Surrey CCC Signs Xbox As Sponsor For T20 Cricket

Surrey County Cricket Club has named Xbox as the new sponsor of the Kia Oval’s Vitality Blast T20 cricket competition.

The Family Zone provides a dedicated recreation and dining area for families. Fans can play games such as Forza Horizon 4 on Xbox Game Pass for Console, a monthly membership which includes over 100 high-quality console games for just £7.99 a month.

Richard Thompson, Chairman of Surrey CCC, said: “London’s is the world’s biggest sporting city and T20 cricket has been its fastest growing success in recent years. Attracting one of the world’s biggest brands to sponsor the Family Zone at the Kia Oval is yet another sign of the phenomenal interest T20 cricket is generating – and as the pioneers of ‘Kids for a Quid’ the Kia Oval has become the destination of choice for summer sport in the capital.

“Over the last four years we have welcomed more than 500,000 fans to T20 matches – and the Family Zone has allowed thousands of children to be introduced to cricket in a safe environment with fun games, visits from players and the chance to be inspired by our great game. Partnering with Xbox will help us take the Family Zone to the next level as we look to continue the runaway success of the Kia Oval as the home of T20 cricket.”

Norwich City Signs Record Deal With Dafabet

Premier League club Norwich City has signed a ‘record breaking shirt’ sponsorship deal with Asian betting platform Dafabet.

As part of the deal, Dafabet will feature on all three of the club’s new kit designs, with branding to also appear on the City Stand and around Carrow Road – with the home kit to be launched on Saturday (6th July) and available to buy from 9am.

Ben Kensell, the Canaries’ chief operating officer, said: “This really is an exceptional deal for Norwich City Football Club. Not only is it the most lucrative partnership the club has ever had by some way, this partnership alongside our commercial operation allows us to be materially more competitive as a self-financed club. Something we are constantly striving to be in everything we do.

“Securing shirt sponsorships at this level is of vital importance and with Dafabet’s history and longevity in sports sponsorship, we have an excellent partner to join us on our journey. We are delighted to be partnered with a top class and respected brand, synonymous with football and sporting sponsorships.”

Dafabet chief executive Dimitris Karatzas said: “Everyone at Dafabet is delighted that we are now to be associated with Norwich City Football Club. We are proud of our past association with the Premier League, but we are even more proud to begin the new season with a partner steeped in history and tradition and a club that is highly respected for its sporting values. For us, this is the start of a very long relationship.”

 

Arsenal To Continue With Konami As Gaming Partner

Arsenal FC has extended its global partnership with Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. (Konami) for three-years.

Konami originally joined as Arsenal’s Official Football Video Game Partner in 2017 and this upgraded partnership will now run until June 2022.

As part of the extension, Konami will have increased access to the first team players and club Legends, as well as a larger digital, social and matchday presence.

Arsenal Commercial Director Peter Silverstone, said: “We are delighted to be extending our global partnership with KONAMI. Now in our third year, our relationship continues to go from strength to strength. We are excited to work with KONAMI to further engage our huge global fanbase and give them the opportunity to experience the players, Legends and Emirates Stadium so accurately within eFootball PES 2020.”

Konami Digital Entertainment B.V. Senior Director Brand & Business Development, Jonas Lygaard, said: “We’re delighted to announce the extension of our long-running partnership with one of the biggest and most successful football clubs in the world. Building on our existing relationship, we look forward to working even closer with The Gunners, who will be featured extensively in eFootball PES 2020.”

Tokyo 2020 Onboards Google As An Official Supporter

The organising committee for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games has named Google as an official supporter.

As an official supporter, Google will be on the third domestic tier of the Tokyo 2020 sponsorship programme. Google has been assigned the ‘internet-based information and navigation services’ sponsorship category.

The total number of Tokyo 2020 domestic partners are now 64, including 15 gold partners, 32 official partners and 17 official supporters.

Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori said: “We are delighted to welcome Google, a company which provides various services including internet search, online maps and language translation, as an official supporter. With their support, we expect the Tokyo 2020 Games, which will attract people from all over the world, to generate even more excitement.”

