American Football League Europe Names Citizen Official Partner of the League and the AFLE Gold Bowl 2026
The American Football League Europe (AFLE) is proud to announce a new partnership with Citizen, integrating the brand prominently into the AFLE and the AFLE Gold Bowl 2026 through a comprehensive partnership package. The package combines a strong presence across TV and OTT broadcasts with a prominent brand integration on the referees’ apparel.
A Strong Presence, On and Off the Field
As part of the partnership, Citizen receives a strong presence across TV and OTT broadcasts as part of the league’s “Game Time, presented by Citizen” segment, giving the brand consistent visibility across AFLE broadcasts.
Citizen’s branding will also be prominently integrated on the referees’ apparel, giving the partner a visible, on-field presence at AFLE games.
Title Rights Across AFLE Properties
The partnership is rounded out by extensive title and communication rights: Citizen becomes the “Official Partner of the AFLE” and the “Official Partner of the AFLE Gold Bowl 2026,” while the league’s honors will be staged as the “AFLE Honors, presented by Citizen.”
Each category winner at the AFLE Honors will be presented with a watch from Citizen, individually selected for the occasion by the brand’s own experts based on their expertise. The timepieces give the league’s inaugural award winners a lasting keepsake to mark the achievements of the season, alongside the honor of the award itself.
Fabienne Lampe, Head of Communications of the AFLE, said: “What makes this partnership special is that Citizen isn’t just a logo slapped on somewhere. Citizen is part of our broadcasts, part of our referees on the field, part of the very first AFLE Honors. When a partner shows up on that many levels, you notice it: this isn’t a quick marketing play, it’s real trust in what we’re building.”
Karsten Isermann, Sales Director of Citizen added, “European American football is as diverse as the world of watches. Precision, technology and strategy come together with the trust-based, long-term and forward-looking collaboration of many different people. This is what creates successful teams, a dynamic league and exciting matches/games. The same is true of our watches: high-quality design meets decades of technological expertise and a strong drive for innovation. But the most important thing they have in common is the people behind it all – people who are passionate about what they do. At AFLE, this is no different than at Citizen.”
About Citizen
Citizen traces its roots back to the Shoukousha Watch Research Institute, founded in Tokyo in 1918. When the company launched its first timepiece in 1924, the Mayor of Tokyo named it “CITIZEN” in the hope that it would become as familiar and accessible as everyday life itself. Citizen has been headquartered for Europe in Hamburg, Germany, since 1969, and today operates as a true watch manufactory across more than 100 countries worldwide.
Guided by its philosophy “Better Starts Now,” Citizen combines a century of watchmaking heritage with continuous innovation, including proprietary technologies such as Eco-Drive, which powers watches using virtually any light source, and Satellite Wave, which keeps time accurate via satellite signal
