Castrol® Announces Partnership Renewal With Major League Soccer, U.S. Men's National Team and Mexican National Team

WAYNE, N.J., Feb. 16, 2012  /PRNewswire/ -- Castrol USA and Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the marketing arm of Major League Soccer (MLS), today announced a new multi-year partnership.  The agreement renews Castrol GTX High Mileage's status as the official motor oil of MLS, the U.S. Men's National Soccer Team and the Mexican National Soccer Team games played in the United States.  Castrol has been a sponsor since 2010 and this partnership will continue through 2014. 

"Globally, Castrol has been a supporter of soccer and we are excited to remain a member of the SUM family," said Carolyn Eckert, Director of Promotions, Sponsorship and Creative Services.  "This partnership enhances our connection with our target consumers while continuing to increase fan engagement with the sport."  

Castrol is renewing this partnership on the heels of a successful inaugural year with MLS by providing an opportunity for fans to connect with the sport through the introduction of the Castrol MLS Index and Castrol MLS Predictor.  With a proprietary technology, these tools ranked player performance and predicted which team would be triumphant at the MLS Cup championship game.  In addition to these cutting-edge tools for MLS, Castrol will boost fan experiences through player appearances, on-site activation at select games and in-stadium exposure.

"Castrol continues to be an extraordinary strategic partner for Major League Soccer, U.S. Soccer and the Mexican National Team," said David Wright, Senior Vice President of Global Sponsorship, Soccer United Marketing. "Castrol has introduced innovative fan engagement strategies and tools that have become very popular with soccer fans around the world. We are extremely proud of the partnership to date and equally excited about the future."   

Castrol is an official sponsor of the FIFA Confederations Cup 2013 and 2014 FIFA World Cup™.  Castrol will support both the U.S. and Mexican Men's National teams as they commence their 2014 FIFA World Cup™ Qualifying campaigns. As interest in soccer, specifically in the United States, continues to grow in anticipation of the 2014 FIFA World Cup™, this sponsorship of the U.S. and Mexican National Teams creates a dynamic and unique activation opportunity for the Castrol brand.   

For more information, please visit www.castrol.com/us.  Fans can also join the Castrol soccer discussion on Castrol's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/castrolusa.

About Castrol
BP Lubricants USA Inc. markets premium lubricants and business–building programs directly to independent lube operators, service providers, new car dealers and leading retailers. Our leadership brands include Castrol® GTX® — a premium conventional motor oil; Castrol® GTX® High Mileage™ - a premium synthetic blend designed for vehicles with over 75,000 miles; the Castrol® EDGE ® line of advanced full-synthetic super premium motor oils that offer unsurpassed strength and performance; as well as our range of commercial transport lubricants. To find out more about Castrol products and programs, please call 1–888–CASTROL or log on to www.castrol.com/us.

About Major League Soccer
Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. MLS features many stars from the U.S., Canada, and around the world. Major League Soccer's 17th season kicks off March 10 and will feature 19 clubs each playing 34 regular season matches. Those clubs include Chicago Fire; Chivas USA; Colorado Rapids; Columbus Crew; D.C. United; FC Dallas; Houston Dynamo; 2011 MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy; New York Red Bulls; New England Revolution; Philadelphia Union; Portland Timbers; Real Salt Lake; San Jose Earthquakes; Seattle Sounders FC; Sporting Kansas City; Toronto FC; Vancouver Whitecaps FC; and, in their inaugural season, Montreal Impact. For more information about MLS, log on to the League's official website at www.MLSsoccer.com.

About Soccer United Marketing
Founded in 2002, Soccer United Marketing (SUM) is the preeminent soccer business company in North America. SUM holds the exclusive rights to the most important soccer properties in the region, including: all commercial rights to Major League Soccer; the United States Soccer Federation; promotional and marketing rights to Mexican National Team games played in the United States; and the CONCACAF Gold Cup™. SUM also manages promotional and marketing rights in the United States for Mexico's most popular sports team, Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Chivas).

In 2008, SUM entered into a long term partnership with FC Barcelona which includes tours of the legendary Spanish club. In addition, SUM has worked closely with world-renowned clubs such as Manchester United and Real Madrid during their recent North American summer tours.  In early 2009, SUM announced the creation of the SUM Digital Network, the only soccer advertising network of its kind, covering all facets of the sport in the U.S., and which allows advertisers to reach millions of soccer fans via online advertising and sponsorships campaigns. These global properties are represented by SUM's slogan: One Sport. One Company.™ For more information, visit www.SUMworld.com.

Contact Information:

Tara Mullins
Ogilvy PR
212.880.5243
[email protected]

Sean Dennison
Major League Soccer
212.450.1223
[email protected]

SOURCE Castrol