Join the lively iSportConnect debate on Adidas’ decision to axe Liverpool here

Liverpool Managing Director Ian Ayre has asserted his belief that Liverpool’s historic kit deal with Warrior Sports will enable the club to fully adapt to UEFA’s imminent financial fair play (FFP) regulations.

“At a time when financial fair play is being talked about and the ability to live by the means you create, these types of deals are essential”.

Ayre sees the Warrior Sports deal as the latest in a series of commercial agreements which will enable Liverpool to spend within its means to meet the UEFA rules which will be implemented in 2013-14.

“We’ve always said we’ll run the football club in a sustainable and proper way and these types of deals underpin everything that happens in terms of investment in the team.

“The more quality and high-level partners we can attract, and the more deals of this type we can do, the more we’ll have to invest.”

Ayre also stated that Liverpool should “embrace change and opportunity” as it enters a future without Adidas.

Eurosport has reaffirmed its partnership with the Sport Industry Awards.

Director of global communications at Eurosport, see Heather Bowler, allergist made the following statement.

“Here at Eurosport we are constantly impressed by the creativity and innovation we see from the world of sport. The work our partners do across all our platforms is always exciting and the chance to see our peers from across the industry compete for the most prestigious awards in the business of sport is always a thrill.

“With broadcasting at the heart of our business, vcialis 40mg Eurosport is really proud to sponsor the Sport Industry Award for Best TV Sport Commercial, and we look forward to seeing the best work of the last 12 months win the recognition it deserves”.

Eurosport will receive numerous branding opportunities in the build-up to the ceremony and on the evening itself which is a key networking event in the industry and celebration of commercial achievement in sport.

The 2012 Sport Industry Awards ceremony will see 1,700 decision makers from the world of sport come together in London on May 2nd.

The judging process for the awards will be overseen by Deloitte.

Eurosport will also remain as the category sponsor for the Sport Industry Award for Best TV Sport Commercial.

Kia Motors America has extended its partnership with nine NBA teams, and added Golden State Warriors to their roll call.

Vice-President of marketing and communications for Kia Motors America, Michael Sprague, has expressed his delight in the agreement.

“Kia’s involvement with the NBA and nearly half of the league’s teams has dramatically increased consumer awareness, perception and consideration for the brand and was a major factor in our best-ever sales total in 2011″.

Kia is in its fifth year as the official automotive partner of the NBA and has established relationships with the Boston Celtics, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and San Antonio Spurs, as well as new addition Golden State.

The Los Angeles Clippers, Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers are also on Kia Motors’ roster in 2011-12 as part of multi-year agreements.

Sprague added, “All of our team partnerships leverage the excitement of the game and increase Kia’s interaction with the passionate fan bases in each market, and we are proud to add the Golden State Warriors to our roster and establish a relationship with Bay Area basketball fans”.

Kia’s US sales have increased 78% since 2008 and the company has stated its growth is a direct corollary of the expansion in brand awareness via high-profile partnerships, including professional basketball.

American Golfer Keegan Bradley has signed a deal with clothing giant Tommy Hilfiger, which will see the 2011 USPGA Major Champion take up a role as Golf Collection Ambassador.

Bradley, who was named PGA Tour Rookie of the year following his success at the Atlanta Athletic Club in the year’s final Major, will represent the brand by wearing pieces from the men’s golf collection.

“I am really excited about joining the team at Tommy Hilfiger,” he revealed.

“Tommy Hilfiger is an iconic American brand and I am extremely proud to be part of its growth in golf going forward. The brand produces fantastic apparel for wear both on and off the golf course and, in my opinion, if you look good you play good,” he added.

Tommy Hilfiger entered the golf apparel market back in 1994 and a decade later the clothing was available to a UK audience.

In 2012, British golfers can expect to pay around £50 per polo shirt and £115 for outerwear garments.

Warrior Sports Inc. and Liverpool Football Club have officially announced a six-year agreement which sees Warrior become the Club’s Official Kit Supplier in a deal considered to be the biggest in Premier League history.

The £25 million ($41m) a year deal, which will come into play from June 1 2012, will see Warrior create the Liverpool FC home, away and third kits, as well as their training wear for the next six years.

The contract beats Manchester United’s previous Premier League kit record of £23.5m ($38m) with Nike.

