English Rugby League club, St Helens Saints have announced a partnership with Cable Taxis for the 2013 season.

The St.Helens-based firm’s livery will adorn both the Club’s home and away shorts this year.

Cable are the largest private hire taxi company in the St Helens area and have been operating since 1994.

Situated in the town centre, they provide a friendly and reliable service and have a fleet of around 150 vehicles.

Head of Sales and Marketing for St.Helens R.F.C., Dave Hutchinson said: “We are delighted to team up with Cable Taxis on our playing shorts for the 2013 season.

“Not only have they supported the Club in this way, but offer “Freephone” services inside all main hospitality areas within the stadium, meaning our fans now have a directline into Cable Taxis any time when using Langtree Park’s facilities.

“These freephones are located on the first and second floors as well as the reception and Red V Café areas.

“Having already become Premier Business Club members last year, it is great to have even more support from Cable during our second season and we thank all at Cable for your continued support.”

Cable Taxis added: “As a local business of St Helens it is an honour to be sponsoring our local rugby league team St. Helens R.F.C.

“It is a great pleasure to see our logo on the kit and we are looking forward to a successful 2013 season.”

Nike Golf announced that David Duval has re-signed with the brand.

He will make his 2013 debut in the Swoosh at this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Duval, who was the first Nike athlete to win a major championship using Nike clubs in 2001, will be teeing up the world’s first high speed cavity back driver that conforms to USGA and R&A rules, the Nike VR_S Covert driver. He will also game the Nike VR Pro Limited Edition fairway wood, Nike VR Pro Blade irons, Nike VR Pro wedges and a Nike Method Prototype putter. For his golf ball, Duval will play with Nike’s new 20XI-X featuring more RZN technology. On the body, he’ll wear Nike Golf apparel from its Tour Performance Collection and the new Nike Lunar Control footwear.

“I could not be more excited to once again become a Nike Athlete,” said Duval. “Nike Golf has been a major player in the success I have had throughout my career. I am thrilled to return to the Swoosh and continue my career with a brand that focuses on developing innovative products.”

Duval has 13 career victories on the PGA Tour, including the 2001 Open Championship. He has been on three Presidents Cup Teams, two US Ryder Cup teams, and two World Cup teams over his career.

“We have always had a great relationship with David and are happy to welcome him back to the Nike family,” said Mark Thaxton, Global Director of Sport Marketing Operations for Nike Golf.

MALMSTEN AB have retained their sponsorship rights as official supplier of swimming pool racing lane equipment for the European Aquatics Federation (LEN) until 2016.

This new agreement between LEN and MALMSTEN extends the collaboration regarding the use of Malmsten lanes at the European Swimming Championships and European Short Course Swimming Championships during the period from 2013 to 2016.

MALMSTEN equipment will also be used for Water Polo LEN Events, canada buy as well as for Synchronised Swimming and Open Water Swimming competitions.

LEN said in a statement: “LEN is pleased to be able to continue to count on the experience and quality that Malmsten has offered across the world of Aquatics for so many years.”

Derbyshire County Cricket Club has secured a major shirt sponsorship deal with UK’s No.1 online mobile phone retailer BuyMobiles.net ahead of the new season.

BuyMobiles.net already a sponsor of Derby County Football Club, and will now be displayed on the front of Derbyshire’s Friends Life t20 shirts.

As well as giving the Alfreton-based company all-year-round publicity through televised national sport, the partnership announcement comes hot on the heels of Chairman Chris Grant’s call to local businesses and the signing of world number two Test batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

Derbyshire-born Paul Sisson, CEO, BuyMobiles.net said: “With the Club promoted as Champions and recently securing the signature of one of the world’s best players, this is  an exciting time to become a partner of Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

“The Friends Life t20 competition has become a great British tradition, it’s an exciting form of the game and it attracts excellent audiences both in-ground and on SKY Sports. We are, therefore, delighted to be part of that excitement and we wish the Club every success in all three competitions in 2013.

“Adding cricket to our long-standing investment in football in the county reinforces my personal feelings of truly being proud to be Derbyshire.”

