The University of Canberra have announced they will sponsor the Big Bash League’s Sydney Thunder over the summer.

The University’s name and logo will appear on the team outfits and on pitchside advertising throughout the Big Bash season.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Parker said: “The University is offering degree programs in Sydney from next year at the North Sydney Institute and South Western Sydney Institute. This is a great way of making our name known to a wider audience in Sydney. And because the games are televised we will also reach audiences in regional NSW and overseas which is a cost effective way of promoting ourselves to prospective students who might wish to study with us in Sydney, Canberra or online.

“The University has a longstanding commitment to sports scholarship and research and we aspire to be one of Australia’s leading universities in the academic aspects of sport. Working with community and elite teams is an essential ingredient and we are pleased to have Sydney Thunder as a partner.

“This sponsorship is coming about through an agreement with Cricket NSW which is working in partnership with Cricket ACT to promote the sport in our region. We look forward to helping them in that initiative. Our sponsorship with Sydney Thunder relating to a very exciting form of the game demonstrates our commitment.”

In addition to exposure through the Big Bash League, the deal also includes the ‘University of Canberra Thunder Nation Cup’, a community competition involving players from eight different cultural backgrounds. The final will be played at ANZ Stadium as a curtain raiser for the Thunder v Brisbane Heat game on 8 January.

Sydney Thunder general manager Nick Cummins commented on the deal: “We are delighted to partner with the University of Canberra for the 2013/14 BBL season. Sydney Thunder prides itself on its connection to the community of western Sydney, and more broadly, country New South Wales and the ACT. We are pleased that the University of Canberra, which has an excellent reputation in the industry for its teaching and research in sport, has identified the Sydney Thunder as a vehicle to raise the profile of their institution amongst this community.”

Polish-based oil company Grupa Lotos have announced they will back former Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica in the 2014 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).

The Pole will contest all 13 rounds of next season’s championship with a Lotos-supported Ford Fiesta RS WRC. 

Kubica won five of his seven WRC 2 events this year, impressing on the world stage. 

Robert Kubica said: “I am really glad that I will participate in all 13 rounds of the [FIA] World Rally Championship [WRC] with the [Ford] Fiesta RS WRC. The support of my partner, LOTOS Group, combined with the knowledge and experience of M-Sport will create a solid foundation for my further development and I am looking forward to gathering valuable experience on the WRC stages.”

CEO of Grupa LOTOS, Pawel Olechnowicz, added: “A decisive victory for Robert [Kubica] in the WRC 2 class in 2013 confirmed his extraordinary talent and determination. We are very pleased that we can support such an excellent driver. Robert has consistently pursued further goals and does so with a passion that characterises only the greatest athletes. We believe that next year he will confirm his position amongst the top rally drivers in the world.”

The PGA Tour of Canada have announced a new tournament, sponsored by PC Financial, will begin the second season of the Tour. 

PGA TOUR Canada’s second season will include 12 $150,000 events in 2014, with the race for Web.com Tour status for The Five going coast-to-coast from May to September.

The season will begin with the PC Financial Open, a new event May 26th to June 1st at Point Grey Golf and Country Club in Vancouver, British Columbia and conclude at the TOUR Championship of Canada presented by Freedom 55 Financial September 8th to 15th at Sunningdale Golf & Country Club in London, Ontario.

“Thanks to the tremendous support of our sponsors and the great work of our host organizations, we’ve been able to grow our schedule and develop an exciting presence of strong, established events and exciting new tournaments from coast-to-coast,” said PGA TOUR Canada President Jeff Monday. “We look forward to building upon our successful first season in 2013 and making the 2014 season even bigger and better.”

Big Bash League’s Melbourne Stars has revealed their new sponsorship lineup for the third seasnon of the Twenty20 tournament.

Along with the Stars Principal and Major Partners, Dick Smith and Mitsubishi Motors, Australia’s largest online pharmacy Chemist Warehouse has signed on as the club’s Major Community Partner for the next two seasons.

Chemist Warehouse are set to support the club’s many community and grassroots programs including the Hussey’s Heroes clinics and Family Day held in the City of Casey.

