The European Tour has extended its partnership with shoe and glove manufacturer FootJoy as its Official Footwear Supplier until 2018.

Following the success of the initial agreement, click which has gone from strength to strength since 2008, search the new contract will encompass a variety of mutually beneficial brand-sharing and marketing elements.

Richard Fryer, FootJoy’s Sales and Marketing Director, said: “We are immensely proud of the relationship we have developed with The European Tour over the past seven years, so naturally we are delighted to extend this association.

“We are certainly looking forward to working closely alongside their team over the next five years, as both organisations continue to lead from the forefront of the industry.”

This latest agreement with The European Tour comes just weeks after FootJoy signed an agreement with Ryder Cup Europe to become an Official Licensee of the biennial tournament, which this year takes place from September 27-29 at The Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland.

Fryer added: “As the clear number one shoe brand of choice week in week out amongst competitors on The European Tour, we also wanted to extend our support to everyone on the Tour from the agronomy and event staff to the referees and officials, all of whom play crucial roles in enhancing the all-round appeal and credibility of the FJ brand.”

FootJoy has long been synonymous with the winners’ circle on The European Tour and 2013 was no different, with an impressive tally of wins from FootJoy ambassadors including Major winners Adam Scott (Masters Tournament) and Jason Dufner (US PGA Championship) as well as Henrik Stenson, whose runaway victory in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai saw him crowned European Tour Number One for 2013.

Tim Shaw, Sales Director for The European Tour, said: “Our relationship with FootJoy as an Official Supplier has been overwhelmingly positive. I think the fact that both parties have agreed to extend the partnership says everything about the level of satisfaction with our agreement, which we hope will continue long into the future.”

German automobile manufacturer BMW has renewed its commitment as title sponsor of the BMW Championship for a further five years after a new deal was signed with the PGA TOUR and Western Golf Association (WGA).

BMW has sponsored the tournament since 2007 when it became the third of four Playoff events with the introduction of the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup Playoffs. During the term of the extension, BMW will continue to serve as the “Official Vehicle” of The Barclays and TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, the first and final FedExCup Playoff events, respectively.

This year’s BMW Championship will be contested Sept. 4-7 at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver, Colo.

“Since becoming title sponsor of this historic tournament, BMW not only has been committed to elevating the stature of the BMW Championship as a Playoff event, but also to supporting the WGA and the Evans Scholars Foundation,” PGA TOUR Commissioner Tim Finchem said. “BMW has been a terrific partner of both the PGA TOUR and WGA, and we very much look forward to continuing this collaboration over the next five years.”

The BMW Championship was named the PGA TOUR’s Tournament of the Year in 2012 and 2013 and boasts an impressive list of champions, including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson, Camilo Villegas and defending champion Zach Johnson.

“On behalf of the players, I would like to sincerely thank BMW for its continued support of this great event,” Johnson said. “The BMW Championship is extremely important to us in determining the eventual FedExCup champion and BMW does a tremendous job with the event. On a personal note, I’m obviously thrilled to have won the BMW Championship last year at Conway Farms and hope to have the opportunity to defend in September at Cherry Hills.”

This extension reaffirms BMW’s continued global support of golf and follows the recent announcement of the extension of its partnership with the European Tour through 2018 to continue BMW’s entitlement of three premier events – the BMW International Open in Germany, the BMW Masters in China, and the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.

“As a supporter of golf globally for the past 25 years, we are very excited to extend our partnership with the PGA TOUR and Western Golf Association,” said Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO, BMW of North America.  “Not only does the BMW Championship provide us the opportunity to connect with our network of owners, dealers and golf fans across the U.S., but also continues our support of the Evans Scholars Foundation and help the WGA in its drive to send 1,000 caddies to college annually by 2020.”

High flying Formula 1 team Mercedes have extended their partnership with Petronas who will remain their title sponsor for the foreseeable future.

Petronas has been a partner of the team since it returned to Formula One in 2010 and not only provides fuels and lubricants but also features heavily on the team’s livery. The team has secured unrivaled success this year by winning every race this year.

The team did not announce the length of the new deal but Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff said it was building “towards a decade of partnership”.

“Ever since 2010, our relationship with Petronas has been founded on the values of true partnership: trust, honesty and shared ambition. In that time, Petronas has become the most prominent energy company in Formula One and we have worked as one to develop a world-class partnership in Fluid Technology Solutions that has delivered a measurable on-track advantage in 2014. The result is a partnership that has delivered on every level. It is therefore a proud moment to further extend this agreement and build towards a decade of partnership between Mercedes-Benz and Petronas.”

Dr Dieter Zetsche, chairman of Daimler added: “Motorsport is in our DNA. The first Mercedes was a race car and we use the race track as a research laboratory. In Formula One, we can push new technologies to the absolute limit, before they are introduced into our production vehicles. The success of our team this season is the result of hard work and an outstanding partnership with Petronas. We share a passion for innovation, the commitment to excellence and, above all, the will to win. We are stronger together – and that’s how it will stay.”

Italian fashion house Giorgio Armani has signed a three-year deal with Bundesliga champions FC Bayern Munich to design and outfit their new suits.

The tailor made suits will be worn at official club functions or when the team travel and will have personalised labels for each of the players, Bayern said.

“We are proud and we think it is great that Bayern Munich will in the future be dressed personally by maestro of the fashion world,” Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in a statement on Friday.

“Guardiola’s Bayern is a winning team that plays a quality game, and is composed of motivated athletes with an international scope. That’s why I decided to once again work with a highly important football club, creating an entire Made to Measure wardrobe for them,” explained designer Giorgio Armani. “A tailored suit is a true contemporary luxury, which is perfect for a top club like Bayern and adapts naturally to the athletes’ bodies.”

German automobile manufacturer BMW has become a national supporter of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup after signing a partnership with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Spanish Basketball Federation (FEB).

BMW already was the official car provider at EuroBasket 2013 in Slovenia and at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship in Prague, Czech Republic.

The German car manufacturer had been working successfully with FEB over the course of the last year.

Now BMW will show its increased commitment in the world of sports at FIBA’s flagship event, taking place in Spain from 30 August to 14 September.

“We are very proud to take this step and we identify with the values and professionalism of the FIBA Basketball World Cup,” said Guenther Seemann, Executive President of BMW Group in Spain and Portugal.

“BMW has always been characterised by its dynamic spirit and sportsmanship.”

FEB President Jose Luis Saez welcomed the partnership, saying: “BMW is another global brand joining the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. Since we began five years ago with this project (of hosting the FIBA Basketball World Cup), we have had the challenge of making it an unforgettable event in the history of basketball. With BMW and all of our partners we are confident we can achieve this.”

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