Insurance firm New York Life has agreed to be the presenting sponsor for all Big East conference championships for the 2014-15 academic year, the conference announced on Monday.

The Big East Men’s Basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden will be the highlight of the partnership.

New York Life, one of the largest life insurers in the world, has agreed to be the presenting sponsor during the basketball tournament. The partnership provides a comprehensive sponsorship of the Big East Men’s basketball tournament which includes: a co-branded center court tournament logo, co-branding on tickets, programs and anything else marketing the tournament and stand -alone New York Life logos on the court and other camera visible signage.

The agreement also mandates overtime periods to be branded as “Keep Good Going Overtime presented by New York Life,” “Keep Good Going” features incorporated into all conference game telecasts, which include TV vignettes featuring “Keep Good Going” stories from Big East coaches, players and legends and New York Life’s inclusion in Fox Sports 1 and Big East basketball on-air promotion.

“The Big East is synonymous with academic and service values, intense competition and a spirited brand of big city basketball built upon tremendous fan support,” Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman said in a conference press release Monday afternoon.

“We are impressed with New York Life’s passion for community, as evidenced by its impactful “Keep Good Going” initiative, and are proud to have crafted an alliance that will celebrate our shared values and extend the BIG EAST’s reach nationwide.”

The agreement with New York Life is the first partnership package to be finalized since Fox Sports and the Big East entered into a partnership in October 2013. 

“The Big East has a long tradition of excellence in delivering for its fans, just as New York Life has delivered for our policyholders since 1845,” said Chris Sorgie, a director of media and strategy for New York Life. “We are proud to be part of this great tradition with the BIG EAST which involves the world’s greatest sporting arena, Madison Square Garden,”

Specsavers Australia have been announced today as the Official Eyecare Partner of the Australian Open for 2014.

The Grand Slam Tournament takes place from January 13 – 26.

As part of the preparation Specsavers will be on hand to assist players, medicine tournament staff and officials, including the ballkids, have optimum vision and eye-health.

“It’s great to see Specsavers as the Official Eyecare Partner of the Australian Open. Eyecare is extremely important, especially on bright and sunny days when it’s essential to protect your eyes with a pair of polarised lenses,” former world No.1 and Seven Network tennis commentator Jim Courier said onsite at the Australian Open today.

As a bonus all 256 main draw Australian Open players will receive a pair of polarised sunglasses designed exclusively for Specsavers by iconic Australian designer, Alex Perry.

“I encourage players and spectators to have their eyes tested every two years,” David Southgate, Specsavers’ onsite optometrist at the Australian Open said today.

“Healthy vision is an important element to both actively watching and competing, especially during the brighter, summer months.”

The German Tennis Federation (DTB) has announced Erima as an Official supplier of German national teams in a new three-year deal.

“We are pleased to have with Erima a traditional brand on our side, patient which equips all of our team uniform. This is another important step in our efforts to strengthen the association and efficiently align, symptoms ” said President Dr. Karl-Georg Altenburg.

As part of the deal the brand will equip the Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams from the beginning of 2014 and will also equip juniors, seniors and the German teams in beach tennis and wheelchair tennis.

Erima Germany Managing Director Dominik Solleder commented on the new deal: “With the partnership with the German Tennis Federation, we consistently pursue our multi sports team strategy. We are proud to now be able to count three of the four largest German sports associations to the family of Erima brand ambassador.”

The former Argos-Shimano team have a new backer with Giant expanding their deal to title sponsor.

The Taiwanese bike manufacturer has filled a void left by the departure of Argos at the end of 2013 and the squad will now be called Giant-Shimano.

Giant had already agreed a “multi-year” contract to supply the team’s bikes from 2014, but stepped their support up when a deal with a previous prospective title sponsor, widely thought to be an American charity, fell through.

The company will also sponsor the team’s development squad, as well as the women’s squad, which includes British two-time junior world champion Lucy Garner. The women’s team will carry the name of Giant’s women’s cycling brand, Liv, on their jerseys.

Giant-Shimano general manager Iwan Spekenbrink said: “By stepping up after our planned title sponsor departed, Giant is demonstrating their belief in the superior results, global reach and integrity we have established over the last several years.”

The team has unveiled its 2014 kit, with a mainly white Argos-Shimano jersey being replaced by a white, black and blue design.

STX, a global sporting goods leader based in Baltimore, Maryland, have announced the sponsorship of English Premier Hockey League player Sam Ward.

