The San Jose Earthquakes signs CEFCU as official credit union partner

The San Jose Earthquakes has agreed a deal with CEFCU as its official credit union partner.

As part of the partnership, Earthquake and CEFCU will collaborate to come up with exclusive programs for CEFCU members. CEFCU members will further enjoy exclusive opportunities with the Quakes throughout the 2018 season such as a merchandise discount and an exclusive postgame event.

The partnership will also introduce the Movie Night Series at Avaya Stadium and in addition will have a Fan Photo Contest that will offer fans an opportunity to win a VIP package for the series.

Earthquakes chief operating officer Jared Shawlee said: “We are looking forward to collaborating with CEFCU and providing San Jose with unique and fulfilling events together. This partnership has a strong community focus that will give Quakes fans, CEFCU members and the Bay Area opportunities to enjoy Avaya Stadium in new ways, honor local teachers and help prepare kids for school.”

FIBA unveils a new initiative called Fast Break to support basketball healthcare personnel

FIBA has introduced a new quarterly publication called Fast Break to support basketball healthcare support personnel.

The first edition introduces the research on topics like the importance of ball control and self-regulatory skills; the epidemiology of illness at the Rio 2016 Summer Paralympic Games; an analysis of sprain injury cases and an evaluation of a shoulder injury prevention program in Wheelchair basketball.

Peter Harcourt, chairman of FIBA’s medical commission, said: “We are delighted to present the first edition of FIBA’s Fast Break, an initiative to support team medical personnel and courtesy of our Canadian friends. This initiative is the outcome of the FIBA Medical Commission’s work and it aims to assist with evidence-based healthcare practice in basketball. We will be publishing Fast Break every three months and plan to distribute it to as many team doctors, physiotherapists and sport trainers as possible.”

Patrick Baumann, FIBA secretary general and International Olympic Committee (IOC) Member, said: “I would like to congratulate the Medical Commission for completing this important milestone and thank its members for their great efforts to reach out to the basketball community as well as for providing the highest quality of sports medicine knowledge. This resource will strengthen FIBA’s healthcare program for the benefit of all players.”

 

World Snooker renews its official data partnership with Sportradar

World Snooker has extended its official data partnership with Sportradar.

As part of the deal, Sportradar will continue to  manage official data from the leading snooker events to reach fans across devices, platforms and countries.

World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn said: “We started our relationship with Sportradar back in 2010 and   we have been continually impressed by the way they have brought  new ideas, growth and value to World Snooker.

They have unrivalled quality of product and the best distribution reach in the industry  and they have supported us on a great journey growing the interest and commercial success of the sport. Working with the team in the UK and beyond, we’re delighted to continue our tie-up as we head towards our second decade of working together”.

Managing director group operations at Sportradar David Lampitt said: “Snooker continues to grow as a sport with die-hard fans, new and young followers and of course growing fanbases in Asia. We are proud that World Snooker continues to see us as the right partner to help them serve those snooker followers and bring them ever closer to the players, the tournaments and the sport in general”.

 

International Federation of Sport Climbing signs Japan Airlines as main partner

International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) has signed Japan Airlines as its main partner.

As part of the partnership, Japan Airlines will support the development of sport climbing in 2018. Sport climbing will feature for the first time at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires this year and at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.

Japan Airlines will be present throughout the 2018 season during IFSC events and activities and will also be represented on IFSC social media.

IFSC president Marco Scolaris said: “We are thrilled to have such a committed partner sharing  the  same  vision  and  passion  for  aiming higher,  especially  during  a  period  of  substantial growth and new opportunities for sport climbing. We are looking forward to flying  into  the  challenges  of  tomorrow with Japan Airlines.”

IFSC vice president sports/events Kobinata Toru said: “It has been wonderful to see the evolution of our sport in Japan, a leader in sport climbing. The depth   of   the   climbing   community   in   Japan   is expanding  as  we  prepare  to  welcome  the  Olympic Games in Tokyo, and this new partnership between Japan Airlines and the IFSC is an example and agent of this positive change.”

Swiss Olympic signs Sunrise as one of its top-tier sponsors until 2020

Swiss Olympics has signed telecom company Sunrise as one of its top-tier sponsors until 2020.

The partnership will see Sunrise serve as a premium partner of the organisation and become the fourth company to join Swiss Olympic’s top-tier sponsors following deals with Toyota, the Japanese automotive brand, Ochsner Sport, the Swiss retail company, and soft drinks brand Rivella.

Roger Schnegg, director of Swiss Olympic, said: “We have found in Sunrise a strong partner who joins us at the highest level and is firmly committed to Swiss sport. In addition, this collaboration with Sunrise fits in perfectly with our sponsorship strategy, which relies on a small number of high-ranking partners.”

Christoph Timm, director of brand strategy and marketing communication at Sunrise, said: “We are convinced that Swiss Olympic fits perfectly with the Sunrise brand because we share the same Swiss values. With this commitment, we can express Sunrise’s position in favor of Swiss sports even more and bring it to life in the wider population.

We are delighted that the best athletes in Switzerland will be able to call and surf on the best network in Switzerland in the future. As The Unlimited Company, we also examine how we can lift potential career barriers, so that we are the top modern employer in the telecoms sector for top athletes.”

 

Table Tennis England signs Butterfly as official clothing supplier

Table Tennis England has signed Butterfly as its official clothing supplier until 2021.

The Table Tennis England squad will wear the bespoke kits by Butterfly for the first time at the ITTF Team World Cup in London later this month.

Butterfly has also created red and black ‘home and away’ versions of the kit, which features the new England Table Tennis Team logo designed around the traditional three leopards badge, as well as the logos of Butterfly and Tees Sport.

