Five of the "biggest European football clubs" -- Arsenal, Juventus, Real Madrid, Paris St. Germain and Man City -- have "announced their partnership with Nigerian beer Star," making the brand the "official beer partner" of all five clubs. The partnership will "give access to an archive of images and content from the respective clubs with an opportunity for Star to brand its bottles with logos of these clubs." The partnership, first of its kind in Nigeria by a beer brewery, "intends to see Star Lager actively engage consumers and fans with series of cross-promotional events and communication materials designed to enhance visibility of the European giants in Nigeria" (NAIJ, 8/31).
'FIRST-CLASS SERVICES': Former Southampton players Matt Le Tissier and Francis Benali will "become football agents after launching their own management company." The pair "have set up 73 Management." Former England int'l Le Tissier said, "Francis and I are keen to use our in-depth knowledge of the game, both from our playing days and subsequent coaching and media work, to mentor players and help them make the right decisions for their football careers." The company's name comes from the shirt numbers Le Tissier and Benali -- both now 47 -- "wore at Saints as they made over 900 top-flight appearances between them" (PA, 8/31).
FAI BETTING: The FA of Ireland has "announced that Ladbrokes will become its new official betting partner." Ladbrokes, which is also official betting partners of the FA, "will benefit from premium brand exposure" (EXTRA TIME, 8/31).
BINARY OPTIONS: Serie A side Bologna has signed a "major partnership" with U.K. binary options trading company ZoomTrader.com. The club will offer ZoomTrader TV-relevant advertising at the Stadio Renato Dall'Ara home ground, "as well as an allowance of hospitality tickets to matches." The duration of the deal "was not announced," and financial details "were also undisclosed" (SOCCEREX, 9/1).
BRINGING THE HEAT: Women's Big Bash League side Brisbane Heat resigned principal partner Epic Pharmacy. Epic Pharmacy confirmed it agreed to back the WBBL Heat for the next two years following the successful introduction of the competition last year. The renewal follows last month's announcement of financial services company CUA as new principal partner of the BBL Heat and major partner of the WBBL Heat (WBBL Heat).
MARKETPLACE BRIEFS ...
The National Basketball League and Amer Sports Australia (Wilson) announced that they have extended their partnership. Wilson will continue to provide the official game ball for all NBL games through '18, and introduce a new retail range of NBL-licensed basketballs. Rebel Sports will be stocking the NBL official game ball in selected stores from October, while Amart Sports will sell the NBL replica game ball in all of its stores (NBL).
Columbia Sportswear and ManU announced the release of a new line of outerwear for fans. Seventeen styles of jackets and shells for men, women and children are now available. The Columbia line for ManU includes styles suitable for wearing inside the stadium, during weekend adventures and on the high-street (Columbia).
The Asian Football Confederation has agreed to a deal with Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer to be the official timekeeper and watch of the AFC's national competitions including the 2018 World Cup Asian Qualifiers Final Round, the 2018 AFC Women's Asian Cup and the 2019 AFC Asian Cup (AFC).
EMC Corp. will elevate its role to become the title sponsor of the PGA Tour FedExCup Playoffs tournament beginning in '17. The tournament will continue as the second of four FedExCup Playoffs events with its traditional Monday finish on Labor Day weekend at TPC Boston. The official name of the tournament will be announced at a later date (EMC).
French telecom Orange announced on Wednesday it has become the principal sponsor of the men's and women's Belgian national basketball teams, the Belgian Lions and the Belgian Cats. Orange will also sponsor the top-tier Belgian national championship the Pro-League (Orange).
