Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, herbal Inc. have announced today that their Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty program and St. Regis Hotels & Resorts have joined the 2013 Annual America’s Cup as the Official Hotel and Resort.

The partnership will offer St. Regis guests and SPG members extraordinary insider access to the world’s fastest boats and the world’s best sailors as well as exclusive experiences at the America’s Cup Pavilion and The St. Regis San Francisco.

“Starwood’s lifestyle brands attract global travelers with a passion for one-of-a-kind experiences, ed and we know our SPG members have a deep passion for sports like championship racing, price cheap ” said Chris Holdren, Senior Vice President Starwood Preferred Guest. “With this partnership, our guests and SPG Members now have access to all the excitement and adrenaline that the America’s Cup promises to deliver.”

The 2013 Annual America’s Cup Summer of Racing will take place from July 4^th to September 21^stin San Francisco, celebrating the return of the competition to the United States for the first time in 18 years. As the oldest trophy in international sport and the most storied competition in the professional sailing circuit, the America’s Cup complements the St. Regis brand’s continued commitment to delivering exceptional experiences and bespoke services to global travelers who share the brand’s passion for this timeless sport.

“The St. Regis San Francisco provides the perfect backdrop for this year’s races, and America’s Cup allows St. Regis to celebrate speed and sport along with the heritage of world-class sailing,” said Toni Knorr, General Manager, The St. Regis San Francisco. “As the first luxury hotel brand to sponsor America’s Cup, we are honored to host a new generation of luxury travelers and SPG members who share our passion for this memorable event.”

Coffee machine maker, anabolics Astoria have announced a partnership deal with UCI ProTour team Cannondale Pro Cycling, link which is currently competing in the Tour de France.

Astoria will be involved in the capacity of official supplier to the white-green jerseys, who will be taking on a 3,360 kilometre Tour de France route featuring a final touch down on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. 

During the event Astoria–branded espresso coffee machines will be supplied to team Cannondale’s motor homes, campers and logistics offices in order to offer an invigorating break to athletes and staff along the roads of France.

“The one hundredth edition of the Tour de France promises to be one of the most spectacular in history, with grossly compelling legs like the time trial at  Mont Saint Michel and the final stage with a night time arrival in the Ville Lumière. It will be a showcase not to be missed for the Italian excellence of which we are ambassadors,” comments Stefano Stecca, Commercial Director for Astoria. “It will also be a once in a lifetime opportunity for our guests to get a behind the scenes look at one of the most popular sports events in the world, thanks to the Hospitality program we’ve initiated for the occasion.”

“The Tour de France is the highlight event of the season,” said Roberto Amadio, Team Manager for Cannondale Pro Cycling. “We hope to repay Astoria for their support by offering intense sports excitement. Astoria is a prestigious brand that embodies important values like the capacity for uniting individual talent and team play in the constant search for excellence.”

Bundesliga club, asthma Hamburg or Hamburger SV have announced global drinks manufacturer Coca-Cola as a new partner in a three-year deal beginning from July 1st.

The beverage manufacturer will be an official supplier of HSV from the start of the new season, with selected advertising presence at Imtech Arena.

“I am very pleased that we were able to win with Coca-Cola a strong brand for us,” says Joachim Hilke, Director of Marketing / Communications of the HSV. “Partnering with a world-renowned and traditional as well as innovative companies is a win for the HSV and at the same time evidence of the reputation and strength of the HSV brand.”

“HSV is one of the top addresses in the Bundesliga and flagship of the Hanseatic city of Hamburg. We are very pleased that we received together with the HSV again a partnership after ten years, “says Jens Arne Jänecke, CEO of Coca-Cola North. “In this context we will also perform various actions inside and outside the stadium for the HSV fans next to the beverage delivery.”

Reading FC have announced a new partnership with Formula One team Marussia.

The deal was signed at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone today, and the arrangement will see the Reading FC badge displayed on Marussia’s Formula One cars, and Marussia’s logo on the Reading playing shirts in the upcoming 2013/14 season.

In a statement Reading said: “The deal is a fantastic opportunity to grow awareness of the Reading FC brand on a global scale, and indeed there are many more partnership opportunities between us on a sporting and commercial level.

“We also believe this is also an exciting deal for our supporters; we will all be proud to see the Reading FC logo at Grands Prix, starting at Silverstone this weekend and continuing throughout the year to Japan, Korea, Abu Dhabi, USA, Brazil, Germany, Italy, India, Singapore et al.”

Chief Executive Nigel Howe (pictured right) signed the agreement at Silverstone and said:  “This is a fantastic partnership which allows us to connect two global sporting brands. Both of us are based in the Thames Valley and hugely ambitious; it is clear that we have plenty in common and can learn from each other. We will be proud to see our badge displayed at some of the world’s most iconic tracks – this is one of many ambitious projects we have announced in the last year or so and I’m sure our supporters will share our excitement.”

