England Rugby League have confirmed leading sports nutrition brand Optimum Nutrition as the official product supplier of the national team ahead of the Rugby League World Cup 2013.

Optimum Nutrition, ed who manufacture an award-winning range of premium products, ed including best-selling protein powder Gold Standard 100% Whey, renowned for its ease of mixing and great tasting flavour, will provide the England and England Knights teams with some of the world’s most innovative sports nutrition products during the 2013 season.

England Director of Performance and Coaching Jon Roberts said: “The coaches and players from the England and England Knights teams have been working closely with Optimum Nutrition’s elite product development teams following our recent trip to South Africa, and through the Autumn Internationals and Alitalia European Cup.

“We look forward to continuing to build on our work with ON throughout the season, enhancing and developing our nutritional and training programmes to support the players with some of the best products on the market.”

Nick Morgan, Performance Director at ON, added “We are delighted to be expanding our rugby portfolio to include England Rugby League.

“The partnership will help us to deepen our relationship with the Rugby League community as the sport continues to grow and develop. Rugby League is an incredibly physically demanding sport, so the importance of recovery is high and attention to nutrition is key.”

ON’s current sponsorship portfolio includes rugby union sides Saracens, Scottish Rugby and Irish Heineken Cup Champions Leinster. Team ON, ON’s group of fitness ambassadors, includes world class athletes, personal trainers and fitness models

Betfair have been announced as the new sponsors of the Masters, one of the iconic events on the World Snooker Tour, which will take place at Alexandra Palace early next year.

Snooker’s most prestigious invitation event will again feature 16 players and sees Neil Robertson defend the title he won in 2012 by beating Shaun Murphy 10-6.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: “It’s a great pleasure to welcome on board Betfair for our biggest and best invitation event.

“We are already working with them on a range of tournaments so we know what a professional team they are and how much they value the outstanding global exposure they get from snooker.

“The Masters is such a wonderful event, with only the elite players invited to compete for the famous trophy. It’s going to be an incredible eight days on the baize at Ally Pally and we look forward to joining Betfair to enjoy the show.”

East Yorkshire Shutters will remain involved with Hull KR after renewing their sponsorship of the Rugby League club for the 2013 season.

The east Hull based company, seek who specialise in the installation, symptoms maintenance and repair of physical security products, denture will once again have their logo adorning the back of the red and whites’ home and away shirts next season.

They will also continue to be the player sponsor for Robins’ star Craig Hall.

James Puplett, Managing Director of East Yorkshire Shutters (pictured with Craig Hall), said: “2012 has been another successful year for us as a company and we are delighted to continue our sponsorship with the club. I’m really excited about the new season and am particularly looking forward to seeing the new recruits in action.”

Hull KR Commercial Manager, Bobby Bahadori, added: “We are immensely pleased that EYS will be continuing their sponsorship in 2013. It is very important that we keep our main partners happy and demonstrate good value. EYS have continued to grow as a business and we would like to think this is partly to do with the exposure they gain from advertising with the club.”

The Tampa Bay Rowdies of the North American Soccer League (NASL) have revealed Admiral as the official sportswear and technical kit supplier of the team beginning with the 2013 season.

Admiral is the world’s oldest soccer brand having supplied kits to England and Manchester United amongst others. The brand has a long history in North America having supplied many teams in the top professional leagues including the Tampa Bay Rowdies, illness Vancouver Whitecaps, and New York Cosmos. Currently Admiral supplies NASL clubs Minnesota Stars FC and Puerto Rico Islanders.

Admiral supplied the Rowdies in the club’s original iconic kit when the Rowdies won the NASL Soccer Bowl championship in 1975. The current Rowdies use the same green and yellow colors and the iconic Rowdies hoops. Admiral and the Rowdies will launch a new kit for the 2013 season.

“Admiral now supplies more teams in the NASL than any other brand and continues to add partnerships from professional through to grassroots soccer throughout the US,” said Paul Hamburger, CEO of Admiral Soccer. “The Rowdies and Admiral have a shared history as two of the most iconic soccer brands. We’ll honor that in all the team kit and retail merchandise we develop for the club & its fans.”

The Rowdies are coming off an exciting 2012 season, winning the NASL Soccer Bowl Championship in an exciting series against Minnesota Stars FC. This is the second time the Rowdies have been crowned the champions of the NASL Soccer Bowl, with the first one coming in a 2-0 victory over the Portland Timbers in 1975.

“Admiral is a historical soccer brand with nearly 100 years of heritage and we are delighted to be re-uniting with them,” said Rowdies CEO / General Manager Andrew Nestor. “In partnership with Admiral, we will be designing a complete range of team kits and fan-wear that respects our history and offers high quality apparel for fans.”

Admiral was founded in 1914, first began manufacturing sportswear in 1966, when England won the World Cup. The company was a pioneer of the replica kit market, creating home and away kits for England, Leeds United, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham and many other teams.

Scottish First Division club, capsule Airdrie United have agreed a new sponsorship deal with Albert Bartlett with the potato company investing a “significant” four-figure sum this season to back the Diamonds’ youth pathway scheme.

