November 1 – Manchester United could never be accused of being asleep at the wheel when it comes to signing up new sponsor partners, but should they be tempted to doze off they have a new sponsor in China’s mattress and pillow brand Mlily who can make it a comfortable experience.
November 1 – Japanese car manufacturer Nissan, global sponsor of UEFA’s Champions League, has added some star power to its ‘Excitement’ advertising theme, naming Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale and Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero as the brands ‘Engineers of Excitement’.
October 27 – Manchester City have announced Valvoline as a new global partner in a “multi-year” agreement that will see Valvoline designated as the club’s ‘Official Automotive Lubricants Partner’.
October 19 – Manchester City turned British media heads when they travelled to Barcelona for their Champions League match. Gone was the (often) scruffy suit and tie look of overgrown schoolboys on tour and in came a modern, casually smart denim look. Even assistant manager Brian Kidd managed to carry off the style change.
October 18 – Adidas vs Nike or Man Utd vs Chelsea. The apparent ease with which Adidas let Nike takeover at Chelsea in a new £60 million per year, 15-year deal, suggests an even greater concentration by the sportswear sponsors on the mega club brands.
October 14 – Official gaming partner Marathonbet has launched an online Manchester United branded casino, the first live casino for a football club. Players can interact with dealers in real time in a virtual gaming environment that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
October 12 – Good wine matures with age and so do good sponsorship deals. Manchester United and Chilean wine producer Concha y Toro have renewed their global partnership for a further three years. No figure was announced for the sponsorship.
October 3 – Manchester City have extended their partnership with Vietnam’s Saigon Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank (SHB). The bank will continue as Manchester City’s Official Affinity Card Partner in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
September 29 – Manchester City have extended their five-year partnership with EA Sports. The video game developer will remain as the Club’s Official Gaming Partner.
September 21 – Online bookmaker Betway has added two more sponsorships to its football portfolio, expanding into the Belgian market with deals with top club RSC Anderlecht as well as the Belgian FA and Pro League for the Croky Cup.
September 20 – Serie A club Internazionale have named Hong Kong luxury car maker Infiniti as its Official Car for the 2016/17 season.
September 20 – Women’s football in Scotland has been given a boost with the addition of energy provider SSE as the first major sponsor of Scottish Women’s Football (SWF) in the country.
September 16 – Gillette has upgraded its regional sponsorship of FC Barcelona to become a global partner in a new three-year deal.
September 15 – Gaming console manufacturer PlayStation has launched its fourth season of sponsorship of the English Schools’ FA and the PlayStation®Schools’ Cup, the biggest grassroots football competition in England.
September 8 – Manchester United have upgraded regional partner Apollo Tyres into their ‘Global Tyre Partner’ in a new three-year deal.