Arsenal Fans Love the EBEL Fastest Goal Contest...

Are you looking for new ways to leverage an official watch/timing partner? Are you looking for new ways to reward fans based on team milestones?

During the 2008-09 season, Arsenal FC teamed up with its Official Timing Partner, Ebel, to create the Ebel Fastest Goal Competition. The team ran a monthly contest from August until April that tasked Arsenal fans with guessing when the team's fastest goal would take place each month.

The entrant with the closest prediction each month received a free Ebel prize and a one (1) year subscription to Arsenal TV Online. At the close of the promotion, the person with the most accurate guess also received a personalized Ebel watch (valued at $4,150 euros) alongside the Arsenal player that scored the fastest goal at a home match.

Some of the promotion's stipulations include:

• Only residents of the United Kingdom could apply to win (and must be 18+ years of age)
• Consumers may only enter to win once per month
• The registered timing of the Arsenal goals would be based on the official Premier League statistics
• If more than one correct entry is received, the winner will be chosen by a random drawing 

Ebel signed a five (5) year partnership agreement with Arsenal FC in 2007 that included the following elements:

• Two (2) giant clocks on both sides of the stadium's first tier that reference the precise time substitutions occur, how much extra time there is in the match, and other notable moments
• High-tech field boards that feature their name at strategic moments of the game (that will be visible on television)
• The development of a mechanical watch designed specifically for football and inspired by the world of Arsenal
• A press conference to announce the partnership featuring Thierry Henry and Gisele Bundchen 

In 2009, Ebel is running a similar "Fastest Goal Competition" with the FC Bayern Munich and AJAX soccer clubs (see the official website HERE).

Other sports properties should consider leveraging their official watch/timing partners to create similar promotions:

• Hockey - Fastest Goal, Save, Check, etc.
• Baseball - Fastest Home Run, Strike, Strikeout
• Football - Fastest Sack, Touchdown, Reception
• Basketball - Fastest Field Goal, Three-Point Field Goal, Block, Steal
• Tennis - Fastest Ace