Tottenham Hotspur have expanded their partnership with AIA Group Limited (AIA), with the insurance provider becoming the Club’s new principal global partner from next season.

The new enhanced deal, which follows their existing cup shirt sponsorship agreed at the start of the season, will have the AIA logo appearing on the front of the Club’s shirts in all competitions for the next five seasons until 2019.

To support the growth of AIA’s own base of customers across Asia, the Club will also become a key component of AIA’s future marketing and customer engagement strategies.

Club ambassadors such as Ledley King and Ossie Ardiles will regularly make visits to AIA’s markets, using their unique appeal as legendary Spurs players to support a host of co-branded initiatives including events and appearances for company staff, agents, customers and charitable partners. Tottenham Hotspur’s Global Coaching team will also deliver elite coaching programs and associated activities to support AIA’s key objectives of promoting health and well-being and increased participation in sport in the Asia-Pacific region.

Tottenham Hotspur Chairman Daniel Levy (pictured right) said: “We have enjoyed an excellent relationship with AIA since they became our Cup Shirt Partners at the beginning of this season.

“Together we share long-term ambitions across Asia, a region where the Club has seen significant growth in recent years, and this extended partnership with AIA, one of the leading companies in the Asia-Pacific region and a clear market leader in their industry, will further help to support our objectives and engage with our supporters across the region. We are delighted that AIA has committed to the Club for a further five years and look forward to developing our partnership further.”

Mark Tucker (pictured left), AIA Group Chief Executive and President, added: “English Premier League football has tremendous appeal in Asia and following the success of our Cup Shirt sponsorship of Spurs this season, we are now delighted to be entering this new partnership with the Club. They have a massive fan base in Asia and we look forward to helping them further expand their presence here, as we continue to grow our franchise and communicate the strength, breadth and depth of the AIA brand to consumers in our 17 markets around the Asia-Pacific region.”

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PGA Tour golfer Jimmy Walker, who has has three wins in six months, has announcemd a partnership with Celestron.

Walker, who is a keen astrophotographer, will receive observatory-grade astronomical equipment installed at a dark-sky site in New Mexico.

“As a kid, I remember having a telescope and looking at the Moon, Saturn and Jupiter. My fascination started with looking up,” Walker recalls. “From there, it evolved to attaching a camera and taking long exposures.”

Since Walker is on the road with his family for much of the year, the Celestron CGE Pro 1400 HD telescope is placed at a remote location that Walker can access via the Internet. Whether he’s at home in Dallas or at a tour event, Walker can control his telescope and conduct imaging sessions. The telescope then relays the raw images back to Walker, who applies his artistic touch in post-processing.

Walker’s three recent wins at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Fry’s Open and Sony Open have landed him in first place in the Ryder Cup standings. Walker is also slated to appear in his first Master’s tournament later this year. He brings the same tenacity to his astroimaging, becoming a respected imager within two years of first attaching a camera to his Celestron C-11 telescope. His photos have been featured on NASA’s prestigious Astronomy Photo of the Day blog and showcased in various astronomy-related publications.

Celestron will kick off its new partnership with Walker at the upcoming Northern Trust Open, February 12-16 in Pacific Palisades, Calif. 

STX, pills LLC, a global sporting goods leader based in Baltimore (Maryland), today announced the signing of Major League Lacrosse (MLL) athlete Tucker Durkin through 2016 to an endorsement deal.

In his role with STX, Durkin will serve as an official STX-sponsored athlete and will appear in the company’s marketing and product campaigns. Durkin will use the STX Hammer product line as he continues tryouts for Team USA leading up to the World Lacrosse Championships and with the Florida Launch in the MLL.

“After using STX equipment throughout high school and college, there is no other lacrosse company I would rather partner with,” said Durkin. “It’s an honor to join Team STX and I’m really excited to work with the company moving forward.”

Durkin, the third overall pick in the 2013 MLL draft, is a defenseman for the Florida Launch. Durkin was a 2013 Tewaaraton nominee at Johns Hopkins where he started every game during his career.

