Mastercard Scores with Expanded Olympique Lyonnais Partnership

Becomes Official Shirt Sponsor for 2020-2021 Season

Mastercard today announced its extended commitment to the Olympique Lyonnais (OL) women’s team by becoming Official Shirt Sponsor for domestic games in the season starting September 2020. The company will also be using their Priceless platform to create memorable moments for fans in a time where typical fandom activities, like attending live games, are less likely.

The pandemic has had a ripple effect across the world of sports and entertainment—with the financial impacts affecting women’s sports teams more heavily than their male counterparts. Mastercard has doubled down on its commitment to the women’s OL team to ensure fans and players have opportunities to connect to their passion of football during these more difficult times.

“We’re pleased to extend our partnership with Olympique Lyonnais - it’s a natural fit for us to work with these amazing athletes and highlight their accomplishments on and off the field to inspire the many generations to come,” says Raja Rajamannar, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Mastercard. “Particularly during a time when in-person fandom is challenged, we look forward to using our platform to engage fans in a unique and memorable way. As shown by their recent successes in both domestic and European competitions, OL continue to be a leading light in women's sport and an organization with whom we are extremely proud to work with. We believe that investing in the pioneers of the game and supporting inspirational role models is essential for everyone to unleash their potential.”

Last year, Mastercard expanded its sports sponsorship portfolio by initiating a partnership with OL and a series of team players as ambassadors to bring fans closer to their passions with exclusive experiences available to cardholders on priceless.com. These include digital experiences like the chance to receive a personalized video with advice for improving your game, asking your favorite players a question, exclusive interviews and video content, and the chance to win a one on one digital coaching session. 

“We are very honored to have the Mastercard symbol on our jersey – the ongoing support and commitment to women’s football from Mastercard is not only crucial to enhance the drive for parity in sport, but their activation program create new opportunities for the fans and players to connect and share core values,” said Jean-Michel Aulas President of Olympique Lyonnais. 

The red and yellow Mastercard brand symbol will be on the front of the players’ game jerseys and pre-game jerseys for all matches in D1 Arkema, the highest division for women’s football in France, for the 2020 – 2021 season. It will also appear on the domestic replica women’s jerseys sold at retail stores and OL merchandise outlets globally. The Mastercard symbol will also appear on the pocket of the players’ jersey for all UEFA Women’s Champions League games.

Creating Opportunities for Fans to get Closer to the Game 

In a sports world without fans attending live events, Mastercard is activating its Priceless platform to get fans closer to the game digitally. On Priceless.com fans will be able find exclusive content of their favorite players, and for a limited time, sign up to be some of the first fans to receive a jersey featuring the Mastercard logo.

To kick things off, OL players will get the chance to inspire young girls through a virtual mascot program where two lucky superfans will wave their heroes on from home as players walk into the stadium for their first match on Sunday, September 6th.

“Mastercard’s Priceless platform brings us closer to our fans and helps us to inspire younger generations on and off the field. From all over the world, no matter what the gender, ethnicity, and country is, we all deserve the opportunity and support to go after the things we love,” said Ada Hegerberg, Olympique Lyonnais, Striker.

“The most important aspect of the game is the fans – without them, we wouldn’t be on the field. In a time where we don’t have the same physical support, like cheers from the stadium, it’s great working with Mastercard to continue to create priceless moments for the people that make the game worth playing,” said Wendie Renard, Olympique Lyonnais, Captain.