By Alexander Krassimirov
August 6 – While one of Bulgaria’s leading clubs from Sofia, CSKA, is busy apologising for the behaviour of its fans at the weekend, the other, Levski Sofia, is busy signing a new major club sponsor for the coming season.
August 6 – The growing importance and wealth of the Chinese market has been underlined by a deal to broadcast Spanish matches in some 300 cities from this season.
August 6 – The TV bidding war between Sky Sports and BT Sport has been ratcheted up a notch with the former announcing it has renewed live coverage of Spain’s La Liga for the next three seasons.
By Paul Nicholson
August 6 – Yet another betting company club sponsorship deal has been announced in the English Premier League. This time it is the turn of Manchester United who have unveiled a multi-year deal with Marathonbet who will become the Club’s Official Global Betting Partner, excluding China and the US.
By Mark Baber
August 4 – With the new Premier League season kicking off this weekend, Norwich City have announced a new sponsorship deal with bookmaker Coral whilst West Bromwich Albion have signed a one year betting partnership with NetBet.
By Alexander Krassimirov
July 31 – They may have been dropped to the amateur leagues and non-professional status, but Bulgaria’s CSKA Sofia is still pulling in commercial interest and has signed a contract with Italian sportswear company Lotto. The appareil brand will replace another Italian company, Legea.
July 30 – Premier League Tottenham Hotspur are to launch a club branded Fantasy Football game with fantasy sports platform developer Mondogoal for the start of the new season.
By Mark Baber
July 30 – Premier League newcomers AFC Bournemouth have agreed a stadium naming rights deal with health care provider Vitality, part of South Africa-based Discovery Limited. The 11,700-capacity Dean Court, the smallest ground ever in the Premier League, will be called the Vitality Stadium.
July 29 – After a summer of international tours and ad hoc tournaments, the Premier League kicks off August 8 and for those watching on TV it will be amid a barrage of bookmakers offering special odds, sign-up bonuses and exclusive bets.
By Alexander Krassimirov
July 27 – Betting company Pari-Match has become the main sponsor of the Ukrainian league championship in a two-year deal which will see the competition renamed as the Pari-Match League. The deal is worth 43 million Ukrainian hryvnia (€1.8 million).
By Samindra Kunti
July 27 – French Ligue 1 side OGC Nice have signed a sponsorship deal with online poker company Winamax. In a new one-year deal, running for the duration of the 2015/16 season, Winamax branding will appear on the front of Nice’s playing shorts. Winamax’s logo will feature for the first time during a friendly against Napoli on August 2.
By Samindra Kunti
July 23 – French clubs Olympique Lyon and Lille OSC are gearing up for the 2015/16 Ligue 1 season with new commercial deals. Lyon have teamed up with McDonald’s, while Lille have extended a deal with Groupe Partouche.
July 22 – After breaking a number of records at their recent World Cup in Canada, the women’s game has scored yet another first by being featured on the front of EA Sports’ FIFA 16, the hugely popular video game.
July 21 – For Hannover 96 fans the often used football phrase “they came and parked their bus in front of the goal” took on a more literal meaning when 12 of them actually did it at the club’s HDI Arena.
July 21 – As Manchester City prepare for the new season in Australia, including a first time-ever match against sister club Melbourne City FC, owner City Football Group (CFG) is starting to show the benefits of the sponsorship leverage a larger group of clubs can provide.