Liverpool FC have partnered with Konica Minolta with the global print and document management company, becoming the official print and document management partner.

The long-term relationship will see the club working with Konica Minolta to help raise its profile as a provider of print and document management services to SMEs, public sector, commercial and enterprise business through brand affinity and engagement with Liverpool supporters.

The partnership will also see Liverpool FC benefiting from Konica Minolta’s skills, experience and expertise in its role as the club’s official print and document management partner.

Ian Ayre, MD, Liverpool Football Club, said: “We are excited about working with a brand that has such an innovative and fresh approach to business solutions and the club will provide Konica Minolta with significant brand visibility and access to our supporter base.”

Neil Dingley, Konica Minolta’s operations director and company secretary, added: “Our partnership with LFC supports our corporate vision of developing long-term partnerships that optimise mutual profitability as we will be able to improve efficiencies and reduce operational costs associated with managing print and document management for the Club. At the same time, we will be able to raise our own profile in the B2B arena as the market leader.”

AirAsia have announced its F1 sponsorship programme from Team Lotus will continue with the newly named Caterham F1, as the team undergoes an identity change ahead of the 2012 campaign.

The passenger carrier has agreed a one-year extension to its sponsorship deal, and will now appear on the flanks of the first Caterham F1 cars as the team prepares to enter 2012 under its new identity. The announcement comes as no surprise, however, as Caterham F1 CEO Tony Fernandes also owns AirAsia

“Under the extension, AirAsia shall be an official team partner of Caterham F1 and title sponsors of the programme for the duration of the 2012 F1 racing season at the same terms as provided in the agreement, except in relation to the sponsorship amount from the company to Caterham F1,” an official statement from the airline confirmed.

According to a filing to the Bursa Malaysia, AirAsia has ‘committed $1.14m for company media space and a further $315,000 for additional advertising, on-ground and PR-related activities’.

The agreement is part of the company’s bid to use sports sponsorship to back up sports-related themed sales campaigns for its flight destinations, and change perceptions of the brand as a ‘low-cost’ carrier.

AirAsia will rejoin General Electric, Dell, Tune Group, Naza and CNN on Caterham’s sponsorship roster, and is again expected to lend its name to the team’s young driver development programme, which featured the likes of American Alexander Rossi and Briton Matt Parry on its books in 2011.

This comes after Fernandes striked a deal with his company and his Premier League team Queens Park Rangers for a away shirt sponsorship.

Williams F1 team have been reported to have split with its long-time title sponsor AT&T.

After the famous British team scored just 5 points and finished a dismal ninth in the 2011 championship, the logo of its American telecommunications company backer has been removed from official stationary and Williams’ website.

Initial reports say the contract expired at the end of December and was not renewed, despite Williams requesting a new three-year deal for $15 million.

Until 2011, AT&T, title sponsor since 2007, is believed to have paid around $7m per season.

It is rumoured Williams could be sponsored by the part state-owned Qatar National Bank in 2012.

Yamaha’s MotoGP team and Malaysian oil giant Petronas have ended their partnership after three years of racing sponsorship.

Concluding a deal that is reportedly worth $8 million a year to the factory MotoGP team, viagra 100mg Yamaha’s loss of Petronas will surely be felt in the team’s pocketbook, capsule assuming of course that the Japanese manufacturer cannot replace the company with another on its sponsor roster.

After losing title sponsor Fiat for the 2011 season  Petronas and Yamaha Motor Kenkana Indonesia (Yamaha’s Indonesian arm) were left as the team’s main backers and official sponsors. Now with the loss of Petronas, discount many of the names on the side of the Yamaha YZR-M1 are those belonging to the tuning fork brand, leaving the financial burden for Yamaha’s MotoGP racing effort to come squarely out of one Yamaha coffer or another.

“The relationship between Yamaha and Petronas has been a great success, we have enjoyed some major achievements together in the MotoGP class,” said Lin Jarvis, Managing Director of Yamaha Motor Racing. “Now that the partnership has reached its natural conclusion I would like to thank our friends at Petronas for the support during their time with us and wish them well for the future.”

Mohammad Medan Abdullah, Senior General Manager of Petronas Group Corporate Affairs Division, said: “We are happy to have had this opportunity to work with the Yamaha Factory Racing team over the past three years. In that time, we have enjoyed the benefits of strong brand exposure through the privilege of being associated with a team that shares our values and passion. The team has achieved many successes through a high level of competitiveness and stretched performance standards and we wish the team continued success in the future.”

NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies and C Spire Wireless, the only U.S. wireless provider that offers consumers a full suite of personalized wireless services, have partnered on a multi-year sponsorship agreement involving the NBA Western Conference team and FedExForum.

As part of the agreement, the Memphis Grizzlies have chosen C Spire Wireless as the official wireless partner of the professional basketball team and FedExForum and will offer the carrier exclusive category rights for marketing promotion and technology development.

“We’re extremely pleased to establish a relationship with C Spire Wireless as the official wireless partner of the Memphis Grizzlies,” said Grizzlies Vice President of Corporate Sales and Sponsorship Chad Bolen. “C Spire is a true innovator in the wireless industry and we expect them to use the latest technological advances to enhance our fans’ experience and provide their superior wireless service and coverage for this venue.”

The agreement gives C Spire Wireless marketing and promotional rights through the Grizzlies’ 2012-13 season. Some of the applications the company intends to pursue as part of the sponsorship include augmented reality, specialized mobile applications and other consumer engagement initiatives, according to Jim Richmond, director of Corporate Communications for C Spire Wireless.

“This sponsorship gives us a prime opportunity to showcase the reliability, coverage and speed of our nationwide network and our industry-first suite of personalized wireless services for consumers and businesses,” Richmond said. “As a corporate leader in the community, we’re delighted to be affiliated with the Memphis Grizzlies and FedExForum – two of the biggest names in Tennessee sports and entertainment.”

Memphis business leaders lauded C Spire Wireless for its decision to invest in the future of the Memphis Grizzlies and FedExForum. “This is another good sign for the local economy and a strong indication that our efforts to boost the community’s positive image are paying dividends,” said Kevin Kane, president and CEO of the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Freeride has announced a three-year partnership with Swiss watch manufacturer Swatch.

The deal will see the firm sponsor six Freeride events during each of the 2012, 2013 and 2014 seasons.

These Tour events present the best free-ride skiers and snowboarders from around the world.

The partnership between the pair is a key part of the strategy to raise the profile of the winter sports series which will enter its fifth season in 2012.

Nicholas Hale-Woods, founder of the Freeride World tour, has expressed his delight at the agreement.

“With strong support from Swatch, the 2012 season will be the next step in globalising the sport. We’re really pleased to have a new event in Courmayeur-Mont-Blanc which presents us with a superb range of Freeride competition options and we’re working ever closer with MSI to further align our events and activities in 2013″.

President of Swatch, Arlette-Elsa Emch, also explained his thinking behind the deal and promised “to build upon the existing excitement surrounding action sports by increasing and promoting its significance globally, in order to enrich the experience of those participating in and those watching these amazing events”.

The schedule for the forthcoming events has also been announced and will see American ski event organiser Mountain Sports International (MSI) on board during the 2012 Swatch Freeride World Tour.

MSI founder and CEO Adam Comey stated, “Combining the Freeskiing and Freeride competitions structures in the Americas with those in Europe is inevitable and we will continue to discuss and work together in order to create a common platform for riders and fans alike.”

Rolex will be the official partner of the Alltech 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games place from August 24 to September 7, 2014, in Caen, continuing the Swiss watch-makers long attachment in the sport, commencing from 1957. Their involvement in the World Equestrian Games traces back to 2002 and sponsored last year’s event in Kentucky.

Secretary General of the International Equestrian Federation Ingmar de Vos said: “The FEI is delighted that Rolex, one of the world’s best brands and a dedicated partner to equestrian sport, has renewed its cooperation with the FEI’s flagship event, the FEI World Equestrian Games.

“Rolex’s loyalty to our sport is exceptional and we are looking forward to the Games in Normandy, which are expected to stage absolutely top-class sport in an area renowned for its connection with the horse.”

Fabien Grobon, the Director General of the 2014 World Equestrian Games added: “We are honoured to welcome Rolex as our partner.

“Rolex’s support of the Games further reinforces the image of the Games as an event that brings together the world’s best equestrian athletes whose commitment has taken them to the very top of the sport.”

According to financial and business advisory firm PWC, sponsorship is ready to overtake gate revenues in 2014 to become the sports’ industry’s largest income generator.

