Monster Energy Expands Professional Bull Riders Sponsorship

Monster Energy Drink have expanded their two-year partnership with the Professional Bull Riders (PBR).

Monster currently supports the elite Built Ford Tough Series and a team of bull riders and will now also sponsor PBR’s premier Brazilian circuit.

The Monster Energy PBR will consist of 30 elite events throughout Brazil and kicks off at ExpoLondrina on April 11. The series will include stops in Americana, Guaxupe, Sao Jose do Rio Preto and Barretos.

Monster Energy becomes the second U.S. brand to support the PBR’s most popular international series, joining Stanley Black & Decker. More than 400 PBR bull riders compete throughout the summer months in Brazil for $1.5 million in total prize money and valuable points which count toward qualification for the prestigious PBR Built Ford Tough World Finals in Las Vegas and the PBR World Championship.

“Bull riding is hugely popular in Brazil and half of the PBR riders we sponsor, Guilherme and Robson, are from there,” said Mitch Covington, vice president of sports marketing for Monster Energy. “Whether in the U.S. or Brazil, the PBR’s intensity and its fan base’s passion align perfectly with Monster Energy’s brand. This is a great opportunity for Monster Energy to reach a built-in audience who is very loyal to the PBR and its Brazilian stars.”

“Monster Energy’s sportfolio is synonymous with extremism, pushing limits and living on the edge,” said Jim Haworth, Chairman and CEO of the PBR. “It appeals to a group who desires not only the best, but also the MOST. The PBR and its athletes strive for the MOST every second of every ride, making this a synergistic partnership with great potential for both entities.”

“We are extremely excited to have such a great partner as title sponsor of our Brazilian series,” said Dave Cordovano, chief global events officer for the PBR. “Monster Energy is an iconic brand with worldwide recognition and is involved with only the best sports organizations and their athletes. Our partnership will take the sport to the next level in Brazil.”

Rochdale Extends with Shirt Sponsor

English League Two club Rochdale AFC have confirmed a renewal to their partnership with Crown Oil Ltd with the fuel brand remaining the club’s shirt sponsors.

The deal sees Crown Oil, who have been the club’s front of shirt sponsors for the 2013/14 season extend their sponsorship for a further two seasons with an option on a third.

Iain Johnstone, Dale’s Corporate Sales and Sponsorship Manager, said: “We are delighted that Crown Oil have extended their sponsorship and we look forward to working with them in the seasons ahead.

“We have enjoyed an excellent season with their support and we now have a deal in place that helps us build for the future and enjoy the continuity of their sponsorship. On behalf of the club I would like to thank Crown Oil for their support this season and for the foreseeable future with this new deal.

Crown Oil’s Managing Director, Matt Greensmith, added: “We have built a strong partnership with Rochdale AFC over the past year and I am personally very happy to see the relationship continue. It’s great to see a local team doing well and creating a great atmosphere among the supporters and within our business – as many of our employees are also supporters of the club.

“We are very confident that the team will continue their recent run of good form and get promoted to League One. Hopefully our involvement with the club will help them to promote themselves on a national level for the upcoming and future seasons.”

Kurt Manufacturing Reveals Cycling Sponsorship Lineup

Kurt Manufacturing’s Kinetic trainer brand has expanded its athlete and team sponsorship program this year as international sales grow.

“It is very important for us to be involved in road and mountain bike racing, and riding at every level from enthusiasts to pro teams as we continue to grow,” said Kinetic marketing manager David Simpson. “With a range of well-established markets and smaller emerging markets to serve, we’ve worked closely with our European distribution partners to find the right balance of teams and individuals to support.”

Kinetic is sponsoring three UCI professional women’s road teams, one UCI professional continental men’s road team, five UCI continental men’s road teams, two cyclocross professional men’s teams, a Spanish UCI Elite U-23 development team, two professional mountain bike teams, and one Latvian top-10 ranked UCI world MTB marathon racer. The company also recently announced its sponsorship of two world champion triathletes.

