English Premier League team, Everton FC has agreed a three-year partnership with US-based StubHub, the world’s largest ticket marketplace. 

The groundbreaking partnership is the largest commercial deal, excluding shirt sponsorship and retail, in the Club’s history and secures StubHub, owned by eBay, as the official secondary ticket partner.

Under the new deal, season ticket holders will have an official channel to sell their seat for any home fixtures that they are unable to attend.

The partnership with the Blues is one of StubHub’s first forays into the Barclays Premier League and the UK, but they bring a wealth of experience after successfully working alongside over 65 of the most prominent brands in music, media, ticketing and sport – including baseball’s Boston Red Sox.

It also marks an industry-first as there are no restrictions on pricing set by the Club or StubHub – it will be the only official marketplace where Evertonians can purchase tickets directly from other Evertonians.

Previously in the secondary ticket market, purchases were severely limited and were sold on at face value, plus service fees, but the deal allows Season Ticket holders to choose the price that they list their seat.

The Club are working closely with StubHub to offer a seamless secondary ticket selling, buying and match day experience for Blues fans. A dedicated StubHub pick-up point will be located at the Bullens Road Box Office at Goodison Park, where buyers can collect their tickets on the day of the match.

Dave Biggar, Commercial Director at Everton Football Club, said: “StubHub enters the UK market with a great track record working with major sports brands in the US. It was important for us to find a partner who takes the fan experience as seriously as we do. StubHub’s focus on service, plus the support provided online, over the phone and in person at the stadium, made it the natural choice for us.”

Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, International General Manager at StubHub added: “As a new entrant to the UK market, we are always keen to team up with powerful brands such as Everton who enjoy a passionate supporter base. We share their passion for serving fans and we look forward to working with the club to bring a best-in-class marketplace and experience to their supporters.

“This deal is ground-breaking in the industry as it removes restrictions on sales, putting the power back into the hands of the fans. We are confident that our approach to ticketing and e-commerce will be beneficial to the club, the industry, and most importantly, supporters.”

This follows StubHub recent announcement as partners of Sunderland AFC.

Manchester City FC have announced a new partnership with Richard Mille with the Swiss watch manufacturer becoming the Club’s Official Timing Partner.

As part of the brand’s commitment to local communities, Richard Mille has also offered to donate a unique timepiece to auction on behalf of the club’s charitable association City in the Community. 

Established in 1986, City in the Community helps thousands of young people and their families every year and supports the great work of local charities in innovative and creative ways.

The money raised will go towards improving the lives of local children, helping them to achieve their goals and exceed their potential through sport and education.

John Macbeath, Interim CEO of Manchester City, said: “We are extremely proud to form this relationship with Richard Mille, who shares our will to innovate and to push the boundaries in achieving our collective aims.

“This new partnership provides many exciting opportunities for collaboration through selected VIP events and a bespoke match-day box experience.”

Peter Harrison, CEO of Richard Mille EMEA added: “We are proud to announce our partnership with Manchester City whilst the Premier League Champions are celebrating such a significant moment in the history of the club.

“Manchester City’s commitment to excellence and innovation perfectly matches Richard Mille’s desire to create unique timepieces with a strong and inspiring identity. We look forward to long a successful partnership with Manchester City Football Club.”

Richard Mille has previously sponsored Rafael Nadal, Pablo Mac Donough, Bubba Watson, Felipe Massa, Jules Bianchi, Romain Dumas, Charles Leclerc, Adrien Tambay, Martin Brundle and his son Alex.

Coming into next season, try English Premier League total shirt sponsorship has increased by 25 per cent to £147million ($230m), according to This is Money.

The £30million ($47m) increase in sponsorship revenues reconfirms the strength of the Premier League as a product, allowing clubs to benefit despite uncertain economic conditions.

The biggest financial leaps this season have come from clubs in the north-east, with Sunderland and Newcastle both successfully negotiating lucrative new deals.

Sunderland recently signed a staggering £20million ($31.2m)-a-year agreement with Invest in Africa, a deal as lucrative as the highest enjoyed by Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool. The deal means an extra £19million ($29.6m) a year for the club.

Newcastle have seen an increase of £7.5million ($11.7m) a year after thrashing out a £10million ($15.6m) a year deal with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Money after Virgin bought the previous sponsor, Northern Rock.

