. Indeed, on Monday Dortmund chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke admitted that the club received a Eur2 million loan from rival Bayern to help avoid bankruptcy. Bayern president Uli Hoeness revealed details of the 2003 loan at a fans’ meeting in Hamburg over the weekend. Regarding the extension with Evonik, Watzke said: “We are very happy to continue the successful cooperation with Evonik, into which both parties put a lot of heart and passion.”