Derbyshire Chief Executive Simon Storey said: “I’m delighted to welcome BuyMobiles.net as a major partner of Derbyshire County Cricket Club.

“The Club can take great inspiration from the way Paul has built his Derbyshire based company into a national best-in-class institution within their field. In many ways it parallels what we are looking to achieve on the cricket field.

“The national exposure we gain through televised matches on SKY Sports was a real clincher for BuyMobiles.net. Paul’s love of cricket and a desire to see his home county succeed also helped seal the deal.

“We are in the early stages of executing the partnership. However, this will include a branding presence at the ground as well as sponsorship of our Friends Life t20 shirts.

“Mobile communications are an integral part of modern day life we will also be discussing ways in which our members, supporters and business partners can potentially benefit from the partnership.

“The impending completion of this deal played a large part in allowing us to complete the signing of Shivnarine Chanderpaul, something that gets the relationship off to the best possible start.”

AMA Pro Racing and the Army National Guard have extended their partnership through the 2013 season.

The agreement marks the fifth consecutive year that the Army National Guard will hold exclusive category rights as the Official Department of Defense Branch of GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing and title sponsor of the Series’ premier class, look AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike.

“We are extremely proud of our relationship with the Army National Guard, discount ” said Michael Gentry, capsule Chief Operating Officer of AMA Pro Racing. “The combination of our strong American brands gives AMA Pro Racing and our competitors the opportunity to proudly represent the red, white and blue and show our support for the men and women that serve our country. For that, we are very thankful.”

From many standpoints, the partnership between the Army National Guard and AMA Pro Racing has been successful and endearing for both sides. Dating back to 2009, the two have maintained a steady increase in marketing and promotional activations in and around GEICO Motorcycle AMA Pro Road Racing events. Race fans in attendance are continuously exposed to the intense on-track action of motorcycle road racing alongside engaging outreach and recruitment efforts from the Army National Guard.

V8 Supercars has renewed its deal with Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) until 2015.

Coca-Cola Amatil will continue its sponsorship of the V8 Supercars Championship and V8 Supercars promoted events for the next three years, cheao cheap continuing the partnership that began in 2010.

The beverage-giant will supply its market leading brands for the anticipated 1.8 million fans that walk through the gates at Championship events in Australia.

Interest in this year’s Championship is at an all-time high with foundation marques Ford and Holden being joined on the grid by the Japanese Nissan stable and Germany’s AMG Mercedes. More new marques are anticipated in coming years.

V8 Supercars’ Director of Commercial and Marketing John Dunlop said the ongoing partnership between CCA and V8 Supercars was another measure that V8 Supercars is growing on a national and international scale.

“Having Coca-Cola Amatil on-board with the V8 Supercars Championship recognises that as a sport, we are expanding and, as we head in to our next chapter, brands want to be a part of the next exciting phase,” Mr Dunlop said.

The successful three year partnership will continue with Coca-Cola’s vast beverage range serving the large on-track audience, along with major flow-on benefits and exposure.

“Coca-Cola Amatil has an extensive beverage range, offering our on-track audience variety and quality products that are recognised worldwide,” Mr Dunlop said.

“They, along with our extensive portfolio of sponsors, are a terrific partner of the sport, and able to leverage their extensive suite on and off track.

“This year we embark into the next era of V8 Supercars and high class sponsors, like Coca-Cola Amatil, are getting on board to be a part of the next phase of V8 Supercars.”

Tanya Carroll, National Sponsorship & Asset Manager Coca-Cola Amatil said: “We are thrilled to announce our continued partnership with the V8 Supercars.  We look forward to the next three years of working together as the Official Soft Drink of the V8 Supercar Championship.”

Coca-Cola Amatil has exclusive pourage rights at V8 Supercars’ promoted events: Tasmania 360, Sucrogen Townsville 400, Coates Hire Ipswich 360, Sandown 500, Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000, Armor All Gold Coast 600, Phillip Island 400 and the Sydney 500.

The St Louis Cardinals have announced they have signed a multi-year agreement with Mercy Health of St. Louis that makes Mercy the official medical provider for the organization.