West Bromwich, Stoke, Norwich and QPR have improved their deals this season, and the overall total is boosted as the three newcomers to the Premier League — West Ham, Reading and Southampton — will earn a little more combined for their shirt deals (£3.2million/$5m) than the three relegated clubs, Bolton, Wolves and Blackburn (£1.85million/$2.88m together) last season.

Vega, viagra cheap | the leading plant-based, natural health and performance products company, announces the addition of NFL running back Montell Owens to its Ambassador Program.

Regarded as one of the NFL’s top special teams players, Montell has shown great strength and versatility on the field. He has also learned how to maintain a high level of energy as a vegetarian athlete, and thanks to Brendan Brazier, performance nutrition expert and fellow Vega ambassador, Montell has embraced Vega’s products as a part of his plant-based lifestyle.

Montell was first introduced to vegetarianism by his wife, Lisa, who urged him to read Brendan’s best-selling book Thrive. As Montell began to realize how much nutrition affected his performance, he agreed that a plant-based diet would help him reach his professional goals and has been using Vega as part of his training regimen ever since. Because football requires speed, agility, power and endurance, Montell keeps his training intense and his diet purposeful with clean nutrition.

Not only does Montell Owens hold the Jacksonville Jaguars record for longest active game streak, he was also voted to the Pro Bowl in 2010, making franchise history as the first special teamer to receive the honor. He is an inspirational role model for many young men in the NFL as well as members of the local community. Having participated in numerous high school camps and church programs, Montell is an athlete who is passionate about his work and wants to share it with others.

“I’m excited that more and more elite athletes are incorporating plant-based, whole foods into their training routines,” comments Brendan. “I have enjoyed working with Montell over the years and can’t wait to watch him achieve even more success in the future. The Vega Ambassador Program is gaining an extraordinary advocate.”

Liverpool sponsor Warrior has added Hollywood star power into its mix, anabolics announcing notorious footballer-turned-actor Vinnie Jones as the brand’s latest football ambassador.

Known worldwide as an on-pitch and onscreen rebel, ailment Jones’ professional football career saw him captain Wales and play for the likes of Wimbledon, anesthetist Leeds United and Chelsea before becoming a box office hit in films such as Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, and Gone in Sixty Seconds.

Football fans can expect to see a lot more of Jones and his tough guy persona when Warrior unleashes its new online Premier League prediction game, Face Off, later this week.

Global sports marketing manager for Warrior Football, Ben Haworth, commented: “Vinnie is someone we had on our radar right from the outset. He personifies the Warrior brand in many ways – he’s fearless, resilient and unashamedly competitive. Vinnie’s involvement with Face Off has taken the game to another level; a new generation is about to be schooled by the ultimate football warrior.”

Adding another dimension to the deal with Jones, Warrior has designed a new kit for the Hollywood All-Stars Football Club, a Santa Monica-based amateur team the actor owns and manages.

Speaking about his new partnership with Warrior, Jones said: “I only want to partner with a brand that has a set of balls. Like me, Warrior believes winning is everything. The football world needs a shake up and I’m lucky to be affiliated with a brand that has the guts to do it.”

Expect to see more of Jones when pre-registration for Face Off goes live on 26 July.

Lenovo is set to ink a new deal with the NFL as the league’s official PC supplier in a three-year deal.

Lenovo will announce the deal later this week with an employee event at the PNC Arena in Raleigh, featuring NFL names including Jerry Rice and DeAngelo Williams, along with some football skills competitions. Lenovo’s U.S. headquarters are in nearby Morrisville, N.C.

“We’ve built up our brand presence in the U.S. and increased our market share from seventh to fourth,” said David Schmoock, senior vice president, Lenovo Group, and president, North America, Lenovo. “We want Lenovo to get in the consideration set of 18- to 35-year-olds as we continue to expand our presence in the U.S., and the power and reach of the NFL should help us do that.”

The deal is the latest in an expansion of marketing activities in the U.S. for Lenovo, the world’s No. 2 PC maker. In the U.S., Lenovo is the No. 4 PC brand, but its American retail distribution has grown exponentially, from 400 to 4,000 stores over the past three years. Globally, most analysts say it will pass HP as the world’s top PC brand late this year or in early 2013.