The comprehensive deal was inked this week and will extend beyond the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics. Ward will be intimately involved with STX in the development, feedback and testing of new field hockey sticks for the company.

“I am very excited to work closely with STX in developing products that will perform at the very highest level for international competition,” said Sam Ward.  “I have learned a great deal about the company’s commitment to hard work and innovation, and it is a great fit for me as I pursue the next phase of my career.”

Ward plays for the leading hockey club, Beeston, and leads the entire English Premier League at the mid-point of this season with 15 goals.  He has played on the U21 national team for England and remains a candidate for England’s senior national team. This week, Ward was named to England’s indoor men’s national team and will make his international debut at the 2014 EuroHockey Indoor Championships tournament, which runs from January 17-19 in Vienna, Austria.

“We couldn’t be happier with Sam’s decision to align with STX. We have spent months seeking out the right player to work with in developing our men’s hockey portfolio,” said STX’s Director of Marketing Ed Saunders. “Sam’s on-field achievements speak for themselves, but just as important, he has demonstrated all of the qualities that we stand for as a brand off the pitch as well.Sam Ward exemplifies the STX core values, and we look forward to extending our reach globally with Sam at the fore.”

Equitrade International, Inc.has announced it will sponsor the 2015 World Series of Polo.

The World Series of Polo’s global partnership sponsorship model is similar to the Olympics Committee’s in accepting bartered deals like their $50 million deal with McDonald’s and also similar to FIFA in offering both global corporate partner agreements as well as regional partnerships for their events. These premiere sponsorship agreements afford exclusive rights to companies to promote their brand alongside the professional polo league’s World Series of Polo events across the U.S. and its final play-off 2015 World Series of Polo Cup event to be held internationally.

“I guess it started most notably back with Michael Jordan and Nike when athletes and sports organizations began accepting partial barter in their sponsorships. Now it’s common for an official sponsor to offer partial trade value and the rest in cash to help subsidize their media buys and event expenditures,” said Equitrade International, Inc.’s President and CEO, Jim West.

“Our partnership with the 2015 World Series of Polo is an ideal one as it benefits both sides from the point of view of branding,” said West. “The World Series of Polo has a universal reach and is a very uniquely attributed sport which has convinced us to commit to our $50 million global sponsorship deal. It gives us an ideal opportunity to leverage the powerful assets of Equitrade International in the sports sponsorship industry.”

Equitrade International’s deal is a long-term commitment through to 2019. As one of six of the World Series of Polo’s Global Partners, Equitrade will enjoy the benefits of core sponsorship rights to all World Series of Polo match competitions including the flagship 2015 World Series of Polo Championship Cup event internationally, as well as special regionally hosted events and participation in development initiatives. This special global barter category allows Equitrade to capitalize on the emerging sport trend towards sponsorship buys in both trade and dollar convergence.

“My mission is to innovate polo into the forefront of sports by providing the ultimate interactive experience with our fans and players,” said Kimberly Carr-Sykes, President & Commissioner for the 2015 World Series of Polo. Equitrade, with its newly inked deal of $12.5 million per year over a 4-year period, is fully committed to the World Series of Polo’s mission in both supporting and furthering the development of this exciting equestrian sport.

Pro 12 team Connacht Rugby has revealed BragBet as their new partners becoming the first provincial team in Ireland with an Official Betting Partner.

BragBet allows fans, allergist who enjoy a match day flutter with their mates, herbal to have that banter 24/7 across all sports and has proven to be a huge success with sports fans. BragBet are the official betting partner of the FAI, pills NIFL, and the Ultimate Rugby app amongst others in an increasingly impressive stable of partners.

Connacht Rugby Head of Commercial & Marketing, Alex Saul said: “The Connacht Rugby family is based far and wide and BragBet is a perfect way for Connacht fans to form a team and stay in contact through their interest in sport. This commercial deal with BragBet is a great fit and also ensures that there are vital monies reinvested into the club.”

Phil Riordan, CEO of BragBet said “As a proud supporter of Connacht Rugby and with a lot of family around Galway, it was a partnership I was keen to secure. Connacht have made giant strides on and off the park in the last few years and the profile of the club and their fans sits very well with our partner strategy and target audience.The fact that Connacht Rugby have struck a with deal with BragBet, so they will generate revenue out of every bet struck, will encourage  Connacht fans to embrace BragBet as their “go to “ bookmaker of choice!”