Cupra Named HORIZONT's 'Sponsor of the Year' for Building Germany's Padel Scene
Updated: 6 days ago
TL;DR: Carmaker Cupra has won HORIZONT's Sportbusiness Award for Sponsor of the Year, recognised for turning padel sponsorship in Germany into active community co-creation rather than mere logo placement.
An award for participation, not visibility
Cupra received HORIZONT's Sportbusiness Award for "Sponsor des Jahres" (Sponsor of the Year), announced on 3 October 2026. The jury cited the "interplay of community, lifestyle and long-term engagement" Cupra built around padel.
The framing matters: the award recognises Cupra for participating in a sport's ecosystem rather than simply buying exposure in it.
Betting early on padel
The jury credited Cupra with spotting padel early and helping pioneer the scene across Germany, where it is the fastest-growing racket sport. Rather than sponsoring an established property at a premium, Cupra moved into an emerging sport while rights were still cheap and the community was still forming.
Marketing Minute's read: that timing is the whole strategy. Early entry into a rising sport buys ownership of the category narrative — something you simply can't buy later, at any price, once a sport goes mainstream.
Sponsorship as co-creation
Cupra is positioned as co-creating the ecosystem — building community programmes and lifestyle moments — rather than slapping a logo on a tournament. That's a meaningful distinction: logo placement rents attention; co-creation earns relevance.
The award effectively crowns a shift in sports sponsorship, from visibility to participation. Brands that embed in a community become part of the reason the community exists, not just a banner behind it.
How to apply the playbook
The transferable playbook: look at under-exploited, fast-growing grassroots sports — padel, pickleball and the like — where engagement runs deep and rights run cheap.
Build long-term community programmes, not one-season logo deals. The value compounds: you grow with the sport, and your brand becomes native to it.
A simple test before any sponsorship: would the community be worse off if you pulled out tomorrow? If the honest answer is "they'd barely notice," you've bought visibility, not relevance. Cupra's padel work clearly passes that test.
Quick FAQ
What did Cupra win?
HORIZONT's Sportbusiness Award for Sponsor of the Year ("Sponsor des Jahres"), announced 3 October 2026, for its padel work in Germany.
Why padel?
It's Germany's fastest-growing racket sport, and Cupra entered early, helping build the scene while rights were cheaper and the community was still forming.
What makes Cupra's approach different?
It's framed as co-creation — building community and lifestyle engagement — rather than buying logo visibility on existing properties.
The reason this award matters isn't the trophy — it's what it rewards. Cupra didn't buy a banner behind an established sport; it helped build an emerging one. Own a rising sport's community early and you buy cultural relevance for a fraction of what mainstream rights will cost you later. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
Back a fast-growing grassroots sport early and co-create its community, and you buy lasting relevance far cheaper than mainstream sponsorship rights.
If you walked away from your biggest sponsorship tomorrow, would the community actually miss you — or just the logo?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Sources: HORIZONT.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