Andy Webb (pictured left), CEO, Marussia F1 Team added: “We are delighted to be able to announce our partnership with Reading FC ahead of today’s British Grand Prix. Of course, next year we will have two home races when we head to Sochi for the inaugural Russian Grand Prix, but for the moment we are a Russian owned team based on British soil which is the basis for a great deal of synergy with our friends at Reading FC.

“Through Formula 1 we are able to combine our love of racing with our strategic business objectives for the Marussia brand, but we are also part of a sport within Sport, so naturally we are keen to look more comprehensively at what we can learn from other sporting properties and indeed what they can learn from Formula 1. This is all part of our ethos of taking our Team and Formula 1 to the widest possible audience. We look forward to working with Anton Zingarevich and his Team to achieve a fully integrated partnership and we are delighted to welcome representatives from ‘The Royals’ to Silverstone today.”

The Williams F1 Team have announced a new technical partnership with ShoreTel, a leading provider of unified communications platforms. 

The partnership will see ShoreTel become an official technical supplier of the team, integrating communications within Williams’ on-track activities at Grand Prix venues around the world. ShoreTel will also supply unified business communications solutions across the broader Williams group at the Williams factory in Oxfordshire and the Williams Technology Centre in Qatar.

This partnership will allow ShoreTel to benefit from a global marketing platform, with the company’s logo being displayed on the team’s transporters, hospitality unit and garage from the 2013 British Grand Prix onwards – where Williams is celebrating its 600th race in Formula One.

Adrian Hipkiss, ShoreTel’s EMEA vice president and managing director, said: “This exciting new partnership with the Williams F1 Team positions ShoreTel at the cutting edge of technology in an increasingly relevant international market.  We are joining forces with a company that shares our forward-thinking vision and one that also thrives on delivering state-of-the-art technology. This new partnership allows us to demonstrate our award-winning telephony solutions with one of the world’s leading engineering companies, whose day-to-day operations, both at the factory and at 19 Formula One races around the world, rely on brilliantly simple unified communications.”

Claire Williams, deputy team principal and commercial director of the Williams F1 Team, added: “I’m pleased to welcome ShoreTel as an official technical supplier of the team in what promises to be a rewarding relationship for both parties. Williams is a diverse and multi-disciplined engineering business which relies on high quality, mission critical communications so this new partnership is one which will benefit not only the Formula One team but every area of our business as we continue to diversify and expand into new areas.”

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German sports retailer, Puma have dropped former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez as an ambassador of the brand following being charged  with murder in the death of Odin Lloyd.

“Puma has ended the relationship with athlete Aaron Hernandez in light of the current situation,” a company spokesman told FoxSports.com.

Hernandez was arrested Wednesday and charged with the first-degree murder of 27-year-old Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro football player whose body was found in an industrial park about a mile from the former NFL player’s home.

Hernandez  pleaded not guilty and has been denied bail

Puma had only signed Hernandez in April in a two-year deal and it wasn’t a surprise the Bavaria based company parted ways with the athlete who also saw his former employers part with him two hours following the murder charge.

At the time of the signing, Puma said one of the reasons that they added Hernandez was because of his “ability to overcome adversity.”

Hernandez said he picked Puma because he’s different. “You don’t see many people signing with Puma,” Hernandez said in April. “I thought it would be something different, and I feel like I’m different than most.”

Puma is the latest company to drop Hernandez. The 23-year-old was also dropped by CytoSport — the maker of MuscleMilk — last week.

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Electronic Arts Inc. subsidiary EA SPORTS has signed one of Mexico’s most popular and accomplished footballers, Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez, to a multi-year endorsement contract that will see him make his debut on the cover of FIFA 14 in Mexico, and on one of two covers in the United States.

Chicharito will appear wearing the Mexican national team home kit alongside the world’s top footballer, Barcelona and Argentina superstar Lionel Messi. Fans in the United States will also have the option to choose the global cover featuring an iconic image of the world’s No. 1 player, Messi.

“We have long admired the flair and passion Chicharito brings to the sport,” said David Rutter, Executive Producer of FIFA 14. “With Hernandez on our team we have Mexico’s best and most exciting player to help EA SPORTS make a deeper connection with our fans.”

“For me it’s a real honor to have been selected to appear on the cover of FIFA 14, first of all because I declare myself a big fan of this game, and second because I’m looking forward to sharing my passion for football and EA SPORTS FIFA 14 with fans all over the world,” said Hernandez.

The multi-faceted partnership will see the Manchester United Striker become an EA SPORTS Football Ambassador. He will become the cornerstone of marketing and advertising campaigns in Mexico and North America, featured on packaging and utilized in social media activities. Chicharito will appear on the cover of FIFA 14 on the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system with Kinect from Microsoft, and the PlayStation3 computer entertainment system with PlayStation Move support.

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