USA Fencing and sports apparel maker Macron have signed a 10-year partnership that is the longest and richest ever for fencing’s national governing body (NGB). It is the Italian brand’s first agreement ever with a U.S. NGB. Nike had been USA Fencing’s apparel partner since 2011.
The deal comes on the heels of USA Fencing’s strong performance at the Paris Olympic Games where it won four medals, including two golds for the first time. In the Paralympic Games, Team USA had its best showing since the 2004 Athens Olympics. Fencing is one of just four sports to be included in every since Summer Olympics since 1896 in Athens.
“The sheer size of this agreement for us is fantastic,” Phil Andrews, USA Fencing CEO, said in a video interview. Beyond the cash component, Andrews highlighted a pair of other advantages of working with Macron. Italy has a rich fencing history, having won more fencing Olympic medals than any other country, and the company employs multiple fencers at its Italian headquarters. Andrews said U.S. fencers will sit down with Macron in Italy and work through the apparel offerings. “It will be the full treatment from start to finish with our athlete input,” Andrews said.
Macron has worked with national federations in basketball, cricket, rugby and soccer, but this is its first time aligning with a national fencing squad. It will be the main supplier to all U.S. national fencing and parafencing teams across every level, and Macron will work with local fencing clubs to develop custom clothing for fencers.
“Our partnership with USA Fencing is extremely important for us, not only because of the federation’s prestige but because it will provide a great boost for our plans to expand in the United States,” Gianluca Pavanello, CEO of Macron, said in a statement.
Andrews wouldn’t reveal the financial details of the Macron deal except to say the total cash value was worth multimillion dollars. It is part of a growing corporate foundation for the NGB that 17 months ago had two sponsors that were for value-in-kind and generated no cash. USA Fencing now has more than 20 partners, including Avis, Bell Bank and Hilton, and annual sponsorship revenue is more than $1 million. The Macron deal also allows USA Fencing to book additional partnerships that cover luxury apparel and shoes.
USA Fencing’s sponsorship revenue trails the biggest NGBs, such as swimming, track & field, and ski and snowboard, but it puts it in the same vicinity as sailing, volleyball and wrestling. USA Fencing’s annual budget is nearly $16 million, with national events roughly half of the pie and memberships and donors the next biggest slices.
“No one who’s looking purely for eyeballs and brand exposure should be particularly looking at fencing,” Andrews said. “People who are looking to target a specific demographic of high household income, Northeastern-based, California-based, folks who are predominantly American. That’s us, and we can get to them very directly.”
