The Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) has announced a two-year partnership with Elitbet.
The deal will see the operator become the main sponsor of the third tier of Bulgarian football – now renamed as the Elitbet Third League.
Desislava Zaharieva, Elitbet Marketing Director, commented: “We are honoured to have the opportunity to be the first general partner of the Third League. We see a huge potential that has not been fully fulfilled.
“Our overall goal is to produce an attractive product that will promote even more football in Bulgaria. We are launching with a new logo, we will emphasise digitalization, we intend to develop promotion channels, and we are planning to broadcast matches live in the second half of the season.
“We are working on a total rebranding of the Third League, we also want to have feedback from the fans.”
One of the part of the sponsorship will see the brand actively involved in promoting the league, enhancing the experience for players and fans, and contributing to the development of the sport at the grassroots level.
“We believe that football is more than just a game; it’s a powerful way to bring communities together, inspire young athletes, and promote a healthy lifestyle,” the company added.
Meanwhile, it is expected that in the near future matches from the Third League will be broadcast live but it is not yet clear whether this will be agreed with one of the Bulgarian tv stations or whether the broadcast will be online only.
Funding has been planned for the teams whose matches will be broadcast live, but it has been emphasised that this amount will “not be incredible”.
“We have long been looking for an option to broadcast the matches from the Third League and I can say that we have signed a good contract,” added Borislav Popov, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Football Union.
“It is for one plus one years and will give us the opportunity to promote amateur football in Bulgaria. It was quite a long negotiation, but I think we protected the interest of Bulgarian football.
“We have four zones with a total of 85 teams and 43 games a week. This is a potential that is not developed, but definitely enjoys interest. Hopefully we can show that joy of the game that local people feel with their teams.”
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