Owned by Boston based New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc., the move represents the starting point in Warrior Sports’ global football journey partnering with one of the biggest club sides in England. Warrior Sports recognises the heritage of Liverpool FC and has employed industry experts in design, development, marketing and implementation to ensure that the brand has the best people on hand to support the Partnership.

Richard Wright, General Manager for Warrior Sports commented: “At Warrior Sports we pride ourselves on high performance and an incredible desire to win. Our Partnership with Liverpool FC, a football institution and recognised brand name across the world, is the perfect fit. Warrior Sports has ventured into football to bring our knowledge of making top level product to a new playing field. We are not the sort of brand that is going to keep our head down. We are here to shake up the world of football and our Partnership with one of the most successful club teams of all time is just the start.”

Ian Ayre, Managing Director of Liverpool Football Club, added: “Liverpool FC is thrilled to be able to announce this fantastic Partnership with Warrior Sports for the 2012-2013 Barclays Premier League season onwards. This is another landmark deal for Liverpool Football Club and once again shows the value of the Club’s brand globally.

“Warrior Sports will bring its own unique brand and ideas to the Partnership, ensuring that they can assist us at the Club both on and off the field of play. Sharing the same focus of domination and winning will be an incredibly important part of this Partnership going forward. As with all our Partnerships we have taken time to form a relationship with the individuals behind this opportunity. I believe that Warrior have some outstanding people we can work closely with to continue to deliver quality products to our fans around the world.”

Warrior Sports will replace adidas as official kit suppliers with the German sports apparel company causing controversy earlier this week by saying they decided against renewing their sponsorship due to Liverpools lacklustre form of late.

Related discussion: Were Adidas right to axe Liverpool?

T-Mobile USA has announced today it will sponsor the Prudential Center’s Digital Zone, home to the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and temporary home of the NBA’s New Jersey Nets and WNBA’s New York Liberty.

The sponsorship will be unveiled at tonight’s New Jersey Devils game where they host the Boston Bruins at the Prudential Center. The pavilion, adorned with new T-Mobile BlackBerry signage, will showcase T-Mobile device demos, featuring BlackBerry smartphones and a number of applications created for the NHL Fan.

“T-Mobile is proud to partner with the New Jersey Devils and offer their incredibly passionate fans a way to stay connected at games,” said Terry Hayes, vice president and general manager, New York Metro, T-Mobile USA. “As a company, we are heavily invested in New Jersey and are excited to support our local team and reward Devils fans with a special offer at our stores.”

T-Mobile USA is the official wireless sponsor for the Devils 2011-2012 season. New Jersey Devil ticket holders that visit a T-Mobile retail location and show their ticket stub will be eligible for $50 off when they activate a qualifying plan on a new two-year contract at any participating New Jersey T-Mobile location.

As a sponsor of the Digital Zone, T-Mobile will feature their latest 4G products and services, including the recently launched T-Mobile Springboard with Google, a 7.1 inch tablet – perfect for the game with built-in access to America’s Largest 4G Network. Customers can also visit and demo a number of BlackBerry smartphones, which are pre-loaded with applications for the NHL and sports fan.

Across New Jersey, T-Mobile has invested over $160 million in the past two years deploying and upgrading its 4G Network across the state. Most recently, the company doubled the speeds of its network in Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, and many other cities throughout Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Union, Passaic, Rockland, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris and Somerset counties.

GNC Holdings, Inc., a leading global specialty retailer of nutritional products, has announced that Alex Morgan and Heather Mitts, both outstanding members of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, have joined the GNC LiveWell Team as Brand Ambassadors.

In that role, they will work with GNC to reach out to aspiring athletes and fitness enthusiasts through social media, video, appearances and marketing materials.

They join a GNC LiveWell team that already includes ESPN college sports reporter and two-time Emmy Award winner Jenn Brown and Nora Tobin, competitive beach volleyball athlete, NASM-certified professional trainer, yoga instructor and author.

“Given GNC’s loyal customer base of outstanding athletes and fitness enthusiasts, this is a great opportunity to talk about ways that being truly fit helps people live better lives, whatever their level of sports and fitness participation,” said Alex Morgan.

