Sprint cross line for fifth Gold Cup sponsorship
May 20 – Sprint has renewed its CONCACAF Gold Cup sponsorship as official US wireless provider. This is Sprint’s fifth consecutive Gold Cup, the first being in 2007.
Football Marketing
Nigeria, Nike and the cost of homophobia
By Mark Baber
May 19 – A row has broken out in Nigeria over what is being termed the “slave contract” between Nike and the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF) over the sponsorship of national team shirts. The argument sees the NFF marketing department pitted against the Pinnick-led hierarchy, with neither party keen to discuss a major underlying issue – sports brands’ reluctance to sponsor a federation in which homophobia poses significant reputational risks.
Twitter stats: bumper week for Man Utd; Saints, Hammers and Stoke rise
By Paul Nicholson
May 18 – Manchester United had a bumper week in terms of new Twitter followers in the Insideworldfootball Twitter ranking. Averaging gains of about 19,000 each week over their nearest rivals Chelsea and Arsenal, last week Man Utd added almost 50,000 new followers, double that of the London duo.
Ladbrokes stakes £4m on 2-year Scottish football bet
By David Owen
May 14 – The Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) has unveiled betting company Ladbrokes as its new title sponsor, in a two-year deal running from 2015 until 2017.
Bulgarian clubs missing out on the electronic media revolution
By Alexander Krassimirov
May 12 – Half of the clubs in the Bulgarian top professional division do not use social networks. The research, by Insideworldfootball.com, also found that two of the 12 teams in the league do not even have an official website.
Twitter stats: Chelsea beat Arsenal, Man Utd forge on, Villa’s greenshoots
By Paul Nicholson
May 11- Chelsea received a boost in new Twitter followers in the week they confirmed themselves as Premier League champions, putting on more than 5,000 new followers than their north London rivals Arsenal. Man Utd are maintaining their run at the top of the Twitter weekly rankings – they put on another whopping 49,294 followers, over 14,000 more than Chelsea.
Zenit drive new partner deal with Nissan
May 8 – Zenit St Petersburg has signed a three-year deal with Japanese carmaker Nissan who becomes an official partner of the club. No value was announced for the agreement.
Flamengo banks Caixa cash as sponsorship deals boom
By Samindra Kunti
May 7 – Rio de Janeiro giants Flamengo will renew their club sponsorship deal with Brazilian bank Caixa, worth €7.3 million, this week. Flamengo’s shirt is projected to have a total sponsorship value (shirts carry more than one sponsor logo) of €26.1 million this season.
Spurs roll out brand licensing campaign in US
May 6 – Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur is continuing to build its brand presence in the US via its licensed product and in advance of its July match-up against the MLS All-Stars team.
Man Utd hunt new followers as they relentlessly close Twitter gap
By Paul Nicholson
May 5 – Manchester United have continued to chase down the Twitter lead that London giants Arsenal and Chelsea have over them in terms of numbers of followers. Over the past four weeks Man Utd have averaged 15-20,000 new followers per week, more than Arsenal and Chelsea.
Stoke City unveil first kit with New Balance for 2015-16 kick-off
May 3 – Stoke City have unveiled their new kit for the 2015-16, the first kit that will be produced by New Balance. Last month New Balance unveiled Liverpool’s new strip for next season as it expands its brand presence in British football.
Man Utd LIVE roadshow rolls on to India for May season finale
May 2 – Manchester United have added a third date in a third country for their United: LIVE travelling roadshow that takes the Man Utd experience to fans outside England with a mix fanzones, live entertainment, appearances by club legends and ending with the screening of a live match from the Premier League.
Adidas adds another 10 years and £900m to Bayern sponsorship
By Mark Baber
May 2 – Newly crowned Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munich, have announced a ten year extension of their deal with kit supplier Adidas. The new deal extends the current deal, which had been due to run until 2020, up until 2030.
Kappa adds Benítez’s Napoli in five-year kit deal
By David Owen
April 29 – Kit-maker Kappa have added Napoli to their stable of Italian Serie A clubs.
Liverpool hit record visitor numbers for stadium tour and museum
April 28 – Premier League Liverpool have announced record numbers through the turnstiles for the Anfield Tour and Museum over the past 12 months. Nearly 200,000 visited the club attraction, up from 50,000 the previous year.