Luggage brand, Antler enters into its third successive year with the club and will leverage the team’s cheerleaders to launch its new branding throughout the summer.

Health Insurance provider, health.com.au joins the Stars as an official partner and will support several initiatives including beach cricket, have an active presence at Family Day as well as integrating at the team’s match day events.

The Melbourne Stars also has the support of official partners and suppliers including The Blackman Hotel, VB, PowerAde, Supacore, Spartan, Get Wines Direct and Club23.

Melbourne Stars Chief Executive, Clint Cooper is thrilled by the addition of several new key partners along with the important ongoing support of existing relationships.

“Overall, it’s a fantastic result for us,” Cooper said.

“It’s significant to have large and reputable companies wanting to partner with the Melbourne Stars so early in our tenure as a club.

Cooper noted that a key focus of the Stars partnership strategy was aligning with brands that wanted to meaningfully engage with fans and have an active presence at matches.

“We’re proud that over the past two seasons we’ve been able to deliver strong outcomes for our partners in terms of media value, but more importantly integration and activation,” he said.

“This season we’re taking it to a new level with a raft of fan engagement initiatives, competitions and activities around the stadium all supported by our amazing partners – our crowd will be entertained from the moment they arrive to the final ball, inside and outside of the stadium,” he said.

“It’s really exciting to have a suite of partners who want to proactively engage with our fans in a fun and exciting way.

“With the long range forecast looking positive for the opening Derby on 20 December we can’t wait for what is no doubt the biggest game on the BBL calendar.”

The Women’s National Basketball League has announced a major new partner has come on board with Menora Foods becoming the new naming rights sponsor of Australia’s premier women’s national sporting competition until the end of the 2015/16 season.

The partnership will see Wattle Valley, a Menora Foods owned brand, incorporated into the title, logo and playing uniforms across all nine teams as the WNBL’s naming rights sponsor.

Basketball Australia Chief Executive Officer Kristina Keneally commented on the partnership: “Basketball Australia is very proud to have Menora Foods – a 100 per cent Australian-owned company – committing to one of the premier women’s professional sporting leagues in this country,” Ms Keneally said.

“The Wattle Valley Women’s National Basketball League has experienced significant growth over the past several years, and this long-term partnership reflects the standing the competition holds in corporate Australia.

“Importantly, this is a crucial step forward in the push for more support from corporate Australia to back women’s sport with sponsorship dollars.

“Our partnership with Menora Foods will be a boon for the WNBL, allowing us to create more opportunities for girls and young women to develop the skills and abilities that can turn aspiring athletes into future female leaders – an investment which cannot be underestimated.

“We welcome Menora Foods into the basketball family and look forward to enjoying a long-term relationship between these two iconic Australian brands.”

Australian Sports Commission Chair John Wylie congratulated Menora Foods on seizing the opportunity to be the naming rights sponsor of the WNBL.

“We have a number of highly successful female sporting competitions, teams and individuals in Australia presenting enormous opportunities for corporations to support through sponsorship,” he said.

“Our women’s basketball teams have a well-deserved reputation for excellence through the success of the Opals and the strength of the domestic WNBL competition.”

Menora Foods Managing Director Sam Schachna said the WNBL partnership presented exciting opportunities for further growth and national promotion of both of these uniquely Australian brands.

“Menora Foods is extremely proud to be one of the first Australian companies putting significant corporate support behind women’s sport in what is also our first major sponsorship deal,” Mr Schachna said.

“As ASC Chair John Wylie has rightly pointed out, women’s sport is a rising force – and there’s no better example of that than the WNBL, which has produced some of the biggest female stars in Australian sport.

“Menora recognises that investing in women’s sport – from developing players right through to elite athletes – will pay massive dividends for the community in up-skilling a generation of female leaders.

“That’s why we’re so excited to sign up as naming rights sponsor of the Wattle Valley WNBL, a league renowned for providing a structured, professional pathway for aspiring female basketball players.

“We are genuinely optimistic about the next three years and look forward to a successful partnership with the WNBL.”