At the end of last season, the sponsorship contract with Ghelamco, Paul Gheysens’ construction company that built the Arena, expired after ten years. Afterwards the stadium was renamed the ‘KAA Gent Arena’, pending a sponsor. It is there now. Planet Group, the successful HR company of club owner Sam Baro. So that’s not a big surprise.
“Football has many similarities with the HR business: everything revolves around getting the right people in the right place and thus creating a top team,” said Baro in a press release. “I think it is a very good match, from which both AA Gent and Planet Group will each benefit in their own way. One through operating resources, the other through brand awareness. It is important for AA Gent to generate additional income through the naming of the stadium. In that context, the current contract is a substantial increase compared to the previous one.”
Planet Group pays one million euros annually for the naming rights. A doubling of the 500,000 euros that Ghelamco put on the table every year. The sponsorship is long-term, it is emphasized, but a fixed number of years is not included in the contract.
Planet Group was founded in 2004 by entrepreneur Sam Baro. The group of companies specializes in flexible and temporary staffing, with specializations in, among others, the ICT, HR, Engineering and healthcare sectors. Planet Group now has a turnover of more than 125 million euros and employs more than 2,000 people, including 110 in the Planet Business Center office complex on The Loop in Ghent. From July 2024, Planet Group will move to the Blue Towers near the Planet Group Arena.
The constructions for the stadium letters are currently being placed on the Arena. Tomorrow morning the letters themselves will be hoisted onto the stadium.
AA Gent owner Sam Baro in exclusive conversation with HLN: “It is total nonsense that I only focus on the financial” (+)
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