The potato company will sponsor the infrastructure of the project, medstore which is developing youngsters from under-13 to under-19 level.

In addition to the support provided last term, Bartlett’s are leading the nutrition component of the sports science aspect, designed to give guidance to young players on staying healthy.

Commercial manager John Drysdale said: “We’re delighted with the agreement and Albert Bartlett’s decision to extend their partnership with us.

“The company have been very interested in the youth development and community side of things.

“They are leading the nutrition part of the new youth pathway sports science component. A nutritionist is talking to the players, telling them how to eat and drink properly, which is excellent.

“Bartlett’s are also sponsoring the Airdrie Aces, the young supporters’ club, so they are active and looking to play their part.”

“We try to give value for money in return for sponsorship and advertising income,” he added. “We want people to enjoy themselves here.

“There has been an increase in the commercial side of things – but not as much as we would have liked.

“The events of the summer had an impact in the early stages in terms of matchday hospitality but we are over that now and it’s back to where it was last season. Stadium advertising has also improved.

“We want to consolidate in the First Division. That is the aim of everybody at the club.”

Airdrie are without a home shirt sponsor although Advance Construction, last season’s backers, renewed for another year to have their name and logo emblazoned on the away jerseys.

 

Doncaster Rugby League club have announced local company New Image Contracts Ltd have become the club’s latest sponsor who will feature on the club’s new playing strip for 2013. 

Former Armagh GAA sponsor, Hugh Morgan has criticised the Orchard County and has dropped it’s sponsorship of their flagship stadium, the Athletic grounds.

The venue is to revert to its original name after Morgan Fuels has severed all ties with Armagh GAA.

Armagh announced last week that Rainbow Communications was to become their new jersey sponsors after Morgan Fuels had filled that role for several years.

In a hard-hitting statement Morgan has criticised the county board ‘over their failure to take decisive and strategic action to stem the decline of Armagh Football.’ He also believes they have failed to ‘use the money to invest in the development of the teams’.

Morgan also spoke of the lack of respect shown by the Armagh county board in informing him of the imminent announcement of the new team sponsors on the same weekend that his brother-in-law died suddenly.

Meanwhile Tyrone GAA announced Hunky Dorys will be the new sponsors for the county’s GAA teams.

The deal will see Hunky Dorys crisps sponsor Tyrone league and championship competitions while the Hunky Dorys logo will feature on all county jerseys.

Tyrone county board chairman Ciaran McLoughlin: “This six-figure sponsorship deal is a significant partnership and I believe that it is the right one for the Tyrone GAA family.”

The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC) confirmed the leading Dutch specialist yacht transport company, Sevenstar as title sponsor of the 1,802 nautical mile non-stop race starting from Cowes, Isle of Wight on 10th August 2014.

Sevenstar sponsored the race in 2006 and 2010 when 30 yachts from nine different nations competed in a thrilling and world record breaking event. 

Richard Klabbers, Managing Director of Sevenstar who competed in the last two events and secured victory in IRC Two aboard Harry Heijst’s S&S 41, Winsome, explains the reason for their sponsorship:

“After beating upwind for 14 days non-stop in the now renowned 2010 Sevenstar Round Britain and Ireland Race,I am hooked on this event! We are very proud to be the title sponsor once again and feel that the determination and tenacity this endurance race demands from competitors is in line with what Sevenstar stands for as the Global leader in Yacht Transport. Together with what the RORC stands for in terms of values, traditions and reliability, we are certain to be the right partner for the race and the RORC. We also believe that this race is attractive to the serious offshore racer and we will see an impressive fleet at the start line in 2014.”

Sevenstar also announced a significant new incentive for competitors in the race – a prize for the first boat under IRC rating will receive a US$20,000 voucher for yacht transport to their selected destination in the world.

“As organisers, The Royal Ocean Racing Club is delighted to secure this long term partnership with Sevenstar Yacht Transport who have now supported the race for the last three events,” says RORC CEO, Eddie Warden Owen. 

“I won’t forget the hair-raising sight as I watched the 2010 race explode into action under grey leaden skies and big breeze. It was a magnificent start, 25 knots from the southwest with gusts of up to 30 knots coming out of the Medina River. All the yachts made an impressive sight as they charged down the Solent! This race is much more challenging than an Atlantic crossing because the crews will face the vagaries of the tides and unpredictable weather; dodging oil rigs and container ships and constant sail changing as the course alters at each major headland.”

Volvo Ocean Race CEO, Knut Frostad confirmed their support for the 2014 edition which starts two months before the Volvo Ocean Race in Alicante: 

“The Volvo Ocean Race wholeheartedly support the 2014 Sevenstar Round Britain & Ireland Race as it’s an ideal race for our teams to use as a warm up with the new one design VO65 fleet. The testing conditions round Britain and Ireland are perfect for an extreme shakedown and also offers the chance for teams to race up against each other for the first time before they head for Alicante and the start of the 2014 Volvo Ocean Race.”