Sheffield United unveil USG as main sponsor
June 26 – Premier League newcomers Sheffield United have signed a three-year shirt sponsorship with Australian foreign exchange and CFD brokerage USG.
Football Marketing
Ajax tunes-up Ziggo shirt deal with option to run until 2024
June 26 – Following on from the success of their deep run in the Champions League where they exited in the semi finals, Ajax have renewed their contract with their main shirt sponsor Ziggo for a further two years with an option to add two more.
Arkema expand in women’s game with naming rights to French top flight
June 24 – French chemicals firm Arkema has taken a deeper step into the women’s game in France by picking up the title sponsor of Division 1 Féminine in a three-year deal.
Mbappé scents a deal and brings PSG along for the ride
June 19 – Just as PSG boss Nasser Al-Khelaifi was announcing a crackdown on the cult of the playboy personality at his club, it was announced that men’s skincare brand, Bulk Homme, had signed a sponsorship deal driven by the club’s now biggest star Kylian Mbappé.
Man City widens the education picture with YuYuan hook-up
June 18 – Manchester City owner City Football Group has added an unual partnership in the form YuYuan Art with will become the club’s Official Art, Culture & Football Education Partner.
Saudis turning on to women’s football. beoutQ pirates the whole of France 2019 for them
By Paul Nicholson
June 15 – It would not be a major football tournament these days if it wasn’t being stolen for television by a Saudi-based broadcaster. The country that doesn’t allow women in its stadiums is nevertheless taking the women’s World Cup so seriously that it is allowing the piracy of every game from France 2019 on the beoutQ channels.
Shape-shifting: Serie A boss slams BeoutQ piracy putting into question Saudi SuperCup deal
June 14 – The CEO of Italy’s Serie A has issued a powerful endorsement of beIN Sports in its battle against the copyright theft of Saudi Arabian-based BeoutQ that has been stealing the Qatari broadcasters’ live broadcasts and retransmitting on its own networks.
Rights seller turned broadcaster. UEFA.tv debuts with Bundesliga content
June 14 – UEFA has officially unveiled its new Over The Top (OTT) streaming platform – UEFA.tv – a bespoke platform built for the governing body that will be a mix of archive content and current UEFA competitions.
VBET take 3-year punt on Arsenal. Parlour to front content
June 14 – Arsenal have signed VBET as the club’s Official Betting and Gaming Partner in a partnership, which will run until 2022.
BR88 buy into Aston Villa’s Premier League future, for a year
June 14 – Aston Villa, £170 million play-off winners, have moved swiftly to sign their first sleeve sponsor. Asian betting firm BR88 will take the position in a one-year deal.
Uber Eats take a €32m bite of Ligue 1 naming rights
June 14 – France’s Professional Football League (LFP) has announced food delivery service Uber Eats as the new naming rights sponsor of Ligue 1.
Fiat drives new 4-year deal with Italian FA
June 13 – Fiat has renewed its sponsorship with the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) for another four years.
Alipay launches UEFA app opening up Euro 2020 tickets to Chinese fans
June 12 – Alipay, the world’s leading digital payment and lifestyle platform with more than 1 billion users, has activated its European partnership with a new UEFA lifestyle ‘mini-app’.
Adidas get shirty over Spanish FA’s attempt to end kit deal 7 years early
June 11 – Adidas has announced it is starting legal proceeding against the Spanish FA (RFEF) for seeking early termination of their kit partnership that runs through to 2026.
Amazon doc to focus on Bielsa, Leeda, spygate and play-off heartbreak
June 11 – Fly-on-the-wall documentaries charting the seasons (and generally struggles) of fallen giants battling to return to former glories makes popular television. English Championship club Leeds United look set to become the latest English club to feature in an Amazon documentary series.