Spurs sign with Mondogoal for new season fantasy game
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.
Football Marketing
AFC Bournemouth expands Vitality deal at renamed Dean Court
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.
BT Sport gears up for season launch with Gumtree sponsorship
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.
Ukrainian league signs Pari-Match as first title sponsor in 2-year deal
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).
OGC Nice are latest French club to deal in poker site Winamax
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.
Lyon and Lille sign McDonald’s and Partouche sponsor deals
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.
Messi shares FIFA 16 cover with US’s Alex Morgan
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.
Hannover 96 fans park camper vans on pitch for a night
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.
Man City warm up for Real Madrid as CFG finds some Coco Joy
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.
Liverpool adds Marathonbet who open with 10/1 for Reds to make top 4
July 20 – Premier League Liverpool have added Marathonbet as one of its suite of betting partners that currently includes 188BET and Comeon.
Liverpool players grounded for kit launch, but Fowler dropped from a height
By Paul Nicholson
July 17 – Liverpool took the opportunity of the Australian leg of the club’s pre-season tour to launch their new away kit, the first away kit with New Balance. While current players Simon Mignolet, Martin Skrtel and new signing James Milner modeled the kit in King George Square in Brisbane, club legend Robbie Fowler was launched from a light aircraft wearing the Reds’ new white jersey.
Sportradar agrees official data deal with Russian Premier League
July 16 – The Russian Football Premier League has signed a multi-year data partnership with Sportradar which will become the league’s ‘Official Sports Data Partner’, starting with the 2015/16 season.
Spurs sign with Fanatics for US online retail market
July 16 – Premier League Tottenham Hotspur have continued their push into the north American market with a merchandising hook-up with US sports eCommerce giant Fanatics.
IMG picks up Barca TV for renewed international push
By Paul Nicholson
July 15 – The Spanish TV market is hotting up as the country’s power clubs and La Liga push the Spanish brand harder in international broadcast markets. Global sports marketing agency IMG has picked up the sales and distribution rights to Barcelona’s TV channel in a three-year deal licensed to them by Spain’s telecommunications giant Telefónica.
Arsenal fly colours on Emirates as they head out for Asia Trophy
By Mark Baber
July 14 – Arsenal Football Club finally have an aircraft branded in their name, it was revealed as the players set off for the pre-season Barclays Asia Trophy in Singapore.