Continental Tire Named Official Tire of the 2012 Herbalife World Football Challenge

FORT MILL, S.C., July 3, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Continental Tire announced their sponsorship of the 2012 Herbalife World Football Challenge and accordingly will be designated the official tire of the event.  The sponsorship allows Continental Tire to increase their presence in one of the fastest-growing sports segments, and is in addition to their official status sponsorship of Major League Soccer (MLS).

"Continental Tire has been a long-time supporter of the sport of soccer including FIFA World Cup Soccer and MLS, so the addition of the World Football Challenge is a great way for us to increase our presence in the marketplace," said Travis Roffler, director of marketing for Continental Tire.  "Our MLS sponsorship has been a huge success for us and has enabled us to reach a broad audience with our complete line of tires for all vehicles.  We feel the World Football Challenge is one more way to get in front of this very loyal audience and introduce them to our technology and performance driven products."

Under the agreement, Continental Tire will receive field board signage, end board signage, in-stadium media, hospitality, and category exclusivity at all the 2012 Herbalife World Football Challenge games, which will take place across North America July 18 through August 11.

One of the largest and most successful soccer exhibitions ever staged in North America, the Herbalife World Football Challenge brings together many of the world's most accomplished and celebrated soccer clubs to play in major sports venues across the region.  The event gives soccer fans the unique opportunity to see global superstars play live and experience first-hand the fast-paced, skillful competition that has made soccer the most popular sport in the world.  Now in its third year, the Herbalife World Football Challenge is hosted in partnership by CAA Sports, a division of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), the world's leading entertainment and sports agency, and MLS, the top-flight professional soccer league in the U.S. and Canada.  More than half a million fans attended the event last year and sports fans across North America will once again enjoy a summer of top international matches in 2012.

The clubs confirmed to participate in the competition include UEFA Champions League winners Chelsea FC, La Liga champion Real Madrid, Scottish Premier League title holder Celtic FC, Mexico's Primera Division champion Santos Laguna and European powerhouses Liverpool FC, Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, as well as Major League Soccer's (MLS) current champion LA Galaxy, four-time MLS Cup champion D.C. United, three-time defending U.S. Open Cup champion Seattle Sounders FC, and four-time defending Canadian championship winner Toronto FC. 

The 2012 schedule is tentatively set as follows:

About Continental Tire
With sales of 30.5 billion euro in 2011, Continental is among the leading automotive suppliers worldwide. As a supplier of brake systems, systems and components for powertrains and chassis, instrumentation, infotainment solutions, vehicle electronics, tires and technical elastomers, Continental contributes to enhanced driving safety and global climate protection. Continental is also an expert partner in networked automobile communication. Continental currently has approximately 167,000 employees in 46 countries.

Online media database: www.mediacenter.continental-corporation.com;
North America online media database: www.CTAMedia.com

SOURCE Continental Tire