Taisei Imamura, president of Tamasu Butterfly Europe, said: “We are delighted to continue our long-standing support for Table Tennis England and the English team. The new kit that we are supplying takes advantage of the latest materials which are the most comfortable to play in and wear.

“I wish England every success in the Team World Cup and the other important competitions coming up in the near future.”

Table Tennis England chief executive Sara Sutcliffe said: “We are proud to have extended our relationship with Butterfly and hope our players can continue to deliver world-class performances while wearing a world-class brand.

“We are particularly pleased that our men’s and women’s squads will wear the new kit designs for the first time at the Team World Cup – I’m sure the home crowds at the Copper Box will really get behind them.”

Liverpool FC adds Petro-Canada Lubricants to its global partners list

Liverpool FC (LFC) has signed a three-year deal with Petro-Canada Lubricants.

As part of the partnership, Petro-Canada will work with LFC to create fan and customer-focused programmes, which will provide exclusive opportunities to enjoy unique experiences with the club.

Liverpool’s managing director Billy Hogan said: “We very much look forward to working with Petro-Canada Lubricants. To partner with a global business that shares the club’s values of ambition, commitment, and innovation is incredibly exciting for the club.”

Mark Plake, president of Petro-Canada Lubricants, said: “Liverpool Football Club is an internationally recognised team renowned for their endurance, reliability, and competitive edge. These are key attributes in both football and our business and we’re proud to celebrate our partnership with a club that so closely shares these qualities.”

Tony Weatherill, managing director of global marketing, research and development for Petro-Canada Lubricants said: “Liverpool FC and Petro-Canada Lubricants are built around high-quality teams that are driven by innovative thinking. The synergies between our two brands will make for a dynamic and successful partnership and we are eager to begin developing new opportunities together.”

 

ITTF names China Construction Bank as the title sponsor of the 2018 ITTF-Europe

The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), European Table Tennis Union (ETTU) and the Swiss Table Tennis has signed a partnership with China Construction Bank as the title sponsor of the 2018 ITTF-Europe Top 16 Cup taking place in Montreux, Switzerland from 3-4 February 2018.

As part of the partnership, the brand will leverage the event to promote its brand in Switzerland and across the world.

Gong Weiyun, the CEO of the China Construction Bank Zurich Branch, said: “We’re very happy to be supporting this prestigious table tennis event in Montreux. We have been operating in Zurich since the end of 2015 and our operation is now growing rapidly. This is an ideal time to be promoting our brand and commercial banking services here in Switzerland, and the 2018 ITTF-Europe Top 16 Cup is a perfect platform for us to do that. We are looking forward to a great event.”

Nicolas Imhof, president of the event organising committee and president of Swiss Table Tennis, said: “We are extremely proud that China Construction Bank, the second largest bank in the world, has chosen to partner us all for the event in Montreux. Thanks to China Construction Bank and other partners, we will be able to achieve our goal of delivering a very high quality event for everyone involved. We look forward to welcoming the players, officials, volunteers, and fans, see you there!”

Ronald Kramer, president of the European Table Tennis Union said: “We are delighted that such a prestigious bank is coming on board as title sponsor. The local organising committee have been doing a thorough job in the preparation phase, and so I’m confident China Construction Bank, other partners, and the spectators will enjoy the very best of European table tennis in Montreux.”

 

Visa leverages Monterosa’s app to offer fans live interaction with Team GB during PyeongChang 2018

Team GB has partnered with Visa to roll out a new interactive fan app for PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games to engage audiences across the UK.

Visa will leverage Monterosa’s Sport Companion app to power live interaction with fans whilst Team GB competes at the 2018 PyeongChang.

The app which is available free of cost provides fans with all the latest news and medal standings from the competition, the event schedule highlighting all Team GB activity.

British Olympic Association, commercial Director Tim Ellerton said: “We are constantly looking at ways to engage with our fans and the app that Visa created during Rio 2016 was a huge success, which provided brilliant up to the second updates and information. Working with Monterosa we’re excited to develop and extend the scope of what the app can offer to fans and it is great to be able to share the app today in the build-up to PyeongChang 2018.”

Suzy Brown, UK and Ireland marketing director at Visa, said: “The vision we have at Visa is to be the best way to pay and be paid, for everyone, everywhere, so are very aware that more and more people are embracing mobile technology for everything from paying for their daily commute to getting live updates on their favourite sports. The app is great for anyone wanting to follow Team GB in PyeongChang and will bring supporters closer to the action in real time. We particularly urge fans to download the app to follow the progress of Team Visa athletes Billy Morgan and Elise Christie who will be aiming to win in South Korea.”

Ben Barker, commercial director, Monterosa said: “We are really excited to be working with the BOA and Visa to provide a leap forward in the fan experience for what we all hope will be a ground-breaking Olympic Winter Games for Team GB. Utilising our Sports Fan Companion app product, we’ll be letting Team GB fans get under the skin of the athletes, schedule their daily viewing and create really sharable experiences”.

The Team GB: Winter Games app is now available for free download on mobile and tablet from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

 

Bundesliga extends broadcasting deal with Cosmote TV until 2021

Bundesliga has renewed its broadcast deal with Greek pay-TV Cosmote until 2021.

The new deal will see Cosmote Sport channels broadcast all the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 matches, including each league’s Play Offs and Supercup.

The rights package includes all 617 games from the two leagues each season, and viewers will be able to watch the coverage on Cosmote Sport channels, as well as on the Cosmote TV Go and Cosmote Replay TV OTT services.

Cosmote TV earlier secured rights to the Uefa Champions League and the Uefa Europa League until the end of the 2020/21 season.