Heather Mitts added, “I truly believe that we can all accomplish our goals in life. My goal as a member of the GNC LiveWell team is to demonstrate the benefits of working hard, on and off the field, to do just that.”

Jeff Hennion, EVP – Chief Marketing Officer & e-Commerce at GNC, said: “Alex and Heather are inspiring examples of athletes who have achieved great success both as competitors and as individuals. They truly represent GNC’s LiveWell concept to the fullest.”

Miller Lite takes has announced its sponsorship of ProElite MMA with the deal to take ‘Center Cage’ on Saturday, January 21 when ProElite MMA’s “DA SPYDER VS. MINOWAMAN”  takes place at the Neal Blaisdell Center in Honolulu.

“The Miller Lite flagship brand extends our sponsorship and advertising relationship with MillerCoors and Paradise Beverage in Hawaii,” said Paul Feller, Chairman of ProElite and CEO of Stratus Media Group. “Coors Light sponsored our initial Honolulu fight in August, and we’re pleased that the Miller Lite brand takes our center mat cage placement for Saturday’s event. The MillerCoors relationship in Hawaii reinforces the connection we have with the dynamic MMA fan base we have built on the Islands.”

Saturday’s ProElite main fight card will be televised live on HDNet at 10:00 P.M. EST. 

The fight’s main event features the rugged Hawaiian Kendall “Da Spyder” Grove (13-9) taking on the long-awaited North American debut of Japanese and international fan favorite Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa (51-32-8).

The co-main event features Olympic silver medalist and #9 world-ranked Sara McMann (4-0) against #5 ranked Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano (18-8), also from Japan. The card underscores the recently announced promotional partnership and fighter exchange with ProElite and DREAM, Japan’s largest MMA fight organization.

Parkgate Shopping have renewed their shirt sponsorship of English League Two team, Rotherham United, for a further two years.

Chairman, Tony Stewart told the Official Site: “We`re both extremely passionate about promoting the image of Rotherham, so this partnership is perfect for Parkgate Shopping, ourselves and the town as a whole. We are delighted to extend our partnership as we begin a new era in our new stadium.”

Steve Lewis, Head of Commercial at the club commented: “The club have an extremely successful history with Parkgate Shopping, and this news can only strengthen the working relationship that we have together. It has been a pleasure working with Denis (Copeland) and Billy (Smith) thus far, and fantastic for both parties that we can tie this deal up so early. We now have time to plan a two-year sponsorship with Parkgate, one that we encourage all Millers fans to be part of. The hard, yet fun work starts now.”

Parkgate Shopping Manager, Denis Copeland added: “We’re delighted to extend our deal for a further two years, and we look forward to developing an even closer association with the club in this new era. We’re proud to be involved with such a community focused organisation like Rotherham United FC.”

National Hot Rod Association have announced that Toyota Motor Sales, viagra pills U.S.A. has expanded its participation in NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing by becoming the title rights sponsor of the event at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, sale N.J. The 43rd annual Toyota NHRA SuperNationals will be held May 31 through June 3.

“Toyota is proud to expand its NHRA involvement with this title sponsorship initiative, shop ” says Les Unger, Toyota National Motorsports Manager.

In addition to becoming the sponsor of the Englishtown event, Toyota will have an advertising presence in the ESPN2 broadcasts of NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing with commercial inventory, an in-show sponsored feature, and race ticker. Toyota will also increase its national footprint in the sport and expand its on-site display visibility at various races. 

“Toyota’s increasing involvement in NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing is a clear indicator of the return on investment at both the league and team level,” said Tom Compton, president, NHRA. “Toyota has a proven track record around sponsorship activation and to have their involvement as an event rights sponsor of one of the most prestigious stops on the NHRA Full Throttle Series is very exciting.”

Toyota’s involvement in NHRA began in 2002 with the arrival of the Celica-bodied Funny Car. The manufacturer’s first win came two years later, in February 2004 at the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals presented by Super Start Batteries at Auto Club Raceway in Pomona.

The program has since risen to new heights; in the past three years Toyota-sponsored cars have earned multiple NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series victories in Top Fuel and Funny Car, as well as the NHRA Top Fuel Full Throttle world championships in 2010 and 2011. In 2008, Cruz Pedregon won the NHRA Full Throttle Funny Car world championship in a Toyota Camry Solara.