BSkyB’s online gaming subsidiary Sky Bet has sealed a deal to sponsor the opening race of the next five editions of the Cheltenham Festival horse racing event.

As part of the five-year deal, the first race of the annual event will be known as the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle.

The deal is Sky Bet’s first major sponsorship involvement at the Cheltenham Festival.

In addition, Sky Bet will also sponsor two Grade Two novices’ hurdles on ‘The Road to Cheltenham’ a series of races leading up to the Festival.

The Sky Bet Novices’ Hurdle will take place at Cheltenham on November 17, 2013, while the Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Trial Hurdle will be hosted at Haydock Park on January 19, 2014.

“This is the company’s first major sponsorship at Cheltenham and to position it with such a prominent race in the Supreme Novices’ is great,” Cheltenham Racecourse’s head of sponsorship, Peter McNeile, said.

“Like a lot of the championship races that are run at the Festival, we have built the deal around some of the races that lead to the Supreme Novices’, which will help to drive the narrative of the sponsorship.”

Michael Shinners, Sky Bet’s horseracing PR manager, added: “Being the first race of the most eagerly-awaited meeting of the season means it has a special place in the hearts of racing fans.

“It is a fantastic championship race and has been a stepping stone to greatness for many horses over the years.”

Gym Direct, denture a locally based gymnasium, sales has come on board as a Cronulla Sharks corporate partner for the 2014 NRL season.

In confirming a partnership that will see as a part of the arrangement, erectile equipment provided to the Sharks High Performance Unit for the use by the NRL squad, Lily See, a Director at Gym Direct was pleased to announce the new association with the Sharks.

“Gym Direct are proud to sponsor the Cronulla Sharks and we look forward to growing stronger together for years to come,” Ms See said.

Sharks Physical Performance Manager David Boyle was impressed by the Gym Direct products and had no hesitation in adding them to the existing equipment in the Sharks HPU.

“The quality of the Gym Direct products is very high and are a welcome addition to what we already have here,” Boyle said. “The boys are certain to get a lot of benefit out of using what Gym Direct has been able to provide due to this new sponsorship,” Boyle said.

OCBC Bank has secured the official naming rights for facilities at the new Singapore Sports Hub, in a deal worth more than S$50 million.

Covering the sports hall and aquatic centre, the deal will also support grassroots activities at the Sports Hub – which will open in April next year.

It has been dubbed Singapore’s largest one-time sports sponsorship to date and the first venue sponsorship for the country’s sports and entertainment industry.

OCBC was picked due to its right fit, being an established local bank and having a long-standing involvement in local sports.

Besides the sports hall and aquatic centre, the bank will also have naming rights for the National Stadium Club lounges in the North and South wings and VIP lounge at the Indoor Stadium.

Samuel Tsien, group CEO of OCBC Bank, said: “We want to bring in new sports to Singapore so people can try it out. We wanted to bring in sports clinics so that the community who do not have the opportunities to participate in these sports, have an opportunity to do that.”

Iconic national landmarks, the new National Stadium and Indoor Stadium are not part of the corporate naming rights.

Lawrence Wong, acting minister for culture, community and youth, said: “Have the possibility of either the National Stadium or Indoor Stadium named after a personality for example, somebody that we may wish to commemorate or remember. So that remains a possibility, but for now we decided not to have commercial naming rights for either of these entities.”

Operators of the S$1.33-billion Sports Hub, scheduled for completion in April 2014, said they would like to see more companies follow OCBC’s initiative, to sponsor other facilities within the complex.

Australian optician Laubman & Pank Optometrists has been unveiled as the official eye care partner of A-League’s Brisbane Roar.

As part of the deal, the current league leaders will be sponsored by the eye care specialists for the 2013/14 season.

“We are thrilled to bring Laubman & Pank Optometrists on as the official eyecare partner and look forward to working with its team of experts over the next 12 months to help build awareness of the importance of protecting eyes for both players and spectators,” said Adam Palfrey, the Roar’s commercial manager.

The National Rugby League’s Parramatta Eels has announced a partnership with SKINX.

SKINX, an antibacterial moisturizing gel that focuses on looking after the skin, will be implemented as part of the Eels high performance routine and will support the players both on and off the field.

Andrew Aloisio, SKINX founder, commented on the deal: “SKINX is proud to be partnering with a long established NRL club such as the Parramatta Eels, working together with the team in implementing this high performance healthy skin strategy.”

Orbea bicycles have agreed a partnership with Team Novo Nordisk, unhealthy the world’s first all-diabetes professional cycling team, ask for the 2014 and 2015 seasons.