John Coates, the IOC’s Coordination Commission chief for Tokyo 2020 said: “This equates to revenues exceeding $3bn from national partnerships. That is an amazing amount of money. This does not include the partnerships with Toyota, Bridgestone and Panasonic and their contribution to the TOP programme.”

Clipper Race To Sail With WTC Logistics And ChartCo For 2019-20 Edition

Clipper Round the World Yacht Race has named two British brands i.e. WTC Logistics and ChartCo as partners for the 2019-20 edition.

WTC Logistics will be making its debut as Logistics Partner with a Team entry and ChartCo is returning as Official Supplier.

WTC Logistics will ensure that the four containers, packed with supplies, tools, and equipment, reach each of the stopovers ahead of the fleets arrival.

ChartCo will support the eleven strong fleet of Clipper 70s with global paper charts, piloting books and technical publications, as well as experienced compliance services.

Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Clipper Race Founder and Chairman, said: “Our long standing partnership with ChartCo demonstrates that its industry-leading products and services continue to evolve and meet the demands and development of a global yacht race on the scale such as the Clipper Race.”

FC Barcelona Partners Roblox To Attract Younger Generation

FC Barcelona has joined forces with Roblox, the digital platform for the creation of online video games for children and teens with the aim to connect with younger fans.

Roblox users will be able to choose from either the “Elite Playmaker” or “Elite Striker” avatar bundles featuring the new Barça jersey.

Dídac Lee, FC Barcelona board member and head of Digital Area said: “We are proud to promote this innovative project that will blaze a trail in the world of football. It will enable us to bring FC Barcelona closer to millions of children and teenagers around the world in a way that is authentic to them, all the while helping to foster their creativity through a unique gaming experience.

“In the FC Barcelona Digital Area, we firmly believe that the best way to connect and generate engagement with our audience is by creating new communication channels to enable interaction across the digital realm, entertainment and sport. This is the first of many initiatives that we will be presenting shortly”.

Craig Donato, Chief Business Officer at Roblox said: “Roblox and FC Barcelona both deeply believe in the power of play to foster creativity and bring together a diverse and talented community. We’re thrilled our global community of millions of players can show their support for FC Barcelona by customizing their avatars with these awesome new Barça 2019 kits.”

Fed Cup Changes Format With More Countries Taking Part

The ITF has announced a new ‘World Cup of Tennis’ format for the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, including the launch of the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Finals in Budapest, Hungary on 14-19 April 2020.

The Finals will be staged at the Laszlo Papp Budapest Sports Arena on clay on two match courts for three years, 2020-22.

The new format will see an increase from eight to 20 nations competing each year to become world champions, with 12 nations qualifying for the Fed Cup Finals where they will compete for a total prize fund of $18 million, with $12 million going to players and $6 million to National Associations.

The Finals will feature a round-robin format with four groups of three teams, followed by knock-out semi-finals and final. The top two nations will be guaranteed a place in the following year’s Finals, while the nations finishing 3rd-10th will contest the following year’s Qualifiers. All matches will consist of two singles and one doubles.

The new format was approved by the ITF Board following an extensive review and consultation process with National Associations, Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and WTA Player Council. The format respects the existing women’s tennis calendar by reducing Fed Cup to two weeks of competition in existing Fed Cup weeks, and supporting player health through the extension of the off season by moving the Finals from November to April.

There will be no change to the format of the regional group events, which will continue to consist of week-long round-robin tournaments. With the expansion of the elite level of the competition, the number of nations qualifying from the regional Group I events for the Fed Cup Play-offs has doubled from four to eight. These nations will face the eight losing nations from the Fed Cup Qualifiers to earn a place in the following year’s Qualifiers.

Balazs Furjes, Hungarian Secretary of State of Budapest’s Development and International Sports Events, said: “The announcement of Budapest as host for the new Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Finals is the jewel in the crown of the city’s global tennis ambitions and underlines our status as one of the prime global capitals of sport.”

ITF President, David Haggerty, said: “The launch of the Fed Cup by BNP Paribas Finals will create a festival of tennis that elevates this flagship women’s team competition to a new level, yet remains loyal to the historic core of the Fed Cup. We have consulted and listened to stakeholders and worked with the WTA and its Player Council to make sure the new format represents the interests of the players.

