Manchester United have announced luxury watchmaker Bulova as the clubs Official Timekeeper and Global Partner in a new three-year deal.

As the Club’s Official Timekeeper, medicine Bulova branding will be prominent on the Club’s scoreboards at Old Trafford, cheap feature on the stadiums digital advertising boards during all Premier League home matches and seen daily on MUTV. Bulova will also produce co-branded timepieces utilising the legendary Manchester United crest.

The global partnership will also see specially-crafted Bulova timepieces displayed around Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium including in the players’ dressing room, at the Club’s Aon Training Complex and its offices in Manchester, London and Hong Kong.

Manchester United’s Group Managing Director, Richard Arnold commented: “Although from very different industries, Bulova and Manchester United share many common values. Founded within years of each other, we have both grown to become global leaders in our fields and the first to achieve many new innovations and milestones. We are confident that the popularity, craftsmanship and accessibility of Bulova’s products, combined with the Club’s ever-growing global fan base will make this a successful partnership.”

President of the Bulova Corporation, Gregory Thumm, added: “Everything we do here at Bulova, is based on preserving our 138+ years of traditions. Innovation and thinking from the inside out, are common traits of both Manchester United and Bulova Corporation, where we continuously strive to be the best in our respective fields. I believe that sharing these core values provides the chemistry for an amazing partnership between our two organisations.”

A global company, Bulova has offices in New York, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Switzerland and the UK along with authorised distributors in 37 countries.

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In a major deal insurance provider Moda Health has acquired the naming rights to Portland Trail Blazers’ Rose Garden with the arena at Rose Quarter now been known as the Moda Center.

Physical transformation of the renamed arena and Rose Quarter will begin immediately, with new signage and other visual elements being added gradually. New graphics for the home court surface of the Trail Blazers will debut in time for the team’s 2013-14 regular season home opener on November 2 versus the defending Western Conference Champion San Antonio Spurs.

“These are the types of large-scale partnerships that are going to take our organization to the next level,” said Trail Blazers President & CEO Chris McGowan. “This agreement enables us to reinvest in the company and the team at levels that impact every aspect of the fan experience, including the facilities, amenities, events and even the product on the court.” 

“Since our company was founded in 1955, we’ve invested in projects that create healthy people and healthy places,” said Dr. William Johnson, President of Moda Health. “This partnership reaffirms our commitment to this community as we invite people now to join us in creating in the heart of our city a neighborhood that celebrates healthy urban living. We know that together we can be more. Be better.”

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales, in sounding his endorsement of the agreement, sees the new Moda Center as pivotal to the city’s plans for the Northeast Portland neighborhood that has been the home of the Rose Quarter since 1995.

“We know it’s always a blend of the right civic organizations and the right business partners,” Mayor Hales said. “In that, I suppose, it’s not too different from a coach picking a starting five. The Trail Blazers and Moda Health: that’s a great combination.”

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The Houston Rockets have announced that Kenda Tires will remain an Official Partner to the NBA team through the end of the 2014-15 NBA season following a multi-year extension to their corporate partnership.

According to the new deal, clinic Kenda will receive corporate sponsor status, apoplectic including use of Rockets marketing rights, vialis 40mg TV-visible branded signage, hospitality and presenting sponsorship of a game night.

“This has been a tremendous partnership for the Rockets and we are thrilled to have Kenda with us again,” said Rockets andClutch City Sports & Entertainment CEO Tad Brown. “Kenda is completely aligned with our organization’s position as an international sports property and we believe this partnership will continue to enhance both companies.”

“We are excited to continue our sponsorship with the Houston Rockets,” said Eric Yang, Kenda’s automotive marketing manager. “The team has a great core of young players and we believe it is only the beginning. Similar to the culture at Kenda, the Rockets organization has built a winning product and we wish them the best in the upcoming seasons.”

Over 325 million people watched Rockets game broadcasts worldwide during the 2012-13 NBA season across all networks. Excitement is set to grow even further for the Rockets after the marquee signing of Dwight Howard (pictured).

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Michael Waltrip Racing’s Brian Vickers has acquired a new sponsor for his No. 55 Toyota Camry as Aaron’s, Inc will come on board to sponsor the NASCAR driver for a Sprint Cup race.

“We at Aaron’s are thrilled about this partnership.  We’re building a championship organization – and we know that Brian Vickers and the No. 55 team, under Michael Waltrip’s tradition of winning, are focused on building a championship caliber team,” said Ronald W. Allen, Aaron’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer. “So many of our customers are enthusiastic and loyal NASCAR fans and we are proud to be a part of a sport they are passionate about. We are looking forward to continued success with Brian Vickers both on and off the track.”

