26th January, 2012

Transport giant Stobart Group secures title rights to Super League

Stobart Group, the UK leader in transport and distribution, has partnered with Super League in a cross-marketing deal to secure title naming rights to Rugby League's elite club competition.

The new agreement, which will run until the end of the 2014 season, will see the competition become the Stobart Super League, with the Stobart brand featuring prominently across all fourteen clubs.

In a pioneering new partnership focusing on exposure and promoting greater awareness of the game, the newly-designed Stobart Super League artwork will adorn a hundred trailers of the company's famous red and green trucks, with an Eddie Stobart vehicle passed, on average, every 4.5 minutes when driving on the UK's major roads.

Each of the fourteen clubs will have trailers branded with images of their players and team colours.

Commenting on the new partnership, Super League Chairman Richard Lewis said: "The deal with Stobart is excellent for the Super League clubs and the competition as a whole. The Super League clubs turned down other offers and took a strategic view that the brand values of Stobart are closely matched to those of Rugby League. The Super League clubs are excited by the multi-layered sponsorship that services the game and the competition on a number of levels in a way never seen before".

Stobart Chief Executive Andrew Tinkler said: "Eddie Stobart has become a Superbrand due to the public exposure of our 2,250 trucks, driving millions of miles each week. Now we can help build the Super League brand and promote Rugby League and its brilliant clubs through the exposure our fleet and Superbrand status offers".

He added: "We have a successful history with the game through our relationship with Widnes Vikings, and believe there is a strong affiliation between the Stobart brand and the army of Rugby League fans. We can't wait for the Stobart Super League to get started and for our new branded trailers to hit the road".

The partnership will dovetail alongside a new five-year television contract with leading broadcaster Sky Sports, which will see up to seventy televised games each season, starting with Widnes Vikings versus Wakefield Trinity Wildcats at Stobart Stadium on Friday, February 3rd, 2012.

Rugby League continues to be a major feature in the Sky Sports portfolio as the most watched domestic league outside of football, and the fourth most popular televised sport in Britain.

The Stobart Super League is launched on Wednesday, February 1st, with a convoy of branded Eddie Stobart trucks driving from Widnes to Old Trafford.

25th January, 2012

Plans revealed for London 2012 World Sport Day, sponsored by Lloyds TSB

Schools and colleges across the UK are being encouraged to start planning how they are going to celebrate the athletes and cultures of the world on London 2012 World Sport Day, presented by Lloyds TSB, on Monday, 25th June, 2012.

The day, which will open Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week in England and Wales, will give thousands of young people in schools across the UK the chance to take part in the final UK-wide Get Set event before the London 2012 Games begin.

The plans for London 2012 World Sport Day were announced yesterday at the Copper Box in the Olympic Park. Get Set Network schools Ripple Primary School and Jo Richardson Secondary, both from Barking and Dagenham, took part in the announcement as well as Olympic Gold Medallist Jonathan Edwards, Team GB athletes Zoe Smith and Charlie Walker, Fijian athlete Sisilia Nsigia Rasokisoki and New Zealand athlete Jonathan Paget.

Students from schools and colleges will be encouraged to celebrate the athletes and cultures of the world on the day in a variety of ways, including staging their own World Sport Day opening ceremony and profiling the sports, music, dance, languages, flags and food of the world.

Sally Hancock, Director, 2012 Partnership and Group Sponsorship at Lloyds Banking Group said: "Since 2008 Lloyds TSB has supported millions of young people in schools across Britain to do more sport through National School Sport Week. As the Presenting Partner of London 2012 World Sport Day, Lloyds TSB is proud to inspire a new generation of young people to try new sports, embrace the Olympic and Paralympic values, and prepare to welcome the world to the UK for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. We're looking forward to sharing the excitement of World Sport Day with schools in our communities as it marks the first day of National School Sport Week 2012".

The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) will provide resources to schools through the official London 2012 education programme 'Get Set', including tips from the London 2012 Ceremonies team of producers on how to host an opening ceremony for World Sport Day. Schools can download a planning guide to help them to prepare for their day at www.london2012.com/worldsportday.

LOCOG will also be releasing and promoting new resources every month to help schools plan their day and decorate their school for the celebrations. Schools can request their free event pack on the World Sport Day website; the pack is full of branded materials and decorations, with schools in the Get Set network receiving access to extra materials and opportunities.

In England and Wales, London 2012 World Sport Day, delivered by the Youth Sport Trust, will act as the opening ceremony of Lloyds TSB National School Sport Week, giving schools the opportunity to kick off a week of school sport and celebrations.

Seb Coe, London 2012 Chair, said: "With the Games almost here, World Sport Day presented by Lloyds TSB is a fantastic opportunity to bring the young people of the UK together on one day to celebrate our amazing athletes from all over the world, and their nations and cultures. The day will showcase all the work young people are doing on the teams they have been supporting – whether as a class, a year group or a whole school community. We want to encourage schools to involve parents, governors, members of the wider community and other local schools to join together on 25 June for what will be a great celebration of sport and cultures of the world".

