Yanmar buys a football club...and it isn’t even its first

The company announced that it has won final approval from the football licensing committee of the Royal Dutch Football Association (KNVB) for the club, completing a takeover first revealed in July.

Yanmar said it has enjoyed a long relationship with Almere City, having been its stadium sponsor for a decade.

Perhaps surprisingly, Almere City isn’t the only football club that Yanmar owns.

It has been in control of Japanese side Cerezo Osaka, which plays in Japan’s top-tier football competition, the J1 League, since 1957.

Samir Laoukili, CEO of Yanmar Europe, Yanmar’s EMEA headquarters in Almere, where the company has been based since 1989, said, “Almere City feels like a natural partner for us. Together, we aim to foster sustainable sporting and community growth. With our football experience, international expertise, and deep ties to the city of Almere, we are committed to strengthening the club. Football is our engine — the driving force that inspires our innovation — and we want to prove that with Almere City.”

John Bes, CEO of Almere City FC added, “This is a historic moment for our club. With Yanmar as our new owner and Kroonenberg Groep, the former owner, continuing as our main sponsor, we now have a solid foundation to realize our ambitions in the coming years. It confirms confidence in Almere City’s strategy and future.”