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You've got soccer AOL first to buy name of Bundesliga stadium
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) -- Internet provider AOL announced Monday that it is the first company to buy the rights to name a stadium owned by a Bundesliga club. The Internet server said it had sealed a deal to rename first division club Hamburger SV's Volksparkstadion to AOL Arena until 2006. Financial terms were not disclosed. "This first-of-its-kind sponsorship is part of our strategy to leverage and extend the global power of the AOL brand on a local and regional basis," said Michael Lynton, president of AOL International. Under the deal, AOL can erect promotional signage in the stadium. The company is obligated to help finance Hamburger SV's youth teams and arena improvements, along with sponsoring special events. The practice of companies buying stadium names in common in the United States, but has made slow inroads in Europe where the arenas are older and bound to traditional names.
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