The Irish Rugby Football Union and Intersport Elverys announced a partnership that will see the nationwide chain of sports stores become the official sports retailer of the IRFU for the next three years. Intersport Elverys was also announced as the official sponsor of the Ireland Sevens teams (Irish Rugby).
Wales Rugby League announced its deal with My Club Betting, its front of shirt sponsor for the World Cup, is the governing body's biggest commercial sponsor of all time. It is the fourth season My Club Betting will be WRL's primary sponsor and will put the Dragons.bet logo on the shirt instead of its own (WRL).
Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven announced a sponsorship deal with Wellbet to become the club's Asian betting partner. The new partnership is for three seasons. Wellbet is the "first Asian-focused operator to sign such a deal with any club from the Benelux region" (GAMBLING INSIDER, 10/24).
Eredivisie side Feyenoord entered a strategic partnership with Chinese Super League side Chongqing Dangdai Lifan. The two clubs will "cooperate in youth training and player exchanges for an undisclosed period of time." The financial terms of the deal have not been made public (SOCCEREX, 10/26).
League Championship side Sheffield United "teamed up" with Kingfield Care Group to provide a section of the ground accessible for fans with any form of disability. The Sheffield-based care group agreed to a two-year, five-figure deal "with the aim to provide care services for both adults and the elderly, in some safe and contemporary surroundings" (BDAILY, 10/26).
The Indonesia Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC) reached a deal with six state-owned companies to sponsor next year's Games. INASGOC will receive a combined 500B rupiah ($36.6M) injection from the companies, which include Telkom, phone operator Telkomsel, oil and gas company Pertamina, Bank Rakyat Indonesia, Bank Negara Indonesia and Bank Mandiri (JAKARTA GLOBE, 10/26).
Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli was ranked above Barcelona's Lionel Messi as "one of the most valuable brands among sports athletes by Forbes." Kohli is ranked seventh in the list released by Forbes ahead of Messi, "who is at ninth." Roger Federer tops the list with a brand value of $37.2M, followed by LeBron James with $33.4M and Usain Bolt with $27M (HINDUSTAN TIMES, 10/26).
