Miller Lite Renews CONCACAF Gold Cup Alliance, Expands Partnership To Champions League

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CHICAGO, Feb. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- MillerCoors and the Confederation of North, Central America and the Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) today announced a multi-year agreement that strengthens the long-standing partnership between Miller Lite and CONCACAF.

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Miller Lite will be the global exclusive beer sponsor of the 2013 Gold Cup™, CONCACAF's premier national team tournament; Miller Lite has sponsored the tournament since 2005. The brand also will bring Miller Time to legal-drinking-age soccer fans across the United States as the exclusive U.S. sponsor of the confederation's club team tournament, the CONCACAF Champions League™. The CONCACAF Champions League partnership covers the 2013/14 and 2014/15 tournaments.

"We are excited to have Miller Lite partnering again with CONCACAF supporting our top two tournaments," said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb. "Miller Lite's history and commitment to the sport in our region has left tangible benefits, including increased awareness of our events thanks to their unique activation and promotional strategies."

Under terms of the agreement, Miller Lite receives rights to use the tournaments' intellectual property for advertising and marketing materials, as well as packaging, consumer promotions, signage and video features at tournament games. The deal also features the presentation of the Gold Cup "Miller Lite MVP" award and inclusion in the tournaments' promotional marketing materials. As part of its commitment to promoting responsible fan behavior, Miller Lite also will bring the Designated Driver program, popular at sports arenas around the country, to Gold Cup stadiums, encouraging soccer fans to plan ahead for a safe ride home from the match with a designated driver. Fans who pledge to be responsible and never drive drunk can also receive a free cab voucher to help them get home safely.

"Miller Time is all about bringing good friends together for great times over a beer, which is why the Gold Cup and Champions League tournaments are such a perfect fit for Miller Lite," said Rudy Rodriguez, senior director of multicultural marketing for MillerCoors. "CONCACAF has done a great job of building two special events that bring out the passion soccer fans have for their favorite teams. We look forward to being part of the celebration, whether you're watching the game in the stadium, at a bar or in your living room with all your buddies."

Traffic Sports, the commercial agency for CONCACAF, led the negotiation to renew and expand the partnership with Miller Lite. CONCACAF and Traffic are committed to building on the momentum of the region's two most important soccer tournaments, with Gold Cup building fan excitement leading into the start of the Champions League tournament.

Taking place every two years, the Gold Cup™ has become the region's most popular soccer event, routinely drawing capacity crowds and millions of TV viewers across the region. Featuring the best players from CONCACAF's three sub-regions, the tournament has grown into a 12-nation championship that capitalizes upon the passion fans have for their national teams.

The Champions League™, an annual tournament that runs from July through April or early May of the following year, is the confederation's international championship for clubs. The winner of this competition qualifies for the prestigious FIFA Club World Cup.

In addition to its partnership with CONCACAF, Miller Lite is the official U.S. beer sponsor of Chivas de Guadalajara, the premier team in Mexico's LigaMX.

About CONCACAF
CONCACAF "The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football" is one of six continental confederations of FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) and serves as the governing body of football in this part of the world. It is composed of 40 national associations, from Canada in the north to Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana in the south.

About Traffic Sports
Traffic Sports is one of the leading sports and entertainment companies in the world with a primary focus on soccer.  Traffic Sports was founded in Sao Paulo, Brazil 32 years ago and continues to be headquartered there. Traffic has regional offices in Miami (Traffic Sports USA) and Lisbon, Portugal. Over the past three decades, Traffic has organized and/or commercialized most of the official international soccer events in the Americas including for example: Copa America (since 1987), Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana, Gold Cup (1991-2003), Champions Cup (1991-2003) and CONMEBOL and CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying. In 2005 Traffic established its team, academy and player division which currently includes the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Atlanta Silverbacks and Carolina RailHawks (Members of the North American Soccer League – NASL), Desportivo Brasil (Team and Academy located in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil; Affiliated with Manchester United) and Estoril (Portuguese First Division Team). For more information, visit www.trafficsports.com.

About MillerCoors
Built on a foundation of great beer brands and nearly 300 years of brewing heritage, MillerCoors continues the commitment of its founders to brew the highest quality beers.  MillerCoors is the second-largest beer company in the United States, capturing nearly 30 percent of beer sales in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.  Led by two of the best-selling beers in the industry, MillerCoors has a broad portfolio of brands across every major industry segment.  The portfolio is led by the company's premium light brands: Coors Light, Miller Lite and Miller64.  Coors Light, the World's Most Refreshing Beer, offers consumers refreshment as cold as the Rockies.  Miller Lite established the American light beer category in 1975, offering beer drinkers a light beer that tastes like beer should.  Miller64 is 64 calories of crisp, light taste that complements a balanced lifestyle. MillerCoors brews premium beers Coors Banquet and Miller Genuine Draft, and economy brands Miller High Life and Keystone Light.  Tenth and Blake Beer Company, the MillerCoors craft and import division, imports Peroni Nastro Azzurro, Pilsner Urquell and Grolsch, and features craft brews from the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company, Blue Moon Brewing Company and the Blitz-Weinhard Brewing Company.  MillerCoors operates eight major breweries in the U.S., as well as the Leinenkugel's craft brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisc., and two microbreweries, the Tenth Street Brewery in Milwaukee and the Blue Moon Brewing Company at Coors Field in Denver.  The MillerCoors vision is to create the best beer company in America through great people changing the way America enjoys beer. MillerCoors builds its brands the right way through brewing quality, responsible marketing and sustainable environmental and community impact.  MillerCoors is a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Company.  Learn more at MillerCoors.com, at facebook.com/MillerCoors or on Twitter through @MillerCoors.

SOURCE MillerCoors