Sports Portal to Provide Apparel for Professional Footballers Australia

Professional Footballers Australia (PFA), malady an Australian trade union that represents professional male, female and elite junior football (soccer) players in the country has announced the signing of a new partnership deal with a leading sportswear company Sports Portal (LEGEA Australia), as the exclusive apparel provider to the PFA.

Sports Portal will supply the PFA with authentic Italian sporting apparel to be used across all PFA community programs in addition to leisure wear for members of the PFA Executives and Management. 

“We are extremely pleased to be aligned with a cutting edge brand in LEGEA. Their close affiliation with the football community will ensure a mutually beneficial relationship that we hope to build from strength to strength through our various community engagements,” said PFA President, Simon Colosimo.

PFA General Manager, Adam Vivian added, “LEGEA is known for its contemporary sportswear in the world of Football and we welcome the opportunity to partner with Sports Portal to provide our members with the LEGEA product which adorns many national and professional football teams globally”.

Asmer Fazlic, Director of Sports Portal and LEGEA added, “Our passion and commitment for football is well established as an apparel supplier to numerous football clubs across Australia and this partnership with the PFA illustrates our ambitions to work together with organisations who are committed to developing a better game.

“This is a dynamic opportunity for Sports Portal and we are excited to build a relationship which can deliver much more for all sides including the wider football community.”

Canterbury of New Zealand Named Official Sportswear Supplier of Rugby Players’ Association

Canterbury of New Zealand has revealed they will be the Official Sportswear Supplier to the Rugby Players’ Association (RPA) as part of a multi-year partnership.

The sports brand will supply the RPA with highly functional team clothing for use across a range of different activities within the organisation.

Canterbury has more than 100 years of history in rugby and has previously provided playing shirts to the New Zealand All Blacks, sale Australia and Ireland. It is currently team kit supplier to England Rugby and South Africa as well as reigning Heineken Cup champions Leinster and Leicester Tigers.  Canterbury has been a keen supporter of grassroots and development level rugby for many years and currently supplies playing apparel to hundreds of school and club sides through the UK. The company’s global HQ is based in Stockport, generic England.

Canterbury announced a long-term agreement with the RFU last March and this most recent announcement shows Canterbury’s continued investment in Rugby. In line with their CSR activities, Canterbury will provide complimentary kit for fundraising initiatives and auction items with all proceeds going to Restart – The Rugby Players’ Charity (the official charity of the RPA). Canterbury will also provide all RPA staff with event day uniforms, in addition to clothing for the RPA Touch Tournament and RPA Golf days.

Chris Stephenson, CEO of Canterbury, said “We are delighted to announce our partnership with the RPA. The welfare of professional players during and after their career is extremely important, something we and the RPA value highly. We look forward to supporting the RPA and their members for many years to come.”

Nick Byrom, RPA Commercial Director, said: “The RPA attaches great importance to selecting and working with market leaders, which is why we are pleased to announce the partnership with Canterbury today.  Through this partnership, Canterbury will make a meaningful contribution to the long-term growth of the Rugby Players’ Association and help to enhance our player welfare services, so we appreciate their support.”

ECB Secures Waitrose as Major Sponsor of England Cricket

England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced supermarket chain, Waitrose will be a team sponsor of England Cricket starting from next year. 

The Waitrose logo will feature on all England teams playing and training wear from the Investec Test Series against Sri Lanka in May 2014, and their tenure includes prestigious home Series against India (2014) and Australia (2015), the ICC World Cup in Australia and New Zealand (2015), the ICC T20 World Cup and Women’s World Cup in India (2016), and the tour of South Africa (2016).  

ECB Chief Executive David Collier (pictured left) said: “We are delighted to welcome Waitrose as the new sole sponsor of our England teams. The organisation begins their relationship with the sport with one of our marquee partnerships, and as a brand with a rich history synonymous with quality, they are a perfect fit for the ECB and our values. 

“They join at an incredibly exciting time for the sport in England & Wales – with a packed international schedule including Test series against the other three teams who occupy the top 4 spots in the ICC Test Rankings. 

