AIA celebrates its Centennial year

Throughout 2019, AIA, the Club’s Global Principal Partner, is celebrating its Centennial year – the Club will be marking this milestone at Saturday’s north London derby against Arsenal.

AIA, which was founded in Shanghai in 1919, is the largest pan-Asian life insurance provider. It operates in 18 markets across the Asia-Pacific region and encourages people to live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.

AIA and Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed a successful partnership since the start of the 2013/14 season. Our relationship goes beyond the pitch and reflects the shared commitment of the Club and AIA in providing football development opportunities for young people and promoting healthy living through the sport.

The Club delivers a unique football coaching programme with AIA across Asia, where two members of our Global Football Development coaching team are based permanently. Our coaches work with players of all levels, nurturing local talent and promoting AIA’s well-being initiatives. They identify talented players and coaches and create a pathway for them to progress to a professional level. They also run grassroots coaching sessions and nutritional workshops and, since May, 2017, have directly engaged with over 30,000 participants across Asia-Pacific.

Before kick-off on Saturday, our players will wear special-edition ‘AIA100’ warm-up shirts and there will be a Centennial congratulatory message on the centre circle. During the game, the perimeter LED boards and screens will show AIA100 advertising.

Throughout the year, AIA is organising physical challenges and events across Asia to symbolise its 100-year journey as a company. Each event is being connected by the exchange of a ‘Centennial Baton’ which is fitted with modern technology to record the total distance it has travelled over the year.

Our players will be involved in celebrating AIA’s Centennial year and supporting these events when we tour Singapore and Shanghai this summer.

Donna-Maria Cullen, Executive Director, Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, said: “On behalf of the Club, I should like to congratulate AIA on their Centennial year. There are a number of synergies between Tottenham Hotspur and AIA, which is why the partnership has been so enduring. Not least the fact that we both have a rich heritage and are focused on achieving even greater things in the future. We look forward to continuing our celebrations when we travel to the birthplace of AIA, Shanghai, this summer on our pre-season tour.”

Stuart A. Spencer, AIA Group Chief Marketing Officer, said: “Worldwide interest in the highly-contested north London derby provides AIA with a compelling opportunity to engage a truly international audience and highlight our very special Centennial year. In recognising AIA’s 100 years, we are also celebrating our unwavering commitment to deliver on our promise of helping people enjoy Healthier, Longer, Better Lives. By delivering on this promise we can fulfill our purpose, making a real and positive impact as we contribute to social and economic development across the markets in which we operate.”