Chelsea Football Club announce new partnership with Rexona

Chelsea Football Club has announced Rexona as the team’s official personal care partner in Africa.

The link-up extends the Premier League champions’ existing relationship with Unilever, which already incorporates the Sure brand in the UK and Shield in South Africa.

The new partnership is set to create grassroots footballing opportunities for youngsters across Africa through the work of the Chelsea Foundation.

Chris Townsend, commercial director, Chelsea FC, said: “We are delighted to welcome Rexona as our official personal care partner across Africa. At Chelsea we pride ourselves on working with some of the world’s leading companies and so partnering with Africa’s number one-selling deodorant brand is very exciting for us.

“The Chelsea Foundation continues to lead the way in improving the lives of young people all over the world and we now look forward to extending across Africa the fantastic grassroots initiative that we have already delivered in South Africa with Shield.”

Mark Aschmann, regional marketing manager for Rexona Africa, added: “We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Chelsea Football Club in Africa. Football is the most loved sport in Africa and is a key passion point for our consumers.

“Through this partnership, Rexona wants to provide aspiring and talented footballers across Africa with the opportunity to shine and achieve their goals. Our aim is to develop football at grass root levels, giving African millennials the chance to change their lives.”

China extends Formula One deal until 2020

China will continue to host a Formula One grand prix for the next three years after signing a new contract until 2020.

F1 chairman and CEO, Chase Carey, said: “We are very pleased to have reached an agreement which will see the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix continue as a fixture of the Formula 1 World Championship for at least a further three years.

“This great country has already demonstrated an overwhelming show of interest in our sport and we firmly believe there is still a great deal of unexplored potential here.”

The current deal was due to expire at the end of this year but Shanghai will stay part as the motorsport’s calendar for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, Malaysia has decided to cancel its grand prix due to rising costs.

Burnley Football Club signs ‘Golf Clash’ sleeve sponsorship deal with Playdemic

Burnley Football Club has signed a shirt sleeve sponsorship deal with mobile games company Playdemic.

The logo for ‘Golf Clash’ will feature on the left sleeve of both the Clarets’ home and away kits for the remainder of the 2017/18 Premier League season.

Golf Clash is a free-to-download, real-time multi-player game allowing mobile phone users to compete in single hole matches on courses from around the world. The game also offers regular tournaments and has established itself as one of the Top 10 Apps in both the UK and US.

Anthony Fairclough, commercial director of Burnley FC, said: “We are delighted to announce the partnership with Golf Clash; it’s a great, fun game which you can play on iOS and android devices and compete with friends and we at the club are thrilled to lead the Golf Clash revolution.

“I know the squad love the game and we are looking forward to working with the guys at Playdemic to create some fantastic opportunities for our fans.”

Paul Gouge, chief executive of Playdemic, added: “Burnley FC is a great club with a rich history so we are very proud to be a partner for the 2017/2018 Premier League season.

“We know that many football fans and players already love Golf Clash and we are excited that many more will learn about the game through this great partnership.”

RTE Sport and Newstalk retain European rugby radio rights in Ireland

Familiar voices will convey the emotion and excitement of the European Rugby Champions Cup in Ireland after RTÉ Sport and Newstalk signed three-year radio rights deals with European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR).

The agreements, which run until the end of the 2019/20 season, will see further excellent coverage of the most compelling club rugby in the world which attracted more than one million spectators through the turnstiles last season with bumper attendances in Ireland as both Leinster Rugby and Munster Rugby reached the semi-finals.

EPCR Director General, Vincent Gaillard, said: “Being able to renew with trustworthy partners who recognise the quality rugby offered in European competitions is good news and that’s what we have with both RTÉ Sport and Newstalk.

“Rugby supporters across Europe enjoyed the passion generated by the Champions Cup last season in Ireland, which is a key market for us historically and symbolically, so we are delighted that fans will continue to enjoy such comprehensive coverage.”

RTÉ Group Head of Sport, Ryle Nugent, added: “We are delighted to continue our relationship with Europe’s premium rugby tournament. RTÉ Radio is looking forward to bringing expert commentary and analysis with Michael Corcoran and panellists including Donal Lenihan, Shane Byrne, Paddy Wallace and James Downey over the coming season. Coverage will be on both RTÉ Radio 1 and 2FM and listeners can expect an exciting tournament in the months ahead.”

The Champions Cup kicks off on Friday, 13 October when Ulster Rugby take on Wasps at the Kingspan Stadium live on RTÉ radio, who will also broadcast live coverage of Leinster Rugby’s home match against Montpellier in Pool 3 the following day.

At The Races launches betting & gaming TV spot advertising with major Ladbrokes/Coral deal

The UK’s most watched, dedicated horse racing channel, At The Races, has announced that it is to allow betting and gaming brands to take TV spot advertising for the first time on its broadcast service.

The company also announced a new, long term partnership with Ladbrokes/Coral that will see the bookmaker become one of the first betting brands to appear within commercial advertising breaks on the channel.

At The Races, majority owned by Sky and Arena Racing Company, broadcasts live racing from the UK and Ireland 363 days a year, as well as select international racing from the US, France, Australia and South Africa.

The channel has previously only hosted betting brands within its programme sponsorship portfolio. A dedicated, in house At The Races sales team is now offering TV spot airtime directly to clients in the betting and gaming sector as well as to their associated media planning and buying agencies.

