QNET keeps ‘direct selling’ partnership with Man City in new 3-year deal
July 7 – Premier League Manchester City have renewed their global partnership with Asian direct selling company QNET for another three years to 2020.
Sponsorship
Spurs join Chelsea on Nike roster in £30m kit deal
By Paul Nicholson
July 4 – Nike have added Premier League Tottenham Hotspur to their club kit supply roster in a multi-year deal that begins next season. The announcement was made formally at the launch of the club’s new playing strip.
Tax hike forces SportPesa to drop Kenyan sponsorships but its Euro deals hold strong
June 27 – Kenyan online betting operator SportPesa is to pull out of its sponsorship of the Kenyan Premier League and the Kenyan Football Federation after the government introduced a new law imposing a 35% tax rate of gross profit on all gambling activities.
Tempobet puts its money on Burton Albion for second season in Championship
June 22 – On the same day that the English FA were ending their Ladbrokes deal and all brand association with betting sponsors, Burton Albion in the English Football League Championship were announcing the renewal of their shirt sponsorship with Tempobet.
Click, dip, tap or swipe; Visa teams with Alfa-Bank for Confed Cup stadia payment solution
June 15 – Visa is rolling out 1,600 point-of-sale terminals and more than 120 mobile concessionaires throughout stadium concourses at the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia that kicks off this week.
Standard Liège expands New Balance club sponsor roster into Belgium
June 8 – New Balance has added Belgian first division side Royal Standard de Liège to its kit supply roster, taking over Kappa. The US sportswear firm will provide the team with kit, training wear and equipment starting with the 2017/18 season.
3 for 1 deal. Allstate signs on with CONCACAF and renews with MLS and FMF
June 6 – CONCACAF has signed the Allstate Insurance Company as its Official Insurance Sponsor for all championships for the next four years. No figure has been disclosed for the deal that also included four-year renewals of deals with the MLS and the Mexican national team’s US tours.
Saudi’s Al Ahli ends Qatar Airways sponsorship after political ties are cut
June 5 – The first football sponsorship fall-out from the cutting of diplomatic ties by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt with Qatar, has been the cancellation of Saudi club Al Ahli’s shirt deal with Qatar Airways.
Aussies expand broadcast platform with Fox on-selling rights to Ten
June 6 – Australian football, currently challenged by a slow moving reform process at federation level, has better news for stakeholders on the broadcast front with Ten Network announcing it has acquired the exclusive free-to-air rights to A-league and national team matches.
Lagardère cut their losses and run with Juventus Stadium renamed Allianz Stadium
June 2 – Italian league and Cup double winners Juventus who tomorrow face Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Cardiff, have confirmed that their Juventus Stadium will be renamed Allianz Stadium from July 1.
China’s Vivo signs on as FIFA sponsor for 2018 and 2022 World Cups
By Andrew Warshaw
June 1 – FIFA’s links with China have been further cemented by the announcement of another Chinese World Cup sponsor, with smartphone company Vivo named as the latest commercial backer for both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments.
New Balance makes FAI eyes smile with new kit deal
May 30 – New Balance has added its first European national team to its roster, picking up the kit sponsorship of the Republic of Ireland (FAI) national team from the start of the 2017/18 season. The US sportswear firm is also sponsor of Costa Rica and Panama.
Spurs in Hong Kong to launch new expanded sponsor deal with AIA
May 26 – Premier League Tottenham Hotspur have extended their shirt deal with insurance group AIA until the end of the 2021-22 season. The club announced the extension while on their post-season tour to Hong Kong at AIA Group’s headquarters.
West Brom organically grow links with Palm into main sponsorship as K8 drops out
May 25 – Premier League West Bromwich Albion have quickly signed Chinese construction for Palm as the club’s main sponsor after Chinese online betting firm K8 pulled out of their two-year deal after just one season.
Man City head Stateside with Carlsberg support
May 22 – Manchester City have signed Carlsberg as their Official U.S. Beer Partner. Carlsberg, through its US distributor St. Killian, will promote initially around the Man City pre-season tour to the US.