The Rugby Football Union announced a long-term partnership with online payment processing company Secure Trading. The four-year agreement will see Secure Trading become the principal partner to England sevens and the front-of-shirt sponsor of the men’s and women’s senior England sevens squads. Secure Trading will also sponsor the RFU's grassroots initiative, "24/Sevens," which launched in '16 (RFU).
A deal is "yet to be agreed" but Under Armour is in "pole position" to become Man City's next kit supplier. Under Armour, which opened offices in Manchester, is "keen on adding a top English football club" to its portfolio -- it is being replaced by Nike at Tottenham and lost out to the same company at Chelsea -- and Man City is the "obvious fit" when its Nike agreement expires at the end of next season (London DAILY MAIL, 5/5).
Esports' "allure has finally pricked the ears of consumer goods marketers." Mattress brand Casper, a name "one might not associate with gaming, has forged a relationship with Fnatic," one of the largest esports teams in the world. Casper is one of a "handful of mattress brands to have sprung up in the last five years" as an ecommerce-driven, direct-to-consumer alternative to the anonymous labels carried by the likes of Dreams and Warren Evans. Casper co-Founder & European Managing Dir Constantin Eis said, "Esports is a category which, like us, is very, very young" (THE DRUM, 5/5).
Telecom Robi will continue as the Bangladesh national cricket team's sponsor after the Bangladesh Cricket Board awarded the brand the sponsorship rights as the "highest bidder." BCB Marketing & Commercial Committee Chair Kazi Inam Ahmed did not "disclose the exact amount" the BCB will receive (THE DAILY STAR, 5/5).
The Int'l Surfing Association and the Association of Paddlesurf Professionals World Tour announced a partnership to develop the sport of standup paddle worldwide. The ISA will take a minority ownership in the APP World Tour and sanction all APP World Tour events (ISA).
The French Handball Federation (FFHB) and French bus company Isilines announced a three-year partnership. The deal sees Isilines as the official bus of the French national men’s team through ’20 (Isilines).
