Visit Rwanda enters into new partnerships with NFL and NBA clubs

Visit Rwanda is now the first African travel company to sponsor both NBA and NFL teams after establishing long-term agreements with the LA Clippers and LA Rams.

The agreement strengthens Visit Rwanda’s position in American sports and broadens its global portfolio, which already consists of alliances with FC Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), and Atletico de Madrid, as well as an academy agreement.

“Sport unites people and communities by fostering a common ideal of excellence and ambition.” Jean-Guy Afrika, CEO of the Rwanda Development Board (RDB), stated that Rwanda and Los Angeles collaborate to promote the game’s passion through sponsorships with the LA Clippers and LA Rams.

“With this partnership, we can bring Rwanda’s unparalleled natural splendor and remarkable biodiversity to the people of Los Angeles and NBA and NFL fans worldwide,” he continued.

In the collaboration, Visit Rwanda will serve as the Clippers’ official jersey patch sponsor and the coffee sponsor of the LA Clippers’ home arena, Intuit Dome. On all practice and game jerseys, whether at home and away, the Visit Rwanda brand will be the exclusive sponsor logo.

In addition, Visit Rwanda will join the Clippers as an official tourist sponsor. The two organizations will also work together to promote basketball around the world and assist youth development. In Rwanda and the Los Angeles region, the multi-year engagement will involve community activations such as coaching clinics and court renovations.

According to a release from RDB, the new collaborations further the NBA’s larger goal of making the game more widely known. The Basketball Africa League (BAL), a collaboration with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) that consists of 12 club teams from all around Africa, is one example of the NBA’s more than 40 years of international basketball development investments.

Games have been held all around the continent since the BAL’s 2021 start, notably in Rwanda’s BK Arena.

“Africa has 11 of the 20 fastest-growing economies in the world, so there is a lot of optimism about its future,” stated Gillian Zucker, CEO of Halo Sports and Entertainment, the umbrella organization that owns and runs the LA Clippers.

The LA Clippers sponsorship, which is aimed at expanding the game and giving young people opportunity, is a perfect fit, he said, because of the “energy” that brought the BAL to Rwanda.

The Clippers’ involvement will include helping to renovate a basketball court in Rwanda. Rwandan young coaches will also train in San Diego annually with the San Diego Clippers, the team’s G League affiliate.

To help develop talent in the nation, the Clippers will also send its youth basketball coaches to Rwanda for clinics and host virtual coaching sessions with Rwandan coaches to talk about youth development and training methods.

Visit Rwanda will also be the official foreign tourist sponsor of Hollywood Park, the biggest urban mixed-use complex now under construction in the Western United States, and the Los Angeles Rams, as well as SoFi Stadium. Century Boulevard separates Inglewood, California’s SoFi Stadium, Hollywood Park, and Intuit Dome.

Otto Maly, President of Kroenke Holdings, stated, “This is a fantastic opportunity to have Visit Rwanda sponsor SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park.”

The purpose of Hollywood Park and SoFi Stadium was to serve as the World Stage and a genuine global destination. We are honored that the Rwanda Development Board has decided to use Hollywood Park to promote travel and tourism to Rwanda, which will play host to a number of major international events in the coming years.

The sponsorship includes Visit Rwanda as the entitlement sponsor of two different areas of SoFi Stadium: the Level 3 North Canyon Basin and the Level 2 West Owners Club. Visit Rwanda will be able to showcase the nation’s tourism offerings by utilizing creative design components.

The renowned Infinity Screen at SoFi Stadium, as well as LEDs and IPTVs within the stadium and throughout Hollywood Park, will also be used for digital advertising for Visit Rwanda. During Rams games and other non-NFL events, the ads will be shown.