Jaguars Owner Shahid Khan announced that Fulham FC, the English soccer club he owns, "would be sponsored by Visit Florida," which is the tourism arm of the state, according to Jim Turner in a special to the FLORIDA TIMES-UNION. Visit Florida CMO Paul Phipps said that the one-year jersey deal is in the "high six-figures" and "expected to generate" an ROI of 3:1. Phipps added that increasing the number of British tourists "could be worth" up to $200M. He said, "We will watch closely how this moves the needle. If it works, we’re going to keep doing it, and if it doesn’t we’ll do something else." Phipps said that the agency "looked at other clubs, such as Manchester United, where sponsorship could run as high" as $40M, "and determined the return from a high-profile top-division team wasn’t worth the cost." Fulham "had been sponsored the past two seasons" by gaming site Marathonbet (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 8/12). Visit Florida also will have signage rights and be featured on the Riverside Stand roof at Craven Cottage on the leading approach from London's Heathrow Airport. Meanwhile, Fulham signed financial services firm Qualco as the club's designated credit management partner this season. The club also signed a two-year deal with betting firm Coral, with an option for a third year. That deal designates Coral as sponsor of the Putney End Stand at Craven Cottage. Coral also will provide betting services at the venue on matchdays (Fulham).