Team Novo Nordisk will be racing a full schedule during the 2014 season, including major races in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The riders will be competing aboard the Orbea Orca Performance frameset for all their road racing events, and the Orbea Ordu Race frameset will be their weapon of choice for timed TT and Triathlon events.

“We are very excited to ride Orbea’s light and fast racing machines. Orbea is a great brand and the perfect partner to help us change diabetes,” says Phil Southerland, CEO and co-founder of Team Novo Nordisk.

In addition to the bicycle sponsorship, Orbea and Team Novo Nordisk have agreed to work together to promote the partnership within the cycling community.

“Team Novo Nordisk has done an amazing job of promoting the team within the diabetes community and has the third largest social media following of any team in professional cycling. Our next goal is to make the Team Novo Nordisk and Orbea partnership among the best known in cycling,” says Tony Karklins, Orbea’s North American Director of Sales and Marketing.

Team Novo Nordisk is a global all-diabetes sports team of cyclists, triathletes and runners, spearheaded by the world’s first all-diabetes UCI Professional Continental cycling team. The team’s mission is to inspire, educate and empower those affected by diabetes.

Cricket Australia has announced Hardys as their official wine supplier for the next three years.

Cricket Australia Executive General Manager – Operations Mike McKenna said: “It is very exciting to be welcoming Hardys on board as a silver sponsor and official wine supplier of Cricket Australia. There are some strong links between the two organisations that will make this a successful partnership.

“Hardys, ampoule like Cricket Australia, sale is a world renowned Australian brand and has experienced success on a global scale thanks to a dedication to quality and by taking great pride in the fruit of their labours,” McKenna said.

Fourth generation Hardy family member William (Bill) Hardy said: “I can’t begin to tell you how thrilled we are to partner with Cricket Australia. Cricket is something that the Hardys family has grown up with like a lot of Australian families, so it’s no surprise that we are excited to welcome the Cricket Australia family into ours.”

The partnership will see Hardys being the official wine supplier sponsor for all key Cricket Australia events and celebration matches. Hardys will also be running a strong national advertising campaign throughout the upcoming cricket season. 

Cricket Australia and Hardys are committed to maintaining a responsible relationship with alcohol in Australian Cricket and will continue to invest in communications promoting responsible alcohol consumption through this partnership.

Quicken Loans, the nation’s largest online mortgage lender, has partnered with Phoenix International Raceway (PIR) to sponsor the Veterans Day weekend NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on November 9, 2014. 

“All eyes will be on Phoenix International Raceway next year as the end of the season rolls around and drivers are scrapping – literally and figuratively – for every position on the track,” said Quicken Loans President and Chief Marketing Officer Jay Farner. “When we looked at the races on the NASCAR schedule, few others offered the same excitement and energy as the fall Phoenix race.”

The race will conclude PIR’s 50th Anniversary season and a year-long celebration of the track’s rich history and contributions to motor sports in the West. Founded in 1964, PIR hosted its first NASCAR-sanctioned event in 1977 with a Winston West Series race. NASCAR’s premier circuit, now known as the Sprint Cup Series, made its debut in Phoenix on November 6, 1988, and for the past 25 years, the fall race in Phoenix has been on or near Veterans Day weekend.

“We are proud to partner with Quicken Loans to present the final NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of our 50th Anniversary season,” said Phoenix International Raceway President Bryan R. Sperber. “They are a leader on the track and in the Phoenix business community, and their continuing support of veterans makes this partnership a perfect fit for our Veterans Day Weekend event.”

Quicken Loans, who has an office of more than 550 team members in nearby Scottsdale, Arizona, has a strong tradition of honoring active military and veterans. Most notably, the company sponsored the Quicken Loans Carrier Classic on Veterans Day 2011, a first-of-its-kind basketball game that was played on a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier and attended by President Obama and this year will run a special veteran –themed paint scheme in this Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series race at PIR.

“We continuously look for opportunities to honor our active military and veterans and thank them for their service to our country,” said Farner. “What better way to do this than sponsor the Veterans Day race and have our veterans be a focal point of our efforts.”

The partnership with PIR comes on the heels of Quicken Loans’ announcement that it will join Richard Childress Racing (RCR) in 2014 and serve as primary sponsor of driver Ryan Newman’s No. 31 Chevrolet SS for 12 races and associate sponsor for all remaining races, marking the company’s third year in the sport. Quicken Loans will also continue as sponsor of Michigan International Speedway’s Quicken Loans 400 Sprint Cup Race on June 15, 2014.