“The hero worship surrounding professional teams and their athletes is hard to quantify, but it is definitely there with race fans and strongly corresponds with a brand’s image,” said Bruce Fina, Kinetic’s European sales and marketing manager. “We’ve all done it, when we first got into the sport, checking out what the pros used to see what was cool and what we should buy. Unless you’re pretty jaded, a lot of us still do it even now as experienced cyclists.”

Kinetic’s team list is as follows:

UCI Pro Women’s Teams
USA: Team TIBCO Women’s Pro Cycling
Italy: Astana BePink Women’s Team
Spain: Team Lointek

UCI Pro Continental Men’s Teams
Team Novo Nordisk

UCI Continental Teams
USA: Jelly Belly
Austria: Team Vorarlberg
Germany: Team Stuttgart Pro Cycling – Stuttgart and KED Stevens Cycling Team – Berlin
Slovenia: Adria Mobil Pro Cycling Team

Other Professional Teams
Belgium: Telenet-Fidea Pro Cycling Team (Cyclocross)
USA: Cannondale p/b Cyclocrossworld.com (Cyclocross)
Spain: Construcciones Paulino Cycling Team (UCI Elite U-23 team)

Mountain Bike
USA: Team Topeak-Ergon and LUNA Chix Pro Team
Latvia: Dana Rozlapa

Professional Triathletes
USA: Kevin Collington
Europe: Frederik Van Lierde

Skins Extends Support of Qantas Wallabies

Leading compression brand Skins has announced an extension to their partnership with the Australian Rugby Union team until 2017.

The partnership, cialis which began in 2010, sees SKINS continue as the Official Compression Garment of the Qantas Wallabies.

SKINS will continue to work closely with the Qantas Wallabies players, coaching and support staff to provide a full range of compression solutions, guaranteeing that each time the squad takes to the training ground or goes into battle against their opponents, they will be performing at their absolute peak.

The players will also continue to work with the SKINS Development Team to provide insights to inspire new products. Most recently, this led to the creation of the SKINS Power Shorts designed specifically for Qantas Wallabies players to maximise explosive power on the field.

Speaking about the extension of the relationship, SKINS Chairman Jaimie Fuller said: “We are proudly Australian and we are keen to support Australian teams as they take to the pitch to show their talent and combative spirit to the world.

“This truly is a partnership, working collaboratively with elite athletes like the Qantas Wallabies helps to shape our product offering and we look forward to working with this great group of athletes for the next four years.”

Australian Rugby Union CEO Bill Pulver added: “We have had a terrific relationship with SKINS over the last four years and we are excited about partnering with them for the next four years. There is a natural synergy between the Qantas Wallabies and SKINS, with both striving for high quality performance.”

Northwestern Mutual Extends NCAA Deal Until 2020

Northwestern Mutual announced has extended its partnership with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) until 2020, through a deal with CBS Sports and Turner Sports.

In addition to maintaining NCAA marketing and promotional rights in the life insurance, wealth management and retirement planning services categories, the deal means that the company also will have exclusivity in the mutual fund category, beginning in 2015.

The agreement includes usage of the NCAA approved trademarks and logos for 89 championships across 23 sports, including basketball, football, baseball, hockey and more.

“When we first became an official NCAA partner, we knew it would be a natural fit, but just three years in we’re extremely pleased with how the sponsorship has allowed us to connect with our clients in ways unlike ever before,” said Conrad York, vice president of marketing. “Northwestern Mutual’s financial representatives have enjoyed hosting activities in their local markets where NCAA championships have taken place, and we’ve benefited from recruiting student-athletes to financial careers. We’re excited to continue working with the NCAA through at least the remainder of the decade.”

Northwestern Mutual became an NCAA Corporate Partner in 2012 with an arrangement through 2015. The new deal extends the term through August 31, 2020.

The agreement also allows Northwestern Mutual to add a number of new assets to its line-up of existing NCAA sponsorship activities to engage clients and prospects. Beginning in 2015, Northwestern Mutual will be the presenting sponsor of the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic Championship broadcast on Turner Sports. The new deal also includes increased on-air features during the Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament and category exclusive camera visible on-court signage, and maintains the company’s role as presenting sponsor of the First Four.

