Indian Company Pearls Infrastructure Group has become the title sponsor of the Kabaddi World Cup 2011 reportedly paying $1.73 million with still positions needed to be filled for associate sponsor and co-sponsor.

A government official inside the Indian Ministry of Sports, said: “Of that, $1.73 million, or nearly half, has been covered by Pearls. Let us see how much we can rake in from the other slots of associate sponsor and co-sponsors, plus the broadcast partner deal.

“It has been decided to go for tendering the slots. So far, the slots for title sponsor, associate sponsor, co-sponsor and broadcast partner have been put up for bidding, but more or less, the Pearls Group, which had taken the title sponsorship last year, has secured the title sponsorship for $1.73 million.”

The group had taken the title sponsor last year for $325,000.

Last year, Punjab local channel PTC had got the broadcast partnership deal for $58,000. Originally, that had been due to political pressure, as the channel is controlled by the ruling Akali Dal.

When it had been forced to take the deal, the channel did not know how to work the deal. But in the end, it made millions, selling households in places like Canada and the US for a whopping $45 for each match, since the Indian (read Punjabi) population in those countries are crazy about Kabaddi.

The state government had decided to get a national-level broadcaster for taking the show during this edition, but due to governmental norms and rules, it has had to put the deal up for public tendering. “We could have made much better money had we gone for proper marketing, but that is difficult due to babudom interference,” the source lamented.

“Whichever channel pays the most will get the award,” the official said.

Meanwhile, it is known that apart from the slots put up for tendering, many other sponsors have already flocked in with smaller amounts of contributions.

The official continued: “The government is committed to fill up the balance between the expenses and the amount raised through commercial activity.”

William Hill, one of the largest bookmakers in the UK, announced their title sponsorship of the Scottish Cup giving the tournament its first title sponsor since 2007.

Terms of the three-year agreement will see the competition renamed the William Hill Scottish Cup. The Cup has been without a sponsor for four years the last being Tennent’s Lager who ended their interest in 2007. William Hill is already has already pledged its allegiance in Scotland as an official sponsor of the Scottish Premier League and the country’s richest horse race, the William Hill Ayr Gold Cup.

Gareth Davis, William Hill chairman, said: “It seems fitting for the most established and biggest bookmaker in Scotland to be attached to the oldest association trophy in world football and we at William Hill consider it an honour to be able to put our name to the Scottish Cup.”

The deal is reported to be worth £1 million per year to the Scottish Football Association (SFA).

Stewart Regan, SFA“We are proud to have a leading brand like William Hill as sponsor of the Scottish Cup, we can now look forward to another exciting season ahead.”

The Boeing Company will continue as title sponsors of the Boeing Classic, Golf’s Champions Tour event with the host venue Snoqualmie Ridge staying the same through 2014.

The 2011 Boeing Classic, held Aug. 22-28, will be contested for the seventh year after being played for the first time in 2005 at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. During that period the tournament has raised over $3 million for The Heart Institute at Virginia Mason Medical Center.

Jim Albaugh, chief executive officer, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said: “Extending the relationship with our tournament partners to sponsor this exciting Champions Tour event is a great opportunity to participate in the community, help local charitable organizations, and spend time with our industry partners. This event has raised more than three million dollars since it began to support The Virginia Mason Medical Center, and we are delighted to be part of it.”

Last year, the Boeing Classic was the recipient of the Presidents Award, the most prestigious award of the five annual Champions Tour tournament awards.

“Boeing has been a great partner for the Champions Tour over the years and we look forward to continued success in the Seattle market with the Boeing Classic,” Champions Tour President Mike Stevens said.

The community takes great pride in being an integral part of the planning, execution and ultimate success of the tournament.

“The hard work and dedication from our staff and volunteers has established the Boeing Classic as one of the premier community events of the summer in the Northwest as well as one of the best events on the Champions Tour,” said Chairman and CEO Virginia Mason Medical Center, and Tournament Co-Chair Gary Kaplan, M.D. “And all of us associated with The Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason are especially gratified to acknowledge that our patients and our community benefit most from the continued success of the Boeing Classic due to the support it provides for the world-class autoimmune research underway at the Benaroya Research Institute.”

“We are very pleased to have TPC Snoqualmie Ridge as the host venue of the Boeing Classic through 2014,” said William Keogh, President & CEO of BrightStar Golf Group LLC, owners of TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. “Our members and their guests enjoy the opportunity to see these great Champions Tour professionals up close as they compete for the title on their course.”

 

Liverpool Football Club Wednesday announced a partnership with Indian company Carnousti Group to start the Steve McMahon Football Academy, which will start operating from October.

Named after the Liverpool and England soccer legend Steve McMahon, the academy has been endorsed as the ‘Official Football Academy in India’ and is a non-profit joint project with Carnousti Group.

The first venue partner will be Genesis School in Noida, though eventually there will be another venue partner, but the academy will be open to any young applicant and the target is to train 500 players in each venue this year.

McMahon, who said he is tremendously excited, having waited five years to bring Liverpool to India, did not reveal the price of the course. “All that will be on our website, which will be up very soon,” he said.

The training will be ‘at a cost’, McMahon admitted when asked, but did not directly respond to a question on how financially challenged kids could enter its portals, saying only that there will be ‘incentives’.

McMahon, somewhat peeved with a question, stressed that this is not a venture for profit. This is about building a connect, and if at all there is a profit, it will be ploughed back to develop infrastructure.

He said that the basic programme package is to train young talents and also coach the coaches, so that they can coach future players. The club would send its own top coaches to India as well.

“It will take some time, and even cricket, which is the sporting religion of India was not built in a day, but the aim is to get Indian players to play for Liverpool FC.”

But it was clear that the club was widening its business window. When asked why they have chosen India, Steve Turner, head of the Liverpool Football Club Academy said that there were millions of fans across the world, and since they all cannot come to Liverpool, the club has decided to reach out to them.

“We want to have our footprint across the world and after this event in Delhi, tomorrow we are flying off the China to open an academy there.”

Turner also said that the idea behind the academy, whether in Liverpool or anywhere else, is not just to teach how to play good football.”The idea is to teach life skills, such as building a team, taking leadership, learning to handle praise as well as criticism, skills that will stay with the children for their lives.”

Legendary England striker Ian Rush, with an unmatched 347 goals to his credit, and the Liverpool FC Soccer School Ambassador, responded to a question on why the venture is being opened in Delhi, where football culture is abysmal: “That is because Carnousti turned out to be the right partner, and they happened to be in Delhi.” To which McMahon added: “East and South are in our minds and slowly we will be there as well.”

The Carnousti Group was originally formed in 2006 as a golf course developer. Eventually it expanded into adventure sports.

Rajesh Malik,  director, Carnousti, said that with the signing of this deal, “We have taken a step further in strengthening our union with sport by bringing the Official Liverpool Football Academy to India.”

Vero Communications, London-based international sport business consultancy and its new Brazilian company MLA True Communications have announced a collaboration with Approach – one of Brazil’s largest PR agencies.

Mike Lee founded the organisation Vero January 2006, the former director of communications and public affairs during London’s successful 2012 Olympic bid, and has since worked on the equally successful Rio 2016 Olympic bid campaign.

Lee is a renowned figure in the industry as the strategist behind a series of other bid victories, the most recent of which saw him working with Pyeongchang who were chosen as the host city for the 2018 Winter Olympics and Paralympics last month.

Before that he worked with Qatar when they secured the FIFA 2022 World Cup, however, he has since attracted controversy when he worked on Tottenham Hotspur’s unsuccessful bid to take over the Olympic Stadium.

The company’s Brazilian counterpart was established in Rio de Janeiro earlier this year to capitalise on the growing sports industry opportunities in the country ahead of the FIFA 2014 World Cup and the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and sought out Approach as a partner to help them achieve their business objectives.

Approach, who were launched in Brazil in 1996 by founder and director Beth Garcia, have extensive experience in the communications industry with offices in Rio, Sao Paulo and Brasilia as well as a team of over 100 PR professionals.

“It is an honour and pleasure to be working with Approach,” said Lee, who is now the chair of Vero.

“They have a fantastic reputation in Brazil, an impressive client database and a great team.

“When I first met Beth and the team at Approach, there was an immediate synergy between our two agencies and I am looking forward to working with them to create exciting new pieces of work in the UK, Brazil and globally.”

Vero are currently working with Rio 2016 on the development of Casa Brasil – the Brazilian Olympic House – for London 2012.

Meanwhile, Approach also has a strong sports department and was responsible for the media relations and press operation of the successful 2011 World Military Games that took place in Rio last month.

Approach’s current portfolio also includes Red Bull, the Brazilian Basketball Confederation and the Football Federation of Rio de Janeiro, as well as Brazilian brand household names such as EBX, Natura, Grupo Pao de Acucar and AffroReggae.

“We are delighted to be working with Mike and the team at Vero/MLA True Communications,” said Garcia.

“Mike and Vero made a big impression within the Brazilian marketplace when they worked with Rio 2016 on the winning Olympic bid campaign helping to secure such an historic victory for Brazil.

“Together we will be sharing business practices and skills and using this to create new campaigns for our existing clients as well as extending our portfolio with our united offering.”

English Premier League Champions, sale Manchester United have added to their vast portfolio by agreeing a three-year partnership with Vietnam’s leading mobile telecommunications company Beeline.

The agreement with Beeline will give the club’s estimated 16 million fans in Vietnam a chance to see all the goals scored by United, as well as exclusive interviews, news and behind-the-scenes access.

Richard Arnold, Manchester United commercial director, said: “Beeline is the right partner for us in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia – an ambitious young organisation which has already made a big impact locally in a short space of time.

“We know that this partnership will bring great benefits to both partners. We’re looking forward to breaking new ground with Beeline.”

Michael Cluzel, head of the Indochina cluster of VimpelCom Ltd. and CEO of Beeline Vietnam, added: “Football is the number one sport in Vietnam. Manchester United has always been one of the most widely supported football teams in the world and Vietnam is no exception.

“We are very excited to be working with Manchester United on a range of activities that will be mutually beneficial and will bring this legendary club closer to this football-loving country. Our focus is very simple: we will bring things closer to our customers and things that they want to experience things that no one has ever brought to them.”

pills helvetica, cialis sans-serif;”>The ECB is all set to announce a new four-year sponsorship deal worth $33 million with asset management banking company Investec to replace former sponsors Npower as the test sponsor.

discount helvetica, sans-serif;”>
It is an important deal for the ECB and second only in profile and value to their broadcast contract with Sky.

Npower has recently moved into other sports, lending its name to the Football League, and was concerned about what kind of profile cricket would have during the London Olympic Games 2012.

The deal has come along just as Investec pulled out of sponsoring England rugby’s autumn

The four-year deal with Investec will cover two Ashes contests in 2013 and 2015, as well as series against South Africa and India, Telegraph reported.

try Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;”>

Brazil has already qualified for the 2014 tournament through hosting the event, and as such the five-time World Cup winners will sharpen their skills by competing in friendly matches around the globe. In addition to the title sponsorship, the deal grants Gillette panel advertising rights, as well as comprehensive corporate hospitality opportunities. The agreement has been brokered by leading sports agency Kentaro.

 

 

BankMuscat, Oman’s largest financial services provider, has announced that it would be supporting the national football team quest to qualify for the London 2012 Olympic Games and the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. 

“BankMuscat is committed to all important social, cultural, economic and sports events as part of support to national initiatives either through the bank’s sponsorship arm or the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) department,” the company said in a statement.

“The gesture towards the national teams is a reiteration of the support for youth which is a major force in Oman.”

The bank has provided financial incentives to the national team before, but the money now on offer will be dependent on the team performing well, and the bank’s chair Sheikh Khalid said he hoped this would add as extra motivation.

“As the nation’s leading financial institution, BankMuscat aims to strongly convey the message of support to the national team so as to also motivate others to follow suit and provide the required impetus for the team to excel in the game,” he said.

“We believe that big corporates, which benefited from the country’s Renaissance, should contribute positively and support in raising the Omani flag in achieving the dreams of Oman, to see the country participating in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and 2012 London Olympics.

“BankMuscat will stand solidly behind the national team and extend all support and encouragement to play the qualifying matches with greater confidence and emerge victorious.”

Oman faces a tough group that includes Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Australia in the Asian qualification section for the 2014 World Cup, with the top two teams advancing to a second group stage.

The country pulled off the result of the second round of qualification for London 2012 when they crushed China, and they will again face Saudi Arabia in another four-team group stage, as well as South Korea and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar.

The winner of each group in Olympic qualifying will play in London next year, whilst the runners-up will compete for the final place in a playoff.

Mercedes-Benz India is reportedly set to be announced as official exclusive automotive sponsor of the Indian GP. 

Mercedes-Benz vehicles will play a prominent role in all aspects of the event as they will be driven by organising staff and officials. sedans will also be used by the race support staff. In addition, Mercedes-Benz passengers van will also have an important responsibility as the official shuttle and circuit services vehicle.

This comes after Telecom giant Bharti Airtel was awarded the title sponsor of the Indian GP.

A source, who is close to the Mercedes’ deal with the 2011 Indian GP, said, “The deal has been finalized between the parties concerned. It will be similar to Mercedes’ association with the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal but much more holistic in nature.”

Mr Manas Dewan, GM, Mercedes India, said, “Mercedes’ association with F1 goes back a long way. There is a huge market for this sport and India is no different. There is already a lot of excitement for the Indian Grand Prix and it will only increase by the day.”

The 2011 Airtel Indian GP is going to be held at the Buddh International Circuit on the 28th – 30th October.