Announced today and kicking-off in August 2006, the new Partner Programme will see Lead Partners for both of The FA’s prize assets – the England team and The FA Cup.

For the England team opportunity, this will mean an increase in visibility for the Lead Partner at the new Wembley Stadium, on media backdrops and most significantly branding on the team training kit.

For The FA Cup, this will create an opportunity for a sponsor to become more closely aligned with the competition in a variety of ways including use of the Cup itself and increased visibility at The FA Cup Final and Semi Finals.

The sponsor name will also be referenced in the title of the competition with the designation, “The FA Cup sponsored by...”

Both England and The FA Cup will have three Official Supporters below the Lead Level, with the flexibility for the Lead Partners and Official Supporters to sit across both.

These partners will also be encouraged to invest in seven Football Development packages which have been created to focus on The FA’s wider work in developing all aspects of the game in this country.

These cover Men’s Football, Women’s Football, Small-sided Football, Schools Football, Community Football, Disability Football and FA Learning.

The new four-year Programme will encompass Euro 2008 (in Switzerland and Austria) and the 2010 World Cup, to be held in South Africa.

“After a lengthy review of the current shared ‘Pillar’ approach, we see this new structure delivering more direct promotional support to our two core assets as well as being far more flexible from a business perspective for our Partners,” comments Jonathan Hill, The FA’s Group Commercial Director.

“Separating our two major assets in this way is a sign of our absolute confidence that the England team and The FA Cup are two of the most significant sponsorship opportunities in football.”

The revamped Programme has already attracted a positive response from four of The FA’s existing Partners – Umbro, Carlsberg, McDonald’s and Pepsi – and is anticipated to generate serious interest from potential new Partners.