Spurs extend FUN88 sponsorship deal for Asia and Latin America
April 15 – Tottenham Hotspur has extended its deal with online gaming brand FUN88 which stays as the club’s Official Betting Partner in Asia and Latin America.
Football Marketing
Ayr United take bitcoin payment for new BCH shirt sponsorship
April 13 – Scottish League 1 side Ayr United have landed a global first with their new shirt sponsor paying in bitcoin.
Manchester City builds on-line gaming presence in Korea with Nexon deal
April 12 – Korean gaming company Nexon has become Manchester City’s official social football gaming partner in South Korea. Nexon already has a partnership with Manchester United that was signed in 2015.
Kathy Carter to quit lead role at US soccer marketing agency SUM
April 10 – Kathy Carter is to leave her position as president of Soccer United Marketing (SUM), the commercial marketing arm of soccer in the United States, driving sales for the MLS and the U.S. Soccer Federation.
Arkema signs as first national sponsor for France 2019 Women’s World Cup
April 10 – The Women’s World Cup France 2019 has opened its sponsorship account with French chemicals company Arkema becoming the first national sponsor for the tournament.
France’s Ligue 1 secures deal with Chinese state TV giant CCTV
April 9 – France’s Ligue 1 and broadcast distribution partner beIN SPORTS have signed a major TV deal in China that will see the league broadcast across terrestrial and digital channels with state broadcaster CCTV.
Arbeloa enters e-sports business with stake in Madrid-based Origen team
April 6 – The attraction of e-sports has snared another football big name. Former Real Madrid, Liverpool and West Ham star Álvaro Arbeloa is partnering with League of Legends team Origen.
Feeling the love: Man City hook up with Tinder for global dalliance
April 5 – Manchester City and Tinder have turned their courtship into a multi-year partnership in a deal that will also see the dating platform connect with sister club New York City FC in the MLS.
Man Utd in credit in China with new PingAn hook-up
April 4 – Manchester United fans in China will be able to apply for a club branded credit card as part of a new sponsorship agreement with Chinese banking group, PingAn Bank.
Tipico extends naming rights deal with Austrian Bundesliga
April 4 – The Austrian Bundesliga has announced and extension of their main sponsorship with sports betting company Tipico for at least two years from the summer of 2018.
China’s Wuhan adds LaLiga rights as its Nice Sports agency expands remit
April 4 – China’s Wuhan DDMC Culture Co has added a second Big 5 European league to its broadcast rights portfolio, acquiring Spain’s La Liga for the country.
SEAT belt up for a Spain’s Russia 2018 journey
March 29 – Spanish car maker SEAT has expanded its sponsorship with the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) to encompass the men’s national team at the 2018 Russia World Cup.
Man City top web ranking of clubs by language, Barca, Bayern and Olympiakos follow
March 28 – ‘Think global act local’ is an ad agency rallying cry from the 1980s but it is still relevant today in an increasingly globalised commercial and media landscape. But how far do clubs, eager for global fans and regional sponsors, go locally?
Palestinian clubs pressure Adidas over Israeli FA sponsorship
March 28 – More than 130 Palestinian football clubs and sports associations have called on German sportswear manufacturer Adidas to end its sponsorship of the Israel Football Association (IFA) over the thorny issue of Israeli league clubs based in settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Lionel Nessie makes debut for Inverness
By David Owen
March 27 – Hats off to Scottish second-tier club Inverness Caledonian Thistle for what must be the classiest intervention of the season in the often dubious field of football club mascots.