National Rugby League Cronulla Sharks are without a naming-rights sponsor for its home ground after Toyota "ended its long-running association with the club," according to Adrian Proszenko of the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD. With more than a month until the NRL premiership kicks off, the club faces the prospect of also opening its campaign against the Gold Coast at home "without a front-of-jersey or sleeve sponsor." Toyota Stadium will now be known as Shark Stadium as officials "desperately try to attract a company prepared to take over the naming rights." The club is the only one "without a major sponsor" after it parted with Shark energy drinks at the end of last season. Cronulla Commercial Operations & Marketing GM Patrick Woods said that the team will be "working overtime to ensure the players do not run out in cleanskin jerseys against the Titans." Woods added, "But we won't be fire-saleing the jersey or fire-saleing the asset looking for a quick fix" (SMH, 1/27).

Dick Johnson's V8 Supercars team "faces an uncertain future after plunging into another financial crisis just a month before the start of the season," according to Mark Fogarty of THE AGE. Without major sponsorship and having lost a key investor, Dick Johnson Racing -- the longest established and one of the most popular teams in V8 racing -- "is on the brink amid claims that it doesn't have enough funding" to make the first event in Adelaide, Australia from Feb. 28 to March 3. An emergency meeting of the team's board of directors "will be held on Tuesday afternoon to decide how -- and if -- DJR can survive." The team must attract the minimum A$2M ($2.08M) in sponsorship or investment needed to field two Ford Falcons in the 14-event V8 championship (THE AGE, 1/28).