“Tucker’s career at Johns Hopkins set him on the path to being one of the best defenseman in the game,” said Greg Tate, STX Men’s Marketing Manager. “Seeing Tucker play down the road from STX at Hopkins and during Team USA tryouts, it’s evident that he is not only a top-level player but also truly representative of the STX brand and a great fit as an STX athlete.”

This follows STX recently announcing a one-year partnership with the MLL as an Official Equipment Partner.

Wine manufacturers Elderton will become NSW Waratahs Rugby’s Official Wine Partner for the 2014 Super Rugby season and beyond. 

The partnership will see Elderton wines exclusively served at all Waratahs functions and events.

Elderton Wines joint Managing Director Cameron Ashmead said the partnership would play a vital role in building the brand in a key domestic growth market.

“The Sydney market currently accounts for approximately 30% of our domestic business and we see the potential for significant domestic growth in this key east coast location.

“The NSW Waratahs are one of Australia’s premier blue-chip sporting clubs and by supporting them, prescription we will expose our brand to tens of thousands of potential new customers, ambulance as well as giving us access to an established database of loyal supporters.”

CEO of Waratahs Rugby Jason Allen was also similarly positive. “Our partnership with Elderton for the next three years will showcase the best of both organisations. We are confident that we can help Elderton achieve its goal of stronger penetration in the NSW market.”

Ashmead added that through matchday hospitality, the partnership will expose the company’s wines to many high-end corporate clients.  “We’re expecting to see some really positive results in New South Wales through our partnership with the Waratahs and importantly, aligning ourselves with such a well recognised and prestigious sporting club, provides positive brand association for our company.”

AutoTrader.com have announced a partnership with Team Penske in 2014 by sponsoring the No. 22 Ford Fusion and driver Joey Logano in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, the two companies jointly announced today. 

Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, AutoTrader.com will become a season-long associate sponsor on the No. 22 team and will also serve as the car’s primary sponsor for the July 13 race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) with a special AutoTrader.com livery.

“We are thrilled to welcome AutoTrader.com to Team Penske and into our NASCAR racing program,” said Roger Penske.  “AutoTrader.com is one of the most popular online solutions for buying and selling new and used vehicles. Over the last several years we have developed an outstanding partnership with them through Penske Automotive Group, our automotive dealership business. We believe that this racing relationship will help build additional value for the AutoTrader.com brand.”

“We’re pleased to take our relationship with Penske to the next level with this new NASCAR partnership,” said John Kovac, senior vice president of Marketing for AutoTrader Group. “This is a very exciting opportunity for us, and we’re looking forward to a thrilling season on the track connecting with NASCAR’s loyal fans and cheering Joey Logano on to Victory Lane.”

AutoTrader.com’s branding will be displayed on the rear quarter panel of the No. 22 Ford driven by Logano this season.  Logano, who finished eighth in Sprint Cup Series points in 2013 after making his first Chase and collecting a win and two poles along the way, will also drive the No. 22 AutoTrader.com Ford Fusion in the July 13 race at NHMS.  Logano won his first-career Sprint Cup Series race at NHMS back in 2009, as he became the youngest winner in Cup Series history at just 19 years old.

“I’ve already had the chance to meet with the folks from AutoTrader.com and they are really excited about getting involved with Team Penske and we are happy to have them on board,” said the now 23-year-old Logano. “It will be great to have them on the car at New Hampshire, a place which is really special to me.  It’s my home track, where I saw my first Sprint Cup Series race as a kid, where I made my first start in the Cup Series and where I won my first race.  So I’m really looking forward to that race in July and trying to get AutoTrader.com into Victory Lane.”

The 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season will get under way on Saturday night, February 15, for the official start of Daytona Speedweeks and the running of the non-points special event, the Sprint Unlimited. The NASCAR Nationwide Series season is set to begin on February 22 while the 56^th running of the Daytona 500 will take place on February 23.