Corinthians close in on naming rights deal to ease debt pressure
By Samindra Kunti
May 19 – Brazilian club Corinthians are closing in on a naming rights deal for their stadium, but which could maintain the name ‘Arena Corinthians’.
Sponsorship
Chelsea to pay £40m to exit adidas kit deal
May 12 – Having ensured a miserable season on the pitch by their own standards, Chelsea are to end their shirt sponsorship deal with German sportswear giants Adidas six years earlier than scheduled.
Scottish League Cup becomes Betfred Cup in £1m deal
By Mark Baber
May 11 – The Scottish Premier Football League (SPFL) has confirmed that Warrington-based bookmaking company Betfred has agreed a three-year deal to become the exclusive title sponsor of the Scottish League Cup which will now be known as The Betfred Cup.
Watford think global with FX partner Divisa Capital
May 11 – Premier League Watford has agreed a three-season sponsorship with Divisa Capital who will become the club’s new Official Foreign Exchange Partner. No fugure was announced for the deal.
Gazprom refuels Schalke 04 with €120m shirt deal until 2022
By Mark Baber
May 10 – Schalke 04 and Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom have agreed to an extension of their shirt sponsorship deal, which had been due to expire in 2017, until 30 June 2022 in a deal reported to be worth at least €120 million.
Man City build with new Chinese partners in advance of July tour
May 9 – Manchester City, who have recently taken on board a $400 million investment from Chinese investors in their City Football Group ownership group, have added two new Chinese partners in advance of their July pre-season trip to the country where they will play Borussia Dortmund and local rivals Manchester United.
Football is as exciting as sex, the science proves it is true
By Paul Nicholson
May 9 – Champions League sponsor Nissan has developed an Excitement Index with Loughborough University that found that the average heart rate reached a peak 122 bpm during exciting moments in the match, which is comparable to the peak heart rates found in scientific studies of couples having sex.
UK-K8.com rolls the dice in Premier League with £5m West Brom shirt deal
By Mark Baber
May 5 – West Bromwich Albion have signed a two year sponsorship deal with Chinese online casino operator the K8 Group which will see the UK-K8.com emblazoned on the club’s new shirt from 2016/17.
Premier League’s new brand strategy calls for a Carling
By Mark Baber
May 5 – The Premier League’s new ‘clean brand’ strategy took a big step forward as Carling was announced as Official Beer Partner of the Premier League in a new deal which will cover the three seasons from 2016/17 to 2018/19.
Galatasaray errs on side of political caution ending kit sponsorship with Dumankaya
By Mark Baber
April 28 – The board of one of Turkey’s biggest clubs – Galatasaray FC – have terminated their kit sponsorship deal with Dumankaya Construction for seemingly pro-Erdogan government reasons. The company’s owners have been listed as suspected of having provided charitable donations to the moderate Islamic, US-based, Gülen Movement.
Seven is Premier League’s magic number as it drops title sponsor in strategy rethink
By Matt Scott
April 27 – The most unusual Premier League season in the competition’s 23-year history has made the commercial messaging markedly easier for executives selling sponsorship inventory around the world’s most popular domestic football competition.
Premier League clocks on with Tag Heuer sponsorship
By Matt Scott
April 27 – Tag Heuer has become the Premier League’s Official Timekeeper in a three-year deal announced simultaneously in London and Hong Kong. No official value for the deal was released but one estimate reckons it to be worth £7.3 million per season.
SC Freiburg fuels push for Bundesliga top flight with milk deal
April 27 – German club SC Freiburg who currently lead 2. Bundesliga will have a new main and short sponsor next season, whether they make it to the top flight or not.
P&G agree multi-brand, multi-territory sponsorship with FC Bayern
By Mark Baber
April 26 – Whilst on the pitch, FC Bayern are within sight of a Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League treble, off the pitch the club have signed a new partnership with American multi-national consumer goods company Procter and Gamble.
End of an era: PSV unplugs Philips after 33 years as shirt sponsor
By Samindra Kunti
April 25 – One of the longest running shirt sponsorships in European football comes to an end this summer when for the first time in 33 years Philips won’t be the brand on PSV Eindhoven’s shirt. Philips’ sponsorship will be replaced by Energiedirect in a three-year deal worth €18 million.