Real Sociedad tug-at-heartstrings deal end

Article posted by Coliseum, March 11^th, 2025

Image: Anoeta Stadium, Bhgh543bgf, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Anoeta Stadium in San Sebastián, Spain, the home of the LaLiga team Real Sociedad, will no longer be called the Reale Arena next season.

The Real Sociedad and the Spanish insurance company Reale Seguros have announced the end of their 13-year collaboration leading to the stadium’s name reverting from Reale Arena to its original name the Anoeta Stadium after the current season concludes. They will be parting ways in June. The 2024-2025 LaLiga seasons will conclude on May 25^th, 2025.

‘EL DIARIO VASCO’ stated that the above announcement was made by the LaLiga team Real Sociedad and the Spanish insurance company Reale Seguros Generales which has lent its name to the top-flight’s home since 2019 in exchange for a total of 10 million euros.

The Real Sociedad de Fútbol, more commonly referred to as the Real Sociedad, is a Spanish professional sports club in the City of Donostia-San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain, founded on September 7th, 1909. It plays in LaLiga, the highest level of the Spanish football league system.

The 40,000-capacity Anoeta Stadium, currently known as the Reale Arena for sponsorship purposes, is a football stadium in San Sebastián, Basque Country, Spain, which was inaugurated in 1993. It serves as the home ground of the LaLiga team Real Sociedad.

Madrid (Spain)-based the Reale Seguros Generales is the Spanish non-life insurance company that joined the Reale Mutua Group in 1998. It offers a wide assortment of insurance products and services for the individuals and the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) designed to meet the different requirements and expectations.

Reale Seguros, an insurance company, has been a significant partner in the club’s 115-year history investing resources and trust in Real Sociedad. In recognition of this enduring partnership the Real Sociedad has installed a unique yellow seat bearing the Reale Seguros logo within the stadium symbolizing the company’s lasting impact.

The top-flight team has started its hunt for a new naming rights partner but as of now come June the Reale Arena will revert back to its original name the Anoeta Stadium until, of course, they ink a new naming rights deal before Reale Seguros exit in June.

‘EL DIARIO VASCO’ further stated that the club is pulling out all stops to find a new naming rights partner to keep its financial health robust and hopes that the annual profits will be more as the club continues to show its pitch prowess under the guidance of their Head Coach Imanol Alguacil in the last six years. Alguacil has been the Head Coach of Real Sociedad since the 2019-2020 campaign.

A joint statement sent out by the Real Sociedad and the Reale Seguros Generales read, “Next June, the Real Sociedad and the Reale Seguros will part ways after 13 seasons of fruitful and close-knit relationships. The fact is that our ties go back to 2012 when the insurance company started sponsoring the top-of-the-heap team and the naming rights deal was struck in 2019 when the Real Sociedad home began to be known as the Reale Arena. An alliance that began with commercial sponsorship and that, over the years, have led to a relationship based on total trust. Even the club has continued to show their pitch prowess along with this sturdy sponsorship deal.”

Observed Jokin Aperribay, President, Real Sociedad, “The Reale Seguros has been a brand that has been totally involved with us and our relationship with the insurance company has been based on mutual understanding and trust. A magnificent strategic partner that has invested resources and reposed trust in this club. The Reale Seguros has proved to be a catalyst in the growth trajectory of Real Sociedad and we thank them from the bottom of our hearts for making this journey so memorable and enriching. Though we are parting ways but they will continue to remain close to our hearts and will continue to tug at our heartstrings.”

Talking in the same vein, Ignacio Mariscal, head honcho of Reale Seguros Generales, added, “We would like to thank Real Sociedad for the trust placed in us over all these years and also the ‘Txuri-Urdin’ fans for their unconditional support which has been key to the grand success of our collaboration with the Real Sociedad.”

The first joint initiative between the Real Sociedad and the Reale Seguros was to offer a free season ticket to members who were unemployed in 2012.

Underscored Javier Valbuena, Director of Communications and Brand at Reale Seguros, “After 13 seasons of sponsorship we can describe the strategic relationship between the Reale Seguros and Real Sociedad as a very positive one. Together, we have had several milestone moments such as the increase in the visibility of our brand in the Basque Country and the club going great guns on the pitch.”

As one of the founding members of the LaLiga, the Real Sociedad are one of the most historic teams in Spanish football and always boast a competitive side that is tough to beat at home in the Northern City of San Sebastián, one of Spain’s most iconic destinations.

The Real Sociedad won the LaLiga title in 1980-1981 and 1981-1982 and finished as the Runner-up in 1979-1980, 1987-1988 and 2002-2003. The club has also won the Copa del Rey (an annual knockout football competition in Spanish football) three times in 1909, 1987 and 2020.

The Real Sociedad concluded with its statement, “In just a few months we will say goodbye to a strategic ally that has been a pillar of strength for us for more than a decade. The Reale Arena will continue to remain the home of the Reale Seguros even after their exit in June. On behalf of Real Sociedad ESKERRIK ASKO! (THANK YOU!).”

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