Lionel Nessie makes debut for Inverness
By David Owen
March 27 – Hats off to Scottish second-tier club Inverness Caledonian Thistle for what must be the classiest intervention of the season in the often dubious field of football club mascots.
Football Marketing
Portugal fuelled by second World Cup sponsor from China, Eastroc Super Drink
March 26 – European Champions Portugal have added a second national team sponsor from China for the 2018 Russia World Cup. Eastroc Super Drink with be the Portuguese team’s Official Energy Drink.
Atletico build on Wanda connection with office openings in China
March 26 – LaLiga club Atletico de Madrid is flexing its Chinese muscle with the opening of two offices in the Chinese cities of Beijing and the other in Chengdu.
Sponsorship: Betting brands look for more value from club deals
By Paul Nicholson
March 22 – Betting brands and football club sponsorship are tightly linked but while the clubs have an appetite for the betting company money, the brands question how much clubs really want to engage with them.
LaLiga builds on MTN partnership adding Ivory Coast to its Africa coverage
21 March – LaLiga has expanded its regional sponsorship coverage with telecoms giant MTN Group into Africa. MTN Ivory Coast joins the company’s Iranian subsidiary MTN Irancell as a regional sponsor of the Spanish league.
Chelsea and San Francisco 49ers go full STEAM ahead on educational hook-up
March 22 – NFL club San Francisco 49ers have announced an education partnership aimed at young people with Premier League Chelsea, working through their teaching focussed affiliates – the EDU Academy for the 49ers and The Chelsea Foundation.
Inter Milan add ninth Academy venture with Budapest partnership
March 21 – Italian Serie A giant Internazionale have launched another academy set up in another country. Following hard on the heels of new Inter Academy openings in Lebanon and Indonesia over the past four week, comes Inter’s foray into in Budapest, Hungary.
Chinese sponsors pick Belgium and Portugal in new approach to Russia 2018 marketing
March 19 – China’s rapidly growing interest in football has seen a new twist to its sponsorship involvement with Hangzhou Wahaha Group becoming an official sponsor of the Portuguese national team and Sichuan Changhong Electric Co. becoming a sponsor of the Belgian team.
Data gurus and bookies to focus on increased stats usage at Betting on Football
March 15 – The use of match stats in broadcast and turning the betting experience into a more immersed entertainment activity will be discussed at the Betting on Football conference, March 20-23, at Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge stadium.
Desports agency to lead expansion in China and Hong Kong
March 15 – France’s leading club, Paris Saint-Germain has signed an exclusive sponsorhip and licensing rights representation deal in both China and Hong Kong with Desports, one of Asia’s leading sports marketing agencies.
New Balance turn FC Porto kit sponsorship into a 10-year deal
March 14 – New Balance has extended its kit supply deal with FC Porto through to the end of the 2024/25, a deal that will see it supply the current Portuguese league leaders for 10 years.
Bundesliga teams with Lagardère and Supponor for virtual ads on international broadcasts
March 14 – The Bundesliga is to introduce virtual advertising over its international broadcast feeds from the start of next season.
Challenging stereotypes: Barca’s women’s team tooled up with Stanley Black & Decker
March 8 – Championing equality in all forms of life, workperson’s tools and security brand Stanley Black & Decker have announced they have extended their sponsorship of FC Barcelona, adding the club’s Women’s team to its sponsorship portfolio.
Kia puts its Europa League sponsorship into top gear at Geneva motor show
March 8 – The Europa League is widely regarded as the poorer sister of the Champions League but UEFA is taking every opportunity to promote its partnerships in the competition.
Barclays to go on the road with Manchester City this summer in the US
March 7 – Manchester City have signed former Premier League naming rights partner Barclays as the Club’s Official Banking & Credit Card Tour Partner in a regional deal. The Barclays logo will feature on the back of the team’s shirt during pre-season matches in the US this summer.