“Northwestern Mutual is committed to college sports and supporting NCAA student-athletes and this partnership has been a great example of how a sponsor can successfully activate across many of our championship platforms,” said Keith Martin, NCAA managing director of marketing and broadcast alliances.   “We look forward to extending our partnership for years to come.”

William Hill to Title Sponsor World Darts Championship

British bookmakers William Hill have become a new sponsor of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace in London after signing a two-year deal with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).

The seven-figure deal will see William Hill become the title sponsor of the event – which will now be known as the ‘William Hill World Darts Championship.’

 The 72-player tournament, staged by the PDC and broadcast live on Sky Sports, will be held throughout December and January, with play spanning the Christmas and New Year period before the first world champion of 2015 is crowned.

The William Hill World Darts Championship will be the online firm’s second darts sponsorship, following on from their successful three-year sponsorship of the Grand Slam of Darts at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall from 2011-2013.

Kristof Fahy, Chief Marketing Officer at William Hill, said, “The World Darts Championship is a great addition to our brand sponsorship portfolio.

“It’s a great fit. The UK’s biggest bookmaker and the biggest event in Darts.”

Andy Lee, Managing Director of William Hill Online said, “We are delighted to announce our sponsorship of the William Hill World Darts Championship.

“Our online business has shown strong growth in recent years and we believe sponsorships like this will help us reach new audiences and continue to help us grow.’

PDC Chairman Barry Hearn said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome William Hill as the new title sponsor for the World Darts Championship.

“Since first being staged in 1993-94, this tournament has grown into the biggest in darts, not only in terms of prize money and stature – with over £1 million paid out in the sport’s richest event – but also with the fantastic crowds who flock to Alexandra Palace every year.

“With over 50,000 fans attending live and hundreds of millions more watching on Sky Sports and around the world, the William Hill World Darts Championship has an amazing global reach.”

New York Yankees Selects Pennington Seed as Official Lawn Care Company

New York Yankees have announced Pennington Seed as official lawn care company of the Major League Baseball team.

As part of the multi-year partnership, Pennington will develop and provide a portfolio of grass seed products to support the unique aesthetic, functional and maintenance needs of the iconic field at Yankee Stadium.

“We’re proud that the dedicated turf professionals of Yankee Stadium and the New York Yankees turned to Pennington to deliver the highest quality seed for their field,” said Jeff Crow, vice president of marketing at Central Garden & Pet Company, the parent company of Pennington Seed. “Whether being used to maintain the field at Yankee Stadium or to repair or establish your own yard, Pennington products are designed to establish thicker, fuller grass that can withstand the rigors of regular use, while using up to 30 percent less water versus ordinary seed.”

From 81 home games to concerts and other events, the multi-function field at Yankee Stadium is continuously used throughout the year.

“We are very excited to begin a relationship with Pennington. We hope that utilizing Pennington grass seed products at Yankee Stadium, along with the in-Stadium signage, expands its brand awareness,” said Michael J. Tusiani, New York Yankees Senior Vice President of Corporate Sales and Sponsorships.

Manchester City Partner with Training Equipment Brand TRX

Manchester City FC have announced a new partnership with training equipment brand, TRX.

As part of the deal, the Club will continue to use TRX equipment in Manchester City’s fitness regimes, in addition to the introduction of tailored TRX training programmes. 

Designed to sustain excellent health, on-pitch performance and fitness levels, the TRX programmes will be adopted by City’s First Team and Academy players.

Stars such as Pablo Zabaleta, James Milner, Fernandinho and Alvaro Negredo will work-out using a range of TRX equipment, combined with personalised TRX training programmes, as part of their daily routine to improve endurance, strength, agility, flexibility and balance. All of which are key requirements in professional football.

Commenting on the partnership, Dr Sam Erith, Head of Sports Science at Manchester City Football Club, said: “Strength and conditioning forms an important part of our training programmes for all our squads. Players will work daily on individualised programmes with the goals of making key athletic movements more efficient and the body more resilient to the risk of injury. We have had great results using the TRX Suspension Trainer and TRX RIP Trainer in both our high performance and injury prevention programmes. We are excited about building a strong relationship with TRX in the future.”

