New Balance expand in Russia with FC Rubin kit deal
September 14 – New Balance has expanded into Russia with the its first kit deal with a Russian Super League club FC Rubin.
Football Marketing
EFL ties up £600m Sky deal and opens up live streaming market in UK
By Paul Nicholson
September 13 – Sky and the English Football League (EFL) have agreed a five-year £600 million broadcasting deal starting with the 2019/20 season.
Real Madrid enter theme park business in China with Lai Sun Group
September 13 – Real Madrid have partnered with Lai Sun Group to create a presence at a Chinese theme park in a cultural development in Hengqin, China.
Nissan drives hard for Asia and innovation with Champions League renewal
By Paul Nicholson
September 11 – With the first round of Champions League fixtures kicking off this week, Japan’s motor company Nissan has confirmed a three-year extension to its global sponsorship, taking it through to the end of the 2020/21 season.
CSL’s Beijing Guoan widens commercial base under Sinobo majority ownership
September 11 – Chinese sponsorship of its Super League clubs is showing signs of growth beyond its traditional single benefactor status, where the main sponsor is generally the business owning the club and often has the company name branded into the club’s identity.
MRF scores hat-trick of Newcastle, West Ham and West Brom sleeve sponsorships
September 9 – Indian tyre brand MRF has signed a hat-trick of sleeve sponsorships in the Premier League signing Newcastle United, West Ham United, and West Bromwich Albion in one-season deals taking them through to May 2018.
Brighton debut with JD sports as first sleeve sponsor
September 8 – Sports fashion retailer JD has become the first shirt sleeve sponsor of Premier League new boys Brighton & Hove Albion in an initial one season deal. No value was given for the sponsorship.
Inter Milan and Japan’s iCure link for Inter Health Academy project
September 7 – Inter Milan have hooked up with Japanese company iCure to share best practices in the field of physiotherapy and rehabilitation as part of the Inter Academy Health project.
Facebook opens up new commercial opportunities for football’s rightsholders
By Paul Nicholson at Soccerex, Manchester
September 4 – Facebook is coming of age as a serious marketing and broadcast option for football’s rights holders. Speaking at the Soccerex Global Convention that opened in Manchester today Jerry Newman, Facebook’s Sport Partnership Lead for EMEA, told clubs and leagues, “don’t procrastinate. Get out there.”
Subbuteo licenses Champions League marks as federation schedules Euro club competition
September 4 – Subbuteo is back and now with a European dimension with UEFA having licensed a Champions League edition of the table football game with Spanish owners Eleven Force. Meanwhile Subbuteo’s world body – Fédération Internationale de Sport Football de Table (FISTF) – has announced it will be staging its own 2017 European Champions League of Table Football on October 28 – 29 in Rochefort, Belgium.
Real Madrid test Facebook’s latest Watch platform with behind-the-scenes doco series
September 1 – Real Madrid has teamed up with GoPro to produce an eight-part behind the scenes documentary – Hala Madrid – that will broadcast on Facebook’s new Watch video platform in the US.
Chinese change Inter Milan ‘culture’ bringing in bwin as first betting partner
By Mark Baber
September 1 – Inter Milan’s long refusal to get entangled with betting companies is now at an end as the Chinese-owned club has signed online bookmaker bwin as its first official betting partner.
Aston Villa drive to take the pain out of matchday travel for fans
September 1 – English Championship club Aston Villa, who have geared up for a promotion push back to the Premier League after a season in the second tier, have introduced a new dedicated travel service to get season ticket holders to Villa Park.
Sportito targets Germany first in Euro roll-out of its DFS platform
August 31 – Sportito Daily Fantasy Sports is to launch its full gaming offering in Germany following the acquisition of a gambling licence from the Malta Gaming Authority.
AirGoal extends China deal to first team as Uzbeks land in Wuhan in chase of 2018 spot
August 31 – The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has announced AirGoal as the new equipment supplier for China’s national team.