COCA-COLA

Chelsea Football Club is delighted to announce a new three-year partnership with Coca-Cola.

The deal will see a tournament staged each year where teams from all over Africa compete for the chance to play at Cobham and sample our world-class training facilities and coaches.

Coca-Cola's annual youth tournament began in Mexico in 1998 and is open to players between the ages of 13 and 17, seeking to support the development of grassroots football talent. It is played in 20 countries across Africa.

In 2009 and 2010, the COPA Coca-Cola international camp and finals were held in South Africa, inspiring young players ahead of the historic 2010 South Africa World Cup. The hosts emerged victorious from the 2010 tournament while Nigeria took the trophy in 2009.

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay, said: 'Chelsea is proud to be a supporter of COPA Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola has a well-documented history in the world of football, supporting the sport from the grassroots to the pinnacle of football in the Fifa World Cup.'

Roger Gauntlett, marketing director for Coca-Cola Central, East and West Africa also hailed the partnership and said that Coca-Cola's relationship with Chelsea was built on the strength of the club's heritage and our association with many of the top African stars.

'When you think Chelsea, you think of great African soccer stars like Didier Drogba and Salomon Kalou from Ivory Coast, John Mikel Obi from Nigeria and Michael Essien from Ghana,' he said. 'Add these to the club's international team and there's very little doubt that its strength lies in its diversity, a value that Coca-Cola ascribes to given its global footprint.'