QPR flying high with Gulf Air

A brief encounter at this year's Bahrain Formula One grand prix race sparked off the talks which led to the new sporting alliance between Bahrain, Gulf Air and Queens Park Rangers Football Club.

The national airline carrier sponsors the race and its chief executive officer Bjšrn Naf met flamboyant Flavio Briatore, managing director of the Renault Formula One team ... who is also a joint owner of the London soccer club with its heart set on returning to the Premiership.

Briatore completed his takeover of QPR together with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, a great admirer of the team behind the BIC event, and in December 2007, Briatore and Ecclestone were joined as co-owners of the club by multi-billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, the fourth richest person in the world.

Before long they were racing ahead with plans which could change the face of football in the kingdom and inspire a new generation of football-loving Bahrainis to aim for the top in the sport.

The aim is to find a local 'pearl of a player' who could become the next David Beckham, or as far as the QPR supporters are concerned another Stanley Bowles or Rodney Marsh - ball-playing swaggering superstars during their time playing in the blue and white hoops.

QPR proudly announced Gulf Air as the team's official shirt sponsor on a three-year deal at a press conference in central London last week.

The deal will see the club carry the Gulf Air's branding on all team kit, including first team home, away and third shirts.

The partnership will also see the introduction of a Gulf Air supporter loyalty scheme for club members, the prospect of a football community scouting programme based in the Middle East and various community-based initiatives in Bahrain and London.

Naf said: "This is a very exciting deal for Gulf Air. Like QPR, Gulf Air is building a phenomenal success story and with it a powerful global brand with a class-leading product.

"The UK market is incredibly important for Gulf Air and for Bahrain as a nation and we are delighted to be strengthening our ties further.

"We are arriving at the start of an incredible journey for Queens Park Rangers Football Club. The target of breaking into the top-flight of arguably the best league in world football is one that excites everyone at the club and at Gulf Air and we are looking forward to helping QPR achieve its true potential.

"This deal offers a multitude of opportunities for the people of Bahrain and we are working with QPR to roll out a variety of initiatives aimed at supporting grass roots football in Bahrain.

"We wish the club every success for the forthcoming season and we can't wait to see the Super Hoops take the field with Gulf Air proudly on their chests."

Briatore, chairman of QPR Holdings Limited, said: "The relationship brings together two brands that have mutual objectives and desires to move forward and embrace a global audience.

"It is a very exciting time for everyone involved with the club. Today we are one step closer to achieving our goal of making Queens Park Rangers Football Club a global brand and putting Loftus Road on the world football map."

Although not present at the launch event, Ecclestone was said to be "very pleased" to have the support of Gulf Air in helping QPR to achieve another move forward.

Amit Bhatia, vice-chairman, added: "We are extremely honoured and delighted to have Gulf Air as such an important and strategic partner, who shares our vision of excellence and progress.

"As we continue to work hard to revolutionise QPR as a club and a brand, it is fantastic to have the encouragement from Gulf Air, who have seen the enormous potential of the club to migrate into the Premiership. The energy within the club is ever-increasing and we are extremely excited about the forthcoming season."

The agreement between the West London-based club and Gulf Air is the latest in a number of high profile sponsorship deals secured by QPR since the club's recent takeover.

Earlier this year, QPR secured Santander as its official financial partner and established a five-year multi-million pound deal with Lotto Sport Italia, as the club's official kit supplier.

Gulf Air is keeping quiet about the specific financial aspects of the sponsorship deal although details were being banded about before the official announcement in the London press.

Soccer is in a different league to Formula One. There are more leaks at a football club than there are leeks at a Bahrain Welsh Society dinner at the Ramada Hotel.

The London Lite free newspaper's headline screamed: Rangers in £7m sponsorship deal. It reported that the contract is believed to be worth £1 million a season (BD748,000) and the overall value could rise to £7 million (BD5,231,671) depending on the club gaining promotion and staying in the Premier League.

Expect some turbulence in parliament from the same quarters as those who raised concerns over Naf's Simply Red concert for F1 customers last April.

As far as the airline boss was concerned Gulf Air could NOT afford to ignore its executive flyers if it wanted their custom again for next year's festivities.

The soccer contract is unlikely to affect Gulf Air's continued sponsorship of the Formula One race and news of an extension in the partnership is expected in the near future.

And all sides had better be on the ball as the message that 'business friendly Bahrain' and all its major companies are united about being serious players on the world stage.

They should also note that the News of the World - the British Sunday tabloid infamous for employing an undercover reporter who dresses up as a 'rich Arab' to uncover the sleazy secrets of celebrities, has a die-hard QPR fan on its sports team.

Football writer Aidan Magee said: "It's exciting times and we're looking to the play-offs at least!"

If his prediction is right, Gulf Air and Bahrain will be brightening the screens around the globe with its shirts and advertising hoardings covering the Loftus Road stadium.