Available in over 13 million UK and Irish households within basic Sky and Virgin Media subscription packages, At The Races has a monthly in-home reach of up to 2 million individuals (BARB/Nielsen). In addition, the channel is also broadcast by Sky in over 6,000 pubs and commercial premises.

At The Races Commercial Director, Tony Sweeney said: “We are delighted to be in a position to sell spot advertising to bookmakers and gaming companies. We already work with over 30 brands across TV sponsorship, digital assets and live video streaming services.

“This adds to the valuable marketing opportunities that we already offer to the bookmaking sector.”

Ladbrokes Coral Director of Marketing, Alexis Zamboglou said: “This is an excellent opportunity for us to reach a very targeted audience. At The Races is synonymous with horse racing and importantly, with betting.

“Its coverage not only contains live sporting events that are vital to our sportsbook, but is delivered in a manner that revolves around the punter.”

Audible becomes official partner of Virgin Money London Marathon

Audible has agreed a three-year deal to become an official partner of the Virgin Money London Marathon.

The start of the partnership has coincided with the announcement of the ballot results for the 2018 race, with thousands of participants set to discover whether they have secured a place in the iconic event.

A promotional campaign is in place to drive participants to download marathon related content from the Audible website while a selection of audiobooks, programmes and celebrity content will be tailored specifically for marathon runners.

Hugh Brasher, event director for the Virgin Money London Marathon, said: “The partnership with Audible will enable us to offer our runners – and aspiring runners – a fantastic new training tool. We are looking forward to working with the Audible team to create inspiring original content for our runners which will help them prepare for their marathon effort on Sunday 22 April.”

Tracey Markham, UK country manager at Audible, said: “The London Marathon is one of the UK’s greatest sporting institutions, so needless to say we’re really excited to support their work as their debut listening partner.

“Audio is such an important part of so many peoples’ exercise routine; there’s nothing like Naomi Alderman’s Zombies, Run! to help you pick up the pace, or a live recording from this year’s Fringe Festival to turn stitches into side-splitters.

“We’ve got lots of exciting things planned which’ll be sure to inspire and entertain runners of all levels.”

Cardiff City announce betting partnership with K8.com

Championship football club Cardiff City has announced an exclusive betting partnership with K8.com.

The deal will see K8.com betting booths located around the Welsh side’s stadium while supporters will also be able to take advantage of exclusive promotions.

Cardiff City Executive Director & CEO, Ken Choo, said “We’re delighted to have K8.com on board as our official betting partner for the 2017/18 season. I’m sure Cardiff City supporters will enjoy the competitions and ideas that they have lined up for them.”

Luke Gilsenan, K8.com Head of Marketing, added: “We are delighted to become the official betting partner of Cardiff City Football Club.

“With a loyal and passionate fan base and with the drive and ambition for promotion, this partnership will bring fantastic brand awareness for K8.com which is crucial for a new brand like ourselves. My aim is to reward Cardiff City fans with some great promotions – so keep your eyes peeled!”

England Rugby extend partnership with Rhino Rugby equipment

Rhino Rugby has been confirmed as the official supplier of training and technical equipment to England Rugby for a further three years.

The new deal will see the reigning Six Nations champions continue to use Rhino’s range of equipment up to and beyond the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan.

Rhino has been an official part of England’s support team for over 30 years and also supplied training equipment for the British & Irish Lions on the 2017 tour to New Zealand.

Rhino CEO, Reg Clark, said: “Rugby has changed a lot since we first started working together more than 30 years ago but, like England, we’ve continued to evolve and meet the training needs of world-class coaches and players.

“We’re very proud of our ongoing work with Eddie Jones and his team as they look to mount a serious challenge at Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan.”

England head coach, Eddie Jones, added: “Rhino’s technical equipment plays a great supporting role in preparing the team for international rugby.”

Uber agrees sponsorship deals with Atlético Mineiro and Cruzeiro

Uber has agreed sponsorship deals with Brazilian football clubs Atlético Mineiro and Cruzeiro.

The transportation app’s logo will occupy the advertising number space on Mineiro’s shirts while Cruzeiro will carry Uber branding on the front of their shorts.

Fans of both clubs will also have access to special Uber promotions, including discounted fares from trips to and from fixtures.

Ruddy Wang, director of Uber in the region of Minas Gerais, said: “Every week, we see as fans of the Rooster (Atlético Mineiro) go from Uber to the stadium.

“It is a great pleasure to be able to celebrate and support, to some extent, this champion team.”

A Cruzeiro statement read: “For the club, this is an important partnership and a way to ensure that fans will have a reliable and practical way to get to the stadium on game days.”

Chelsea Football Club name Star Beer as official Nigerian beer partner

Premier League club Chelsea has today announced Star Beer as the team’s official Nigerian beer partner.

The agreement will see Nigeria’s leading beer brand added to the west London outfit’s expanding family of partners. As part of the agreement, Star will sell Chelsea-branded bottles throughout Nigeria.

Chris Townsend, Chelsea FC commercial director, said: “We are very happy to begin this partnership with Star, a leading brand in a country fanatical about football.

“We believe this alliance will further help us grow our fanbase throughout Nigeria, while allowing Star to become even more appealing to consumers through their links with the Premier League champions.”

Franco María Maggi, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, added: “The partnership with Chelsea provides us with a remarkable platform to broaden the brand’s profile and its values, while giving us another opening to create distinctive and shining experiences for football fans and Star lager consumers.

Chelsea boast a large fanbase in Nigeria, with more than two million Facebook followers in the African network plus a dedicated network of supporters who regularly visit the club’s official website.