Super League Signs Three-Year Title Sponsorship With Betfred

Super League has a new title sponsor "after announcing a three-year deal with Betfred," according to SPORTING LIFE. The betting company takes over from First Utility, which had a three-year contract end after last Saturday's Grand Final at Old Trafford. The announcement "marks a complete U-turn" by the governing body, coming five years after Super League clubs "voted narrowly to reject an offer from Betfair" thought to be worth £750,000 ($912,600) a year. Now betting companies "will have their names attached to both major competitions," with Ladbrokes sponsoring the Challenge Cup as well as the 2016 Four Nations Series. The deal with Betfred, which also sponsors the World Snooker Championship, "is thought to be worth" between £850,000 ($1M) and £900,000 ($1.1M) a year, compared to around £750,000 a year from First Utility. Betfred is the "seventh different title sponsor of Super League since its formation" in '96 under the backing of Stones Bitter (SPORTING LIFE, 10/15).