“The partnership will allow us to engage further with a mass, family audience which will inevitably help us achieve our aim of inspiring the nation to play, attend and follow more cricket.” 

As part of the agreement, Waitrose will benefit from a comprehensive range of rights and assets which will include advertising in international cricket grounds, team image rights, ticketing, hospitality and access to England players for commercial and marketing purposes. The agreement also includes a community and recreational project for the sport, details of which will be revealed at a later date.

Mark Price, Managing Director of Waitrose, said: “We currently export our products to a quarter of the world’s countries and associating Waitrose with this great national and international sport will enable us to build our brand globally.” 

Waitrose has 291 branches throughout England, Wales and Scotland, the fastest growing major online grocery service and exports to 45 countries around the world.

Gloucester Rugby Acquires ADEY as New Main Sponsor

ADEY Professional Heating Solutions has signed a deal to become the main sponsor of Aviva Premiership team, Gloucester. 

ADEY is an award winning Gloucestershire company that has enjoyed spectacular growth in recent years. The business invented and produces the MagnaClean filters that maintain and protect central heating systems in nearly two million UK homes.

The former Gloucestershire Business of the Year and Queen’s Award for Innovation winner continues to invest in ongoing product development. The company has previously been listed in the Sunday Times Fast Track 100 as the fastest growing independent manufacturing business in the country.

Gloucester Rugby CEO Stephen Vaughan explained that the search for a new main sponsor had been a long, exhaustive one but that ADEY are absolutely the right partner going forward.

“It was hugely important to us to find the best possible match having enjoyed six great years with our previous main sponsor Jewson.

“The process has been ongoing since pretty much the start of the season, and we’ve obviously spoken to a number of potential partners with a high level of interest.

“However, ADEY are exactly the right fit. They’re a young, dynamic company, a success story with their roots in the county. They also have aspirations to expand into Europe and we genuinely hope that we can help them achieve that.

“We’re delighted to have them as Gloucester Rugby’s new main sponsor and look forward to a long fruitful working relationship with them.”

ADEY’s Managing Director Kelvin Stevens added: “We’re used to moving quickly and taking sizeable steps and are delighted to be supporting Gloucester Rugby as main club sponsors. The sponsorship will raise our profile beyond the UK heating industry and help us continue our impressive growth in the future.

“While we clearly don’t have the long tradition of one of the strongest and best supported rugby clubs in the country, we’ve come a long way and achieved a huge amount in a short period of time.

“Gloucester Rugby is built on pride and passion and similarly we’re extremely passionate about what we do and proud of our success to date. We’re a dynamic organisation, ambitious and we believe we’ve also got a team with exceptional potential.

“And, like Gloucester, we’ve set our sights firmly on success in Europe, so we have a lot in common.

“All of this is backed up by market leading products that protect heating systems and deliver tangible benefits for householders and the environment.

“We’re really looking forward to working with Gloucester Rugby to ensure we communicate these positive messages and achieve our goals together.”

Compressport Partners with UCI Pro Tour Team Katusha

Specialist sports compression brand, price Compressport has inked a new partnership with UCI Pro Tour Team Katusha.

Starting with the Giro d’Italia, now under way, the Katusha team will wear a limited-edition range of Compressport’s products that have been manufactured in team’s blue and red official colours.

While racing, the team will wear Compressport’s new Bike Pro Racing Socks. Outside racing the team will wear Pro Racing Armsleeves and Leg Sleeves during training and for recovery after races; and Full Socks for travelling (by air, car, bus, etc.), so their legs are able to properly recover and rest.

Viatcheslav Ekimov, Katusha Team’s General Manager, said “Katusha is very proud to work Compressport. It has established itself as a benchmark brand for compression garments and socks. The whole Katusha Team is looking forward to collaborating with Compressport to develop the most advanced cycling racing socks and compression products.”

Tim Williams, the distributer of Compressport UK said “We are delighted to be able to announce this partnership. It demonstrates that our products help cyclists to perform better, whether this is our Bike Pro Racing socks that have been developed specifically for cyclists or our full socks that are used by athletes from all sports to help them recover more effectively between races.