As a part of this arrangement, Mercy will cover the Cardinals’ orthopedic and sports-medicine needs.

Mercy, which is one of Missouri’s largest employers, already provides the team physicians for the club’s Double-A affiliate in Springfield.

The Cardinals will retain several members of their previous medical staff, including team physician Dr. George Paletta, who has worked with the Cardinals for the last 15 years. Lyndon Gross will return for his seventh season as the team’s orthopedic surgeon.

During Tuesday’s press conference, it was also announced that Mercy Clinic Sports Medicine specialist Dr. Brian Mahaffey and internist Dr. Jason Hand will serve on the Cardinals’ care team.

Badminton New Zealand has announced a new partnership with X-TRM, discount a badminton racket equipment, shuttle and apparel provider, based in Taiwan.

X-TRM will become the Official Shuttle Supplier for BNZ hosted events (International, National, North & South Island events) in 2013 as well as the Official Equipment and Apparel supplier for the SKYCITY New Zealand Open in April which includes court mats, shuttles and official event clothing.

X-TRM Sporting Goods of Taiwan (part of Giant Goal Group) with factories in Shenzhen and Chongqing is the manufacturer of X-TRM brand which includes a full range of badminton products. X-TRM has been an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) for many well-known brands over the past 30 years.

Hunter Jaw, General Manager of X-TRM Taiwan says “X-TRM is very privileged to be the exclusive Equipment, Shuttlecock and Apparel sponsor of the SKYCITY New Zealand Open for 2013 and years to come. Our company prides ourselves to be [a] top quality, innovative and fashionable manufacturer and we like to sponsor and support up and coming young national talents in badminton around the world”.

X-TRM currently sponsors New Zealand’s top men’s singles player Joe Wu; Joe is also X-TRM’s New Zealand Ambassador.

Julie Carrel, the Event Director of the SKYCITY New Zealand Open said: “It is great to have a new brand like X-TRM come on-board as they bring new products, fresh ideas and a willingness to work with us to grow the sport here in New Zealand.  Being able to align the New Zealand Open and our key events with the same brand is a first for us and offers a number of opportunities in the future.   Having two new sponsors on board for the New Zealand Open – SKYCITY and X-TRM – will give this event a totally new look and feel which is very exciting for everyone.”

Turkish Airlines Euroleague, Europe’s top basketball competition, has agreed a significant partnership with viagogo, the world’s largest ticket marketplace, to give fans a secure platform on which to buy and sell tickets for the season and the 2013 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four in London.

Euroleague which last year attracted more than 14.000 spectators to the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four matches in Istanbul has, for the first time, joined the growing number of sports and entertainment properties across Europe that have partnered with viagogo to take control of the secondary market for their tickets and protect their fans from fraud and the black market while primary market tickets are still available through the competition’s official ticketing website, www.f4tickets.com. 

As the Euroleague’s official ticket marketplace, viagogo will give fans access to a choice of tickets to buy, as well as the flexibility to resell tickets they cannot use on a secure platform. The partnership also allows Euroleague fans from all over the world to buy tickets to Europe’s most important basketball tournament through viagogo’s 28 local language websites. All tickets are protected by the viagogo guarantee, so buyers can be confident that their money is safe as sellers are not paid until buyers have attended the event. 

To address concerns about the physical security of fans at the games, customers using the official ticket marketplace will be required to stipulate which team they support. viagogo will then monitor transactions to ensure fans purchase tickets in the area designated for their team. 

Mr. Jordi Bertomeu, Euroleague Basketball President and CEO said: “Our fans’ safety, both online and at matches, is our chief concern. Thanks to viagogo’s ticket expertise and secure marketplace, we can combat the black market and protect fans from fraud, whilst ensuring that security issues don’t spoil the fantastic atmosphere at Euroleague matches.” 

viagogo spokesperson Ed Parkinson said: “We are proud to be partnering with Euroleague, the most prestigious basketball tournament in Europe. We will be working closely with the organisers to ensure fans have the best access to tickets, the flexibility to resell tickets they can’t use and absolute security, both when buying their tickets and in the stadium.” 

2013 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four will take place at “The O2” in London from 10th – 12th May.