Randy Hetrick, CEO and creator of the TRX Suspension Trainer, added: “TRX is proud to partner with Manchester City and we are excited to support their training needs with our ‘triple threat’ of product, education and programming. In just a few short years, TRX Training has become the choice of professional athletes across the world, in sports as diverse at football, rugby, MMA, basketball, triathlon, tennis and athletics. We’re excited to watch them compete at such a high level in the most prestigious football league in the world.”

As part of the partnership, TRX will collaborate with the Club on as series of strength and conditioning publication pieces, while City players will feature in an exclusive TRX promotional video alongside digital and social marketing campaigns.  

Nissan Joins UEFA as Champions League Sponsor

Japanese car manufacturer Nissan has replaced Ford as an Official Partner of UEFA.

As part of the deal Nissan will be the Official Partner of the UEFA Champions League for the period between 2014/15 and 2017/18, which will see Nissan involved with Europe’s most prestigious club football competition through their exclusive products and services. The agreement also includes the UEFA Super Cups in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

“We are delighted to have Nissan as an official partner of the UEFA Champions League as of next season,” said Guy-Laurent Epstein, marketing director of UEFA Events SA. “Nissan is a truly leading global company and one of the largest automotive groups in the world. We feel that the partnership will provide a great deal of innovation and excitement across all markets worldwide, and we are convinced that Nissan can use the platform that the UEFA Champions League offers to further build on their current success.”

Nissan will replace Ford who agreed to end their deal with European soccer’s governing body in March after a 21-year association. 

“Innovating to excite is what Nissan does, and as partners with UEFA we are looking to introduce new ways in which to enrich the UEFA Champions League experience,” added Roel de Vries, corporate vice-president and global head of marketing and communications for Nissan. “Europe’s most prestigious football competition will be an important global platform for Nissan, and our aim is to show fans all over the world the excitement of both football and our cars. Both are created by amazing people who have a passion for what they do.”

Nissan joins Heineken as the second Official Partner of the UEFA Champions League for the 2015-2018 period alongside adidas, which is the Official Supplier.

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Lynx to Sponsor Women’s British Open

Equipment brand Lynx has been announced will be the Official Golf Club of the Ricoh Women’s British Open for the next three years.

Under the terms of the agreement, drugs Lynx becomes the Official Golf Club at the event when it takes place at The Royal Birkdale Golf Club, vialis 40mg Southport, pharm on 10-13 July.

As a key sponsor, Lynx will have a 100m² exhibition stand, a hitting bay on the Official Practice Range, manufacturer status access to the tournament’s practice putting green and major on-course branding, as well as a host of other benefits.

Announcing the agreement, Lynx Golf UK managing partner, Stephanie Zinser, said: “Becoming the leading equipment brand in the ladies’ market is just one of the goals we have for Lynx in a long-term vision for our brand.

“This is a huge leap forwards and demonstrates the level of commitment and investment we are prepared to put behind Lynx in the next few years.

“The success and development of the ladies game is extremely important to us and we are delighted to be playing a key role in its future by being a partner in this high profile event.

“The decision to support Ladies’ European Tour player and rising star Lydia Hall was the first step in this direction and we are consolidating and strengthening our intent with this next relationship.”

Lynx will now have the right to use the Official Title and Championship logos in its marketing and enjoy significant exposure through the Golfing World media channels, as well as staging an exclusive visitors’ putting clinic and trick shot demonstration during the Ricoh Women’s British Open.

Ross Hallett, IMG Tournament Director, speaking on behalf of the Ricoh Women’s British Open Championship said: “We are delighted at this new partnership with Lynx Golf and we are excited about the long term opportunities that this brings to both parties.

“Lynx Golf has a strong tradition with ladies’ golf as well as being an innovative and high quality brand, which mirrors the values of the Ricoh Women’s British Open very nicely. We look forward to working together.”