“We pledged to our National Associations during the 2018 AGM that we would introduce reforms that will grow the competition’s global audience and enable greater investment into the future of the sport. We believe this bold new Fed Cup format delivers this pledge.”

Billie Jean King, recently announced as Global Ambassador for Fed Cup by BNP Paribas, said; “Fed Cup has evolved since I was part of the first winning team in 1963 but it has always remained true to its roots. These reforms are historic as they reflect the ITF’s commitment to unlocking the Fed Cup’s huge potential, hosting a competition with prize money deserving of the world’s best women’s tennis teams and players. It is an honour to be part of the next evolution of the greatest event in women’s team tennis.”

FEI To Continue Keeping Time With Longines

FEI has renewed its long-term title partnership with Longines for FEI Jumping World Cup North American League.

Under the new agreement, there will be implementation of a new format and structure of the series. Among the planned innovations, the series will feature eight top-class events, all at a minimum 4 level, with live broadcast at each venue. The TV coverage of the series will be distributed internationally.

FEI President, Ingmar De Vos said: “This new extended agreement with Longines reinforces our joint commitment to grow the North American League series and invest in the development of sport in the region, while continuing to raise the profile of Jumping around the world.

“With Longines as the title partner, we have the perfect brand alignment to benefit this League and the global series over the coming years. We are delighted with the ongoing confidence Longines has put in our sport.”

Matthieu Baumgartner, Longines Vice President Marketing said: “We are delighted to renew our association with the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup North American League, of which we have been the title partner, Official Timekeeper and Watch since its inception in 2015.

“We are committed to supporting the development and promotion of the jumping discipline across North America and are looking forward to taking part in the upcoming season comprising eight legs, each of them promising great sports performance”.

Ajax Renews Shirt Sponsorship Deal With Ziggo

Dutch soccer club Ajax has renewed partnership with Dutch operator Ziggo until 2024.

As part of the deal, Ziggo will continue to be the club’s main shirt sponsor and will now also provide exclusive Ajax content via Ziggo Sport. It will continue to receive prominent branding across Ajax’s physical and digital assets.

Edwin van der Sar, Ajax chief executive, said: “We are very grateful to Ziggo for the trust placed in us and the way in which they, as the main sponsor, give substance to our cooperation. Ziggo will also organise several activities and promotions for our fans this season.”

Marcel de Groot, Vodafone-Ziggo director, said: “With our new partnership, customers can now enjoy Ajax even more than before. From unique win promotions, with ultimate Ajax experiences such as the ‘Golden Seats’, to exclusive Ajax content on Ziggo Sport. Think of the weekly program Inside Ajax, but also the live broadcasts of European preliminaries and practice duels.”

Birmingham 2022 Sets Cost-Saving Budget For Commonwealth Games

Birmingham 2022 Budget announcement has confirmed decrease in Commonwealth Games costs.

The cost of delivering the Commonwealth Games, and associated public funding, has been managed down whilst investment in long-term infrastructure and capital projects in Birmingham and the West Midlands is being accelerated.

The announcement of £778 million of public funding comprises contributions towards Games operational costs and additional legacy investments, that have been brought forward for the Games, such as long-term capital infrastructure. The total public investment confirmed for Birmingham is significantly lower than the previous Commonwealth Games on Australia’s Gold Coast in 2018, which totalled £967m.

CGF Chief Executive David Grevemberg CBE said: “We are delighted to have confirmation of the Birmingham 2022 budget, which reinforces the Commonwealth Games’ position as a cost-efficient multi-sport event focused on delivering long-term benefits for the host city and region.

“An important element of the budget detail is the significant decrease in direct Games delivery costs compared to Gold Coast 2018. A key focus since the launch of our strategic plan, Transformation 2022, has been to continually enhance the appeal and social impact of the Commonwealth Games, but also buck the global trend of rising Games delivery costs. Thanks to extensive partnership working and our new delivery model, we are pleased to see the operational costs come down and the value of the event to the host city and region fully maximised.

“Today’s announcement provides operational certainty for a spectacular celebration of sport, business and culture in just over three years’ time; but also unlocks significant investment in transformational infrastructure and legacy initiatives that will benefit Birmingham and the West Midlands for generations to come.”