Football Federation Australia Loses Major Sponsor Hyundai

Football Federation Australia is "set to suffer" a further A$6M ($3.9M) blow to its bottom line next season after losing major sponsor Hyundai, which will end its 15-year partnership with FFA after this season's delayed A-League grand final. Hyundai chose not to renew the naming rights deal in place since the league's inception in '05, leaving FFA in the "unenviable position of searching for a new major sponsor in the midst of an economic downturn." FFA has lost three other sponsors in the past year and is "facing the prospect of broadcaster Fox Sports walking away from its TV deal," which is worth close to A$60M ($39M) a year. A-League sources suggested they were informed of Hyundai's decision "several weeks ago, before businesses went into lockdown in March," and have already begun searching for a new naming-rights partner (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 5/12).