Vickers has raced the No. 55 on a part-time basis the last two seasons for MWR posting several impressive performances including his third career victory at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on July 14.

Beginning in 2014, he’ll pilot the No. 55 Aaron’s Dream Machine with a fresh new paint scheme, unveiled today at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte, N.C. in every race.

“I can’t put into words how this makes me feel,” said 29-year-old Vickers. “I’ve really found my home at MWR over the past few years, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know the Aaron’s associates and customers. I am honored that Aaron’s is welcoming me into their family full-time. Knowing that I have a top-notch team and a dedicated sponsor for a full season is a really great feeling every driver dreams about, and like everyone else, I want to win races and win a championship. Michael and co-owner Rob Kauffman are really building something special at MWR and are giving me the tools to accomplish those goals.”

“Aaron’s is a cornerstone to MWR’s success.  This is a big announcement today because it shows a tremendous vote of confidence in the sport of NASCAR and the entire Michael Waltrip Racing organization,” said Michael Waltrip, founder and co-owner of Michael Waltrip Racing.

“The relationship with Aaron’s is very personal to me because they helped place Michael Waltrip Racing on the map in 2000 when I was running a half dozen Nationwide Series races from a small garage in my backyard. Now they are enabling MWR to continue its growth as we will have three drivers racing for the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship in 2014 and beyond. So much of this confidence comes from the NASCAR fans who continue to support the sponsors of our teams. I want to sincerely thank the NASCAR fans who are Aaron’s customers because you make this all happen,” said Waltrip.

The National Football League has revealed it has expanded its partnership with leading risk management firm Aon plc which began in 2012.

Aon will serve as an official sponsor of the two sold-out NFL games scheduled this autumn at Wembley Stadium in London.

The NFL will play two regular-season games in London for the first time this year as part of the International Series, prostate when the Minnesota Vikings host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, September 29, and the Jacksonville Jaguars host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, October 28.

“The NFL understands that the issues Aon helps clients with every day and that are core to our business – talent, health, risk, retirement, data and analytics and capital – also drive successful performance and results in sports,” said Patrick Pierce, Aon’s global director of sponsorships. “One of the shared qualities of sport and business is that the outcome is unknown. Managing this risk successfully allows a great team to deliver great results, whether on the field of play or at work. We are thrilled to further our partnership with the NFL and again demonstrate the capabilities that empower results for Aon’s clients in the UK and around the world.”

“Last year, we witnessed Aon’s enormous passion for this partnership and their ability to help the NFL bring tremendous cross-cultural experiences to a new market,” said Marc Reeves, the NFL’s International Commercial Director. “Aon is a committed and engaged partner, and we are pleased to be aligned with a global firm that shares our interest in introducing the UK and Aon’s clients, markets and colleagues to American football and the NFL. We look forward to working with Aon as we continue to spread our sport’s presence in the UK and around the globe.”

Aon has featured prominently in other sporting endeavours including being the the principal partner and global shirt sponsor of Manchester United since 2010.

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SAP, a worldwide leader in enterprise application software, has announced a new multi-year global sponsorship with the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).

Through the agreement, the WTA and SAP will collaborate to transform the sport – aiming to develop innovative solutions to further engage with fans, provide players with the tools to analyze performance and optimize strategy and better service the media. In addition, SAP is now an official sponsor of the prestigious WTA Championships, to be held in Istanbul from October 21 to 27, 2013.

“Through our cooperation with SAP, we aim to provide revolutionary analysis for our fans, players, coaches, and media,” said WTA CEO & Chairman Stacey Allaster (pictured left). “We are thrilled to be teaming with a global, innovative leader like SAP as international companies continue investing in women’s professional tennis.”

“SAP has a longstanding commitment to the sport of tennis, and the WTA provides an excellent platform for SAP to demonstrate this on a global scale,” said Steve Peck, senior vice president, Global Strategic Initiatives, SAP AG. “Our innovative technology is transforming sports and entertainment around the world and we look forward to working with the WTA to help players and coaches to perform at a higher level and engage fans like never before.”

The announcement of the SAP sponsorship expands on the WTA’s continued business success off court with over $200 million in revenue generated for the organization since 2011. The WTA’s sponsorship portfolio continues to grow with six new sponsors in the past three years, including the signing of Xerox as a global partner in February of this year. In addition, Singapore was recently awarded the year-end WTA Championships for 2014-2018 in a record-setting partnership. 

SAP is also the current mobile app provider at the Sony Open tennis tournament, has Ambassador relationships with former U.S. Open champion Andy Roddick and current rising star Milos Raonic, and was the title sponsor of the SAP Open for the last nine years.

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