“We are already working with one of the world’s leading MTB riders, Sally Bigham, and this demonstrates our further commitment to cycling.”

Oshkosh Named Official Office Equipment Provider of Road America

Road America announced today that Oshkosh Office Systems is now the facility’s Official Office Equipment Provider.

Oshkosh Office Systems is one of the oldest authorized five-star Ricoh dealers in Wisconsin providing sales and service for Ricoh multi-functional copiers, printers and fax equipment.

“Road America has always been synonymous with hosting premiere fast-paced, action-packed events and we are proud that they recognized Oshkosh Office Systems as this area’s premier office equipment company to service the facility,” said Kelly Wechsler, sales manager for Oshkosh Office Systems. “We believe our record stands for itself in providing excellent service and top-of-the-line Ricoh office equipment and we look forward to this relationship.”

The deal allows Road America to increase productivity, reduce costs and transfer the savings to its fans and customers. Additionally, Road America evaluated each element of Oshkosh Office Systems including its technical expertise, dispatch systems, and customer satisfaction ratings prior to making the decision of naming Oshkosh Office Systems as an official partner.

“Road America is very pleased to solidify its relationship with Oshkosh Office Systems,” said Mary Lou Haen, marketing and promotions director for Road America. “Oshkosh Office Systems has the people and the equipment to keep Road America operating at the highest level of productivity. We move fast at Road America and we’re proud that we can depend on the premier level of service that Oshkosh Office Systems provides.”

Caterham F1 Appoints Official Mobile Telecommunication Provider

Caterham F1 Team have selected Truphone, the pioneering international mobile communications company, as their Official Mobile Telecommunication Provider.

Truphone will provide all of Caterham F1 Team’s mobile telecommunications through a range of services and handsets, giving the team a competitive advantage with patented technology that improves the quality and speed of their international communications. 

With Caterham F1 Team regularly preparing and travelling around the globe to races, Truphone will use its purpose-built international mobile network to seamlessly connect the whole team to each other and its HQ, at the Leafield Technical Centre in Oxfordshire, with a far higher quality voice and a much better mobile data experience. 

Sharing Caterham F1 Team’s passion and focus on innovation, Truphone will also work closely with the team’s IT staff to develop new mobile telecommunication solutions that will support Caterham F1 Team’s focus on high performance and gaining a competitive edge. 

Rob Jones, UK MD, Truphone: “We’re excited to announce that Truphone has become Official Mobile Telecommunications Provider to Caterham F1 Team. We see close similarities between our businesses in that we are both UK based and operating on the international stage, and see the real business need to stay connected with all parts of our organisation. 

“Truphone has a history of launching ground-breaking patented technology and we share the same values with Caterham F1 Team, with innovation and agility underpinning everything we do as a business. 

“We understand the importance to an organisation of communicating without barriers and are really excited to work with the team over the coming years.” 

Bill Peters, Head of Group IT, Caterham F1 Team: “We have long held the ambition to drive innovation in F1 and bringing Truphone into our team as Official Mobile Telecommunications Provider forms a key pillar of this strategy. We’re looking forward to working closely with Truphone to improve the effectiveness of our mobile communications and improving the efficiency of the team. 

“Truphone provides a seamless solution and connects our team so they can focus on driving performance. Because of its international structure, Truphone has a dedicated help team which is available 24/7, meaning our team can always communicate and stay in touch, wherever we are in the world. We live and breathe innovation by making sure that all parts of our team are constantly connected and communicating at all times.”

Adidas Secures First Major Badminton Sponsorship in London Grand Prix Deal

Badminton England has announced a new partnership with adidas for the highly anticipated London Grand Prix, which is part of the Badminton World Federation’s (BWF) Grand Prix Gold event series.

The event which is to take place at the Copper Box on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from 1-6 October 2013, is the first major badminton partnership for adidas, one of the world’s leading sports brands.

The partnership also sees adidas confirmed as the first partner of the new SmashUp! programme that is set to be launched into secondary schools and local communities across the country in the summer as part of BADMINTON England’s drive to get the nation playing badminton.