Some schools are already planning their celebrations. Roger Mitchell, Headteacher at Ripple Primary School in Barking and Dagenham, said: "Here at Ripple Primary School we are proud to hold a yearly Cultural Diversity fortnight. During this time, each class learns about a particular country and then puts on a showcase to celebrate that country's culture. World Sport Day gives us the opportunity to both celebrate the London 2012 Games and incorporate the Cultural Diversity work and sports activities that our young people enjoy so much. Because we have a wonderful Samba band at our school, we will be supporting the Team Brazil on London 2012 World Sport Day and joining thousands of other schools across the UK in this occasion".

19th January, 2012

British Fashion Council announces latest Fashion Forward sponsorship winners

The British Fashion Council (BFC) has today announced that three womenswear designers, Henry Holland, Louise Gray and Mary Katrantzou, and one menswear designer, James Long, will receive Fashion Forward sponsorship for two consecutive seasons to show in London.

James Long is the first menswear designer to receive support through this scheme.

Fashion Forward was established six years ago to provide funding to talented emerging British designer businesses to show and develop their businesses in London. To be eligible designers will either have progressed through NEWGEN or be at a similar stage in their business. London Fashion Week is widely acknowledged as the most creative and dynamic event on the international fashion calendar, promoting established and emerging British design talent to a global audience.

Fashion Forward is a key BFC initiative to promote emerging design talent. The award provides the winner with a cash prize to assist in showing their collection as well as access to business support provided by the BFC.

Fashion Forward applicants are judged by a panel of key industry representatives including Averyl Oates, Retail Expert, Caroline Rush, CEO, BFC, David Watts, Business Support Manager, BFC, Francesca Burns, Fashion Editor, Vogue, Ruth Chapman, Co-Founder, Matches and Sarah Mower MBE, BFC Ambassador of Emerging Talent, Contributing Editor to US Vogue and American Vogue.com.

Previous Fashion Forward winners include Christopher Kane, Erdem, Giles Deacon, Jonathan Saunders, Louise Goldin, Marios Schwab, Meadham Kirchoff, Peter Pilotto, Richard Nicoll, Roksanda Illincic, Sinha-Stanic and Todd Lynn.

Caroline Rush, CEO, British Fashion Council, commented: "The recipients for this year's Fashion Forward sponsorship are an exceptionally talented group of designers. 2012 is set to be a momentous year not only for fashion industry but the UK and I am looking forward to seeing Henry, Louise, James and Mary, taking strides forward in their business development. Menswear in London will be put in the spotlight this year making now the perfect time to introduce a menswear prize to Fashion Forward".

18th January, 2011

Mitsubishi Motors to continue sponsorship of Badminton Horse Trials for three more years

As preparations for the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials get underway for the 2012 event, the organisers have an extra reason to start the year with optimism.

Continuing what is one of the longest-running sponsorships in sport (starting in 1992), Mitsubishi Motors in the UK has extended its support for three more years, up to and including 2015.

Event Director Hugh Thomas said: "This welcome renewal will take Mitsubishi's involvement to twenty-four years of a very happy relationship with Badminton and we look forward to a secure future in these challenging economic times".

In response, Lance Bradley, Mitsubishi Motors in the UK's Managing Director, replied: "Even in difficult times for the UK motor industry and the world economy, our commitment to equestrianism and especially three-day eventing at all levels is as strong as ever. We are proud to pledge our ongoing support to all those who take part in the sport, whether riders, support staff, friends or families. This new agreement underlines our commitment to every level of the sport by including the Mitsubishi Motors Grassroots Championship as well as the main Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials itself".

Badminton 2012 will be significant as a last chance for many international team managers to see their riders perform at a top four star event, before heading to the London 2012 Olympics at Greenwich in the summer. It is also a reminder that it was at the last London Olympics in 1948 that the 10th Duke of Beaufort, after watching a lacklustre performance by the British Three Day Event team, offered Badminton Park as a venue for an annual Olympic format event. In 1949 the first ever Badminton was run.

This year the International Trials run from Friday, 4th to Monday, 7th May, with the Cross Country again taking place on the Sunday and the climax on Bank Holiday Monday for a record first prize of £65,000, a fitting reward, perhaps, for the world's premier Three Day Event. Riders will also be conscious that Badminton is part of both the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing and the HSBC FEI Classics Series, the two combinations of top events that unite the sport throughout the year. William Fox-Pitt as the current Burghley Champion is the man to watch for the Rolex Grand Slam, while Mary King will be keen to win the Classics Series again - and was indeed the leading rider in the HSBC Rider Rankings at the end of the 2011 season.

Reflecting the excitement of a home Olympics, Badminton has decided to make its official "cause" for 2012 Equestrian Team GBR, raising money for all the British teams taking part in Olympic, World and European Championships over the next four years.

Running just before the International event (Wednesday and Thursday 2nd/3rd May) will be the very popular Mitsubishi Motors Grassroots Championships, where qