Engine oil manufacturer Castrol has both extended and increased their partnership with Australian Rugby Union (ARU).

The company has been supporting the country’s national team for the past two years, bronchi and has now signed a deal that will gain title sponsorship of all domestic games until 2014. The multi-million dollar deal will cover domestic events such as the upcoming Castrol Edge Tri-Nations and the British and Irish Lions tour in 2013.

Managing director of the ARU, John O’Neill, described the deal as a “teaming of two organisations steeped in tradition and driven by high performance.”

Castrol general manager, Brett Davis, said: “The Qantas Wallabies know the importance of mental, physical and emotional strength – strength of character to give you the edge. At Castrol we see that there is a natural and genuine alignment in what we are both aiming to achieve and deliver. The Qantas Wallabies also hold a unique position as national sporting icons, capable of drawing in all sports lovers across the country. That will never be more evident than this year. It’s a massive year for the team and we wish them all the best on the journey ahead. We are proud to say we are behind them this year and beyond as part of one team.”

Castrol has also announced plans to unveil new technology and innovation which will bring further insight and entertainment to rugby fans for the new season.

Fried chicken restaurant chain KFC has signed an agreement with Cricket Australia to sponsor the country’s premier domestic Twenty20 competition the Big Bash League.

The sponsorship deal, valued at US$1-2m, includes naming rights of the competition. The league, which aims to bring cricket to a broader audience with “entertainment rather than pure sport”, will be known as the KFC T20 Big Bash League.

This agreement marks the sixth year of Australian cricket’s partnership with KFC, which plans to use the association in its advertising through agency Ogilvy.

Cricket Australia’s general manager of marketing Mike McKenna, added: “T20 is the fastest growing sport in the world and its popularity has forced other sports to try and copy its successful formula – short, sharp, high-energy entertainment – in an attempt to capture more fans.”

He added: “The team logos and uniforms are unlike anything Australian cricket has seen. They’re bright, bold and a departure from tradition, and fans will get a first glimpse when the KFC T20 Big Bash League is launched on 27 July.”

Professional cycling team HTC-Highroad may be forced to close down after this season due to sponsorship problems. Their current sponsorship deal with HTC is due to run out at the end of the season, and the US-based team is struggling to find potential suitors to replace HTC if they opt not to renew their sponsorship.

Team manager Bob Stapleton said: “If we haven’t secured a sponsor by the end of the Tour de France, we will have to sit down and start considering how to wind down operations.

“The world’s best team, a leader in the sport for the past several years, needs a title partner.”

The team started the 2008 season under the name Highroad.. Sportswear producer Columbia joined as a title sponsor the middle of that season, with telecommunications company HTC joining in 2009. Columbia dropped out after last season, and HTC’s sponsorship deal expires at the end of this year. Negotiations with HTC for an extension are underway.

Stapleton said that cycling presents a unique marketing opportunity for a sponsor that is unrivalled in other sports. He said: “You have valuable naming rights. Sponsors can be on Manchester United’s jersey for a lot of money, but the team is still going to be called Manchester United.

“It’s literally hundreds of thousands of repetitions of your brand name on the internet, on television, and in global media.”

English Premier League soccer club Aston Villa have announced that international leisure and hospitality group Genting are their new shirt sponsors for the next two years.

Genting, part of the Genting Group, one of Malaysia’s largest multi-national corporations, are the UK’s largest operator of casinos and their partnership with the club will begin in July.

The club shirts will feature Genting’s Genting Casinos, are part of the Genting Group, one of Malaysia’s largest multi-national corporations.

Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner said: “We are pleased and excited to be partnering with Genting and we are looking forward to benefiting from their position as a leading international corporation in the leisure and hospitality industry.

“We believe this will be a good and positive partnership for the club and it reflects our continued growth.

“The fact that Genting has strong local connections in addition to its international dimension makes this a good relationship for the club and we anticipate that it will work well as we embark on a new chapter for Aston Villa.”

Genting executive deputy chairman Peter Brooks added: “We are delighted to be partnering with a football club with such an esteemed heritage as Aston Villa.

“This sponsorship is a natural fit and marks an important milestone in Genting’s development as we continue to expand our presence both within the UK and internationally.”

Infront Sports & Media has secured a deal on behalf of German soccer club Fortuna Dusseldorf to see workshop, house and garden specialist Bauhaus sponsor the club’s shirt on a one-year deal with an extension option included.

For BAUHAUS this is their first commitment as a main sponsor in German professional soccer and not only sees the company logo adorn the club’s kits, but also ensure exposure from numerous other advertising spaces in view of the TV cameras.

Heinz-Dieter Konrad, Managing Director of BAUHAUS, North Rhine-Westphalia, stated: “With the main sponsorship of Fortuna Dusseldorf our involvement in German football achieves another milestone. We consciously decided to go for Fortuna Düsseldorf and look forward to the challenging role as jersey partner.

“North Rhine-Westphalia is one of the strongest BAUHAUS regions with a high density of specialized centers, three alone in Düsseldorf. We operate one retail centre very close to the Fortuna office at the Flinger Broich and the BAUHAUS store in
Gerresheim is one of the largest DIY stores in Europe.”

Peter Frymuth, CEO of Fortuna Düsseldorf, added: “Through this deal we have taken another future-orientated step. With BAUHAUS we have a solid and reliable partner at our side that at the same time has a tremendous reputation. We are proud that BAUHAUS has selected Fortuna as its first jersey partner in Germany.”

A deal has been agreed that will see car manufacturer Jaguar sponsor the English Cricket Board (ECB) channel on ePlayer, the VoD network.

The agreement serves as an extension of the company’s commercial links with English cricket, having struck a four-year deal to become the official vehicle of the England cricket team last year.

Its latest cricket sponsorship is on the VoD network, owned by sports media firm Perform, which offers highlight packages to newspapers and other websites. Content from cricket matches can be viewed through ePlayer, which is syndicated across more than 300 websites.

The exclusive deal is reported to be worth six figures, brokered by Mindshare, and starts immediately, running until November, with the time period covering the remainder of the current tour by the Sri Lanka cricket team, and the visit of the Indian team later in the summer.

The terms involve a Jaguar and ECB co-branded header, with a sponsorship bumper and pre-roll ads running with the car manufacturer’s logo as the ePlayer channel shows highlights of tests, one-day and T20 internationals.

Jenny Smith, sports brand partners’ manager at Jaguar, said: “EPlayer provides us with an official platform to reach an extended audience through some of the best UK publisher websites and is very much a natural progression of our current association with English cricket.”

Mapei, medic an Italian producer of adhesives specialising in chemical products for buildings, discount has signed up as the main sponsor of the International Cycling Union (UCI) for the 2011, 2012 and 2013 Road World Championships.

The company has sponsored numerous UCI road, mountain bike and cyclo-cross events, and has been a partner of the Road World Championships since 2008. Mapei also sponsored a leading cycling team, which carried the company’s name, from 1993 to 2002.

Under the terms of the agreement, the UCI and Mapei will establish a partnership between the Mapei Sport Research Centre and the World Cycling Centre.

UCI president Pat McQuaid stated: “Mapei’s commitment to cycling over the last 20 years has contributed to the growth of our sport, of which it is one of the most faithful sponsors. Under its president and director, Giorgio Squinzi, who is a true cycling lover, Mapei has multiplied its initiatives for our sport, often demonstrating great inventiveness, not only in Italy but on an international scale.”

Squinzi added: “Mapei is proud to participate this year and the following years as main sponsor of the Road World Championships. This strengthens our long relationship with cycling, which comes from the sharing of the same values: hard work, will and passion, as well as the knowledge that every victory is the result of conscientious planning and constant teamwork.”

Sportswear giant Adidas have extended their naming rights deal with the Auckland Marathon for a further three years.

The German brand have been in partnership with the New-Zealand race since 2004 and the new extension will see them sponsor the event until 2014.    

Adidas Auckland Marathon managing director Stephen Brown said: “Adidas’ sponsorship has enabled us to expand the marathon and take it to a truly global stage. This year’s marathon field will be largest assembled in New Zealand for 17 years. The confidence of knowing that our valuable relationship with Adidas will continue for the next three years will help us to plan ahead with certainty and continue to grow.”

Adidas New Zealand country manager, pharmacy David Huggett added: “We’re very proud to put our name to the Adidas Auckland Marathon. It’s a perfect fit for Adidas as running is one of our key areas of focus globally, and we pride ourselves on setting the standard for the particular needs of the sport.”

A four-year sponsorship deal has been agreed between Liga ACB, Spain’s top flight basketball league, and Spanish energy company Endesa.

The deal has an option for an extra two year extension and will see the league renamed to the Liga Endesa. The league has taken a title sponsorship for the first time in it’s 30-year history .

Reports in the Spanish press state that the deal is worth between US$6.5m and $8m a year to the ACB.