UEFA EURO 2020 brand: Bridges bring host cities together
By Amina Nazarli
The bridge, a universal symbol of connection, is at the core of the brand of UEFA EURO 2020 unveiled in Baku, one of the 13 host cities of the championship, on September 30.
From the earliest stone arch in 13th-century BC Greece, bridges have connected mankind. Many are iconic architectural wonders of the modern world. Across Europe, these structures bring people together – in the same way that football can connect and unite us all.
The tournament will be celebrating its 60th anniversary and to mark this special edition, it will take place in 13 cities – each with their own signature bridge – in 13 countries across Europe.
UEFA selected Y&R as the creative agency following an international pitch to develop the brand for UEFA EURO 2020. The beautiful bridge motif developed is the perfect symbol both visually and metaphorically for this most fan-centric of tournaments, an image that truly unites all 13 European host cities. The logos, visuals and branding ensure it symbolically unites all European citizens of football, from countries, cities, players, teams, fans and partners.
It’s a visual identity that embraces rivalry and celebration, and connects the corners of Europe through football, all the way west to Dublin and east to Baku, north to St Petersburg and south to Rome.
Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA’s Marketing Director said they were thrilled with the result and added: “This is a truly festive brand for UEFA EURO 2020 that is based on the power of football to unite and that celebrates the cultural diversity of the host cities.”
Pedro Gonzalez, managing director of the branding team at Young & Rubicam, said: “United Citizens of Football was a strong insight that led our creative team to an inspired idea: an inclusive bridge that crosses all of Europe, taking football to the fans.”
Azerbaijan's capital will be one of the 13 host cities of the European Football Championship in 2020, along with London, Munich, Rome, St. Petersburg, Bucharest, Amsterdam, Dublin, Bilbao, Budapest, Brussels, Glasgow and Copenhagen.
Baku, a new venue of major international sporting events, has already been able to surprise the world with its organizational skills.
The specific identity created for Baku by Y&R features Koroglu Bridge alongside the landmarks of Maiden Tower and Flame Towers, on a route that leads to the Olympic Stadium.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin arrived in Baku to attend the ceremony to unveil a logo of the 2020 UEFA European Championship on September 30.
There has been held a briefing with the participation of Ceferin and Abdullayev in front of Maiden Tower.
The successful cooperation between AFFA and UEFA was expressed and future plans were discussed during the meeting.
AFFA President declared that, a new program project about the development of football on last six months in Azerbaijan was prepared through the joint work of UEFA and AFFA members and the program project was discussed in detail with the participation of UEFA and AFFA representatives yesterday.
The program named “GROW 2020” intends five years development strategy. Rovnag Abdullayev said, AFFA’s being one of the first national associations preparing a new development strategy together with UEFA is very gratifying.
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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on
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