A-League team Perth Glory have announced they have renewed their sponsorship with official rental vehicle provider Europcar for another two years.

Under the sponsorship renewal Europcar maintains its front-of-short branding for both the Perth Glory A-League and National Youth League teams, anesthetist as well as significant signage at nib stadium.

Perth Glory General Manager Anthony Radich commented on the deal: “Over the last two seasons players and coaching staff have had the privilege of experiencing Europcar’s wonderful service first hand and they’ve been great supporters of our club and football in WA.”

“They’re a terrific brand built around great people and we thank them for their continued support,” Mr Radich said.

Mike Warmington, Sales and Marketing Director for Europcar Australia and New Zealand, said the partnership has played a significant role in expanding Europcar’s brand awareness in the West.

“Western Australia represents an important market for Europcar and we’re very pleased to continue our partnership with such a professional and iconic sporting team as Perth Glory Football Club.”

“Football is a growing sport in WA and in two years we have watched Perth Glory’s fan base really expand. The upcoming season should be an exciting one for the club and we wish them every success,” Mr Warmington said.

As part of the sponsorship arrangement up to 50 Europcar staff have the opportunity to participate in an exclusive training session with players and coaches. 

Xbox Australia has announced a partnership with Triple Eight Race Engineering to launch the Xbox One Racing Team, check to take part in the 2013 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

With international champion race car drivers Andy Priaulx and Mattias Ekström behind the wheel, illness the Xbox One Racing Team will be boosted by the support of long time Xbox ambassador and team mentor, Mark Skaife and Triple Eight Race Engineering Team Owner, Roland Dane.

To celebrate, Xbox Australia and Turn 10 Studios – the makers of the Forza Motorsport series – have also announced Mount Panorama will be included in the highly-anticipated racing game “Forza Motorsport 5” set to launch exclusively with the new Xbox One console on November 22, 2013.

Regional Vice President, Microsoft, Greater Asia Region Alan Bowman said the addition of the Bathurst circuit was at the request of fans.

“Xbox has had a strong association with the sport of V8 Supercars over the last decade and for years Australians have been asking us to include the Bathurst track into the Forza Motorsport games.

“We have taken notice and to celebrate the inclusion of the Bathurst track and two V8 Supercars in ‘Forza Motorsport 5’, we will launch a truly international and competitive racing team.

“This is unprecedented in Australia. After months of working in secret to create a piece of racing and gaming history, we are excited to finally reveal that the wildcard entrant and 29th car making its mark at Mount Panorama this year will be the stunning Xbox One Car.”

The Xbox One Racing car is the latest Holden VF Commodore and comes equipped with a 5.0 litre naturally aspirated V8 Holden which has an estimated output of 640bhp and a top speed of almost 300kph.

Triple Eight Race Engineering Team Owner Roland Dane said, “There is no surprise that we love a challenge. When we heard this unique proposition from Xbox to turn everyone’s most-loved racing game into a reality on-track, we knew it was too good an opportunity to pass on.

“Andy and Mattias are two of the best Touring Car racing drivers in the world today and I can promise Bathurst and V8 fans that this will be one team to watch come race day in October.”

FLW, the world’s premier tournament fishing organisation, has announced Boat Bling, a leading manufacturer of boat detailing products, as a new sponsor for the 2014 season.

Boat Bling will receive exposure across all of FLW’s platforms, including its tournaments and Expos, multiple websites, FLW Bass Fishing magazine and the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show on NBC Sports Network.

“Our brand has seen incredible growth through the fishing industry,” said Patrick Jones, President of Sales and Marketing. “We are proud to partner with FLW, the leader in the sport of tournament fishing and one that aligns great with our retailer and growth goals,” said Jones.

FLW is broadcast Sundays in high-definition (HD) to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.

India will not be hosting a European Tour event next year after their sole event lost their main sponsors.

The Avantha Group, decease an Indian business conglomerate, decided against renewing their sponsorship for the $2.3 million Avantha Masters citing difficult economic conditions.

The Avantha Group had been the sponsors of the tri-sanctioned event in New Delhi for the last four years but it would no longer be sponsoring the prestigious tournament from next season. 

“Having successfully hosted the prestigious Avantha Masters for four consecutive years, the Avantha Group has concluded that in order to attract top talent, both the timing of the event in the golf calendar along with a substantial prize money increase will be required,” the company said in a statement. 

“Given the current economic conditions, the Avantha Group has concluded that this is not the appropriate moment to do so and has therefore not renewed its contract with the European Tour,” it added. 

India is going through its worst economic crisis in decades and it has affected various sporting events like Indian Premier League and Indian badminton League as well. 

Avantha Group, however, said: “We are very satisfied in the conduct of the European Tour and would continue to explore other golf events and formats. 

“We reiterate our firm commitment to the development and growth of professional golf in India.” 

With Avantha Masters out of the Indian calender from next year, the country will now be hosting just three Asian Tour events: the $ 1.25 million Indian Open and two $ 300,000 tournaments — the SAIL-SBI Open and the Panasonic Open.

Brand Affinity Technologies, Inc., has announced an exclusive fan photo partnership with the University of Southern California (USC), for its 2013 college football games at the iconic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.  

USC is the latest to join the ranks of over a dozen marquee NCAA athletic institutions that now use Brand Affinity’s fan activation services.

Beginning this Saturday, September 7, Brand Affinity’s FanPhotos activation platform will be deployed at each home game. Roving professional photographers will interact with the crowd before, during and after the game to capture memorable moments with family and friends. Fans will then be able to view their photos online, enhance with customizable USC themes and logos, and then place orders so that they can relive the excitement long after the fourth quarter.

Adding to the interactive fan experience, Brand Affinity will also be creating a giant, multibillion-pixel crowd photograph, called a Fanoramic, taken at a select game this season.  Once the Fanoramic is posted online, users can zoom into the crowd photo to find themselves and their friends. They can then share “a moment in time” on Facebook or email, through the “tagging” feature, or fans can choose to add their own personal photos and videos, taken at the game.

“USC football fans are some of the most passionate in the country,” said DeSha’ Runnels, Director of Corporate Relations, USC Sports Properties. “We are thrilled to partner with Brand Affinity Technologies to deliver a new game day experience and help fans further showcase their Trojan Pride.”

“Based in Southern California, we know firsthand how important Trojan football is to this community,” said Ryan Steelberg, CEO of Brand Affinity Technologies. “By teaming up with USC, we are excited to help capture and extend the Trojan football experience through the use of our FanPhoto, Fanoramic, and our expanded suite of fan engagement solutions.”

Brand Affinity’s FanPhotos fan activation is used by a number of major sports organisations including teams from Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association and National Hockey League, National Football League, and many more.