Adrian Christy, Chief Executive of BADMINTON England said of the new partnership: “We are extremely proud that such a strong global brand as adidas has chosen BADMINTON England as one of its first strategic badminton partnerships.

“Since the World Championships in London in 2011 and the Olympic Games a year later, we have been determined to create a lasting legacy in the capital for the fans who came out in their thousands to be part of such historic events.

“I am also delighted that adidas has agreed to extend its partnership into grass roots badminton. We already enjoy more than 4m people playing badminton every year but we want to push on even further.

“We have a strong focus on exciting more secondary age young people to play and adidas is a great fit with that age group.

“These are exciting times for English badminton but we know we cannot achieve our ambitions without great partnerships and I am delighted to have secured this partnership with adidas.”

Stuart Beattie, Managing Director for adidas badminton in the UK added: “When BADMINTON England approached us with the concept of developing a new, innovative style of tournament we were delighted to enter into a partnership to deliver the London Grand Prix.

“The tournament will engage and inspire the audience with a spectacle of speed and power and in combination with our commitment to the SmashUp! programme will support adidas to become part of the wider badminton community.

“In 2013 adidas launch into badminton in the UK and globally and the London Grand Prix will showcase to the world the passion adidas has for our great sport of badminton. adidas is all in for the London Grand Prix!”

Pack Easy to Provide Luggage for Sauber F1 Team

Pack Easy AG has become the Promotional Partner of the Sauber F1 Team.
The leading Swiss luggage company will equip the race team with a custom-made luggage range in 2014. This season Pack Easy will sponsor exclusive give-aways for guests and partners of the team. This year the team is travelling around the world over three and a half times during 19 races, prostate this requires durable and light luggage. Pack Easy offers a fashionable, doctor sportive and unique look following function and quality.

“We are pleased to welcome Pack Easy as our new partner, anabolics ” said Monisha Kaltenborn, Team Principal of the Sauber F1 Team. “Both our companies have the same values. The Swiss company has developed and adapted to market conditions over several decades, and we also expect innovation and performance from our employees. Our race team is travelling almost one third of the whole calendar year, which is why functional and durable luggage is essential. Pack Easy not only provides a custom made solution, but also individual design for our team.”

Marion Klein, Chair of the Board of Management and Director of Pack Easy AG, said: “One of the factors that continues to drive us is that we are never satisfied with what we have achieved so far, and we constantly strive to improve our products. Even if our innovations cannot be measured in tenths of a second, unlike the Sauber F1 Team, both teams have in common that every detail counts and the meaning of success is defined over and over again. As a Swiss firm specialising in luggage for people on the move, we are delighted to get to know the world of motorsport, and to support the people who travel the world for the sport with our products.“

Tissot Becomes Official Timekeeper for the 2013 Table Tennis World Championships

Swiss watchmaker, Tissot, will be the Official Timekeeper for the LIEBHERR 2013 Table Tennis World Championships, which will be staged in Paris from May 13 to 20.

“The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) is delighted to have entered into a very exciting partnership with Tissot as the Official Timekeeper of the 2013 World Table Tennis Championships”, said the ITTF President Adham Sharara.

“Our results system which produces live point-by-point results for every match played during the Championships will be powered and displayed by Tissot in addition to timing all our matches. Millions around the World will be watching this event on TV screens and on the internet, giving table tennis and Tissot excellent exposure worldwide” added Mr Sharara.

By becoming the official timekeeper for the second successive World Table Tennis Championships, Tissot joins Liebherr, China Unicom, DHS, Butterfly and Gerflor as the ITTF’s official partners at the year’s premier Table Tennis event.

Founded in 1853, Tissot is famous for high quality timepieces. The company is renowned for the precision and reliability of its extensive range of products, leading the field where accurate timing for sport is needed and is celebrating this year, 160 years of experience.

“For the 2013 World Table Tennis Championships, Tissot is glad to put its skills, knowledge and expertise gained during those years at the service of the ITTF providing them with the latest technology and utmost precision to ensure the accuracy of the results”, added Francois Thiébaud. “We are very proud of this partnership and look forward to the thrill of the championship.”