David Rabin, Lenovo’s executive director of North American marketing, said: “When you make a long-term investment in a property the size of the NFL, you are sending a powerful message. We’re one of the biggest brands in the tech world that a lot of people still haven’t heard of, so we’re picking a brand as powerful as the NFL to partner with.”

IBM dropped its broad-based computer category rights this year after a 10-year run. Lenovo’s category rights include PCs, laptops and work stations. Tablet PCs are not included.

Computer giant, store Dell has signed on as the seventh sponsor for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

As the 2014 Games marks two years until it begins, It has announced that Dell will be the official IT hardware supporter.

The sponsor, which has its Scottish headquarters in Dennistoun, will supply technology that aims to ensure the delivery of the event, including over 1,500 desktops and 200 laptops, around 60 servers and storage solutions across 40 venues involved in the Games.

Dell has previously served as Official Hardware Provider for the Melbourne Commonwealth Games in 2006.

Aongus Hegarty, president of Dell EMEA, said: “Dell’s belief that technology can change the world, enabling people everywhere to grow and thrive, clearly has a strong synergy with the purpose of Glasgow 2014 – both in the delivery of world-class competitive sport it will showcase and the lasting economic and social legacy it will leave.”

English Premier League Giants has acquired a new official betting and gaming partner, treat Bwin.com.

The agreement is set to cover the entire 2012/13 season and will see bwin replace Betfair, vcialis 40mg who served as the 19-time domestic champion’s official gaming and betting partner during the previous three years.

“With Manchester United, viagra 100mg bwin.com has enlarged its international sponsorship portfolio,” read a statement from bwin.com.

“As the official online gaming and betting partner, bwin.com has numerous online sponsoring rights, which fit perfectly with bwin.com products. Manchester United is famous for its international fan community. The club has more than 25 million friends on Facebook and over 200 official fan communities in 24 countries.”

Leeds United have announced today that UAP TradeLocks have signed an agreement to become the Official South Stand sponsor for the English Championship club. 

The new agreement will see the UAP brand adorn the mid fascia of the stand along with the complete front fascia of the South Stand roof.  The UAP brand name will also appear on the exterior of the South Stand, sale | directly overlooking the busy Elland Road both on matchdays and non-matchdays. 

Leeds United Chief Executive Shaun Harvey said: “We are delighted that UAP TradeLocks has chosen to sponsor the South Stand here at Elland Road. The South Stand sponsorship provides a highly visible marketing platform within the stadium for UAP to promote their brand to our supporter base and we look forward to working with their marketing team.” 

David Jennings, recipe Managing Director of UAP TradeLocks added: “We are delighted to be Corporate Partners of Leeds United and to have the South Stand known as the UAP Stand. We value highly the Leeds United brand and its long history. This new sponsorship deal enables us to promote the UAP TradeLocks message to the millions of Leeds fans on a worldwide basis, physician and promote our brand values to the football community throughout the country.” 

UAP TradeLocks is a leading UK supplier and distributor of decorative door hardware, door security products and specialised Locksmith tools. 

Goldsands Management has secured stadium naming rights for English League team AFC Bournemouth. 

The newly formed London based private concierge service will have the rights for two years, with an option to extendfor a third.

The yearly five-figure deal will see Dean Court renamed the Goldsands Stadium from 1st August 2012.

Managing director of Goldsands Management,John O’Neill said, “We are absolutely thrilled to secure this deal wit hone of the most up and coming professional football teams in the country.

“As a company that offers bespoke life tailoring for premium members – sports men and woman in particular – this isthe perfect club, and perfect location for us to invest.

“We are very excited about the seasons ahead, and anticipate with vigour the prospect of working with an ambitious outfit who are looking for success.”

AFC Bournemouth chairman Eddie Mitchell added: “We are very pleased to be able to announce this positive step forthe club.

“Goldsands Management are a fledgling business with big ambitions and they have grasped the opportunity for somenational exposure and great publicity by linking with the Cherries.

“We are a club on the up, and Goldsands Management want to be associated with that. That is a ringing endorsement forthis club, and we look forward to working closely with them for the next twoseasons and beyond.”