An examination into the global sports market over a period of five years between 2010 and 2015 have forecasted that sponsorship will prevail over the difficult economic climate and present a compound annual growth rate of 5.3 percent between 2011 and 2015.

By the time of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil and Sochi Winter Olympics, global revenues will have popped the $45 billion (£28.7 billion/€33.7 billion) bubble.

The report also suggests that sponsorship will maintain its status in 2015, when it should generate global revenues of $45.3 billion (£28.9 billion/€28.5 billion) in comparison to the $44.7 billion (£28.5 billion/€33.4 billion) for gate revenues, the next biggest segment.

In total, global revenues are forecasted to increase at an annual compound rate of 3.7 percent to $145.3 billion (£92.7 billion/€108.7 billion) by 2015.

Merchandising is predicted to expand from $17.6 billion (£11.2 billion/€13.2 billion) to $20.1 billion (£12.8 billion/€15.1 billion), whereas media rights are to grow from $29.2 billion (£18.6 billion/€21.8 billion) in 2010 to $35.2 billion (£22.4 billion/€26.3 billion) in 2015.

However, not everything is all change as Brazil, Russia, India and China will continue to shine above the average as the sporting calendar is jammed packed with major events in those nations. PWC predict that BRIC market revenues will rise at a compound annual growth rate of 4.5 percent between 2011 and 2015.

“While the balance of power is shifting to some emerging markets which are hosting mega sports events over the next few years, the growth opportunities in the traditional developed markets are far from over,” said Julie Clark, head of PwC’s UK sports practice.

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Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and Paralympics have secured a deal to make Baltika the official beer supplier of the games.

The largest brewery in Eastern Europe will have the right to supply their drinks at hospitality events before and during the Games. 

It is the latest deal agreed by Sochi 2014, who have broken an Olympic domestic sponsorship record in raising $1.2 billion (£765,000).

The deal was agreed today between Sochi 2014 President Dmitry Chernyshenko and the senior vice-president of Carlsberg’s Eastern European arm – which owns a majority share of Baltika – Isaac Sheps.

“It’s a great honor and recognition that we are doing high-quality events of this magnitude,” said Sheps.

Baltika has a 38 per cent share of the domestic beer market and its factories are based in 10 cities across the country.

Chernyshenko, said: “The Sochi Games are attracting more and more leading companies. Baltica [has] for many years supported the Russian sport – I hope that together with ‘Baltika’ in Sochi, we celebrate the victory of one of our team.”

Midwest-based AthletiCo Physical and Occupational Therapy continue to sponsor Chicago based teams with a renewed partnership with NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks to become the Official Provider of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy to the team.

As a partner of the Blackhawks since 2002, AthletiCo will continue to provide the team with an athletic trainer and a physical therapist to work with the team’s full-time medical staff along with strength and conditioning services at the United Center. Additionally, AthletiCo will provide stretching at the team’s annual Training Camp Festival and athletic training coverage at the Chicago Blackhawks Youth Hockey Camps and Holiday Hockey Tournament.

Dave Knickerbocker, Senior Executive Director, Marketing and Business Development for the Blackhawks, said: “We are proud to have an industry leader such as AthletiCo as the Official Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy Provider for the Chicago Blackhawks. They have been tremendous partners for years and are a great help to the Chicago Blackhawks both on and off the ice.”

New elements of the Blackhawks’ partnership include sponsorship of the team’s practice jersey, increased in-game exposure with a new video board “Big Hits” feature, and sponsorship of the team’s Online Fantasy Hockey. In addition, AthletiCo, in conjunction with the Chicago Blackhawks, the Amateur Hockey Association of Illinois (AHAI), and the Midwest Center for Concussion Care, recently launched the A Step aHead initiativeto combat concussions in young hockey players.

AthletiCo president, Mark Kaufman, founded AthletiCo in 1991 by providing athletic training coverage and rehabilitation services to sports teams and organization throughout Chicagoland, bridging the gap between on-field medical coverage and rehabilitation services. Today, AthletiCo provides rehabilitation and fitness services to over 160 professional sports organizations, performing art companies, high schools, colleges and universities, rugby clubs, golf events, endurance events, tournaments, special events, and industrial and commercial organizations.

This follows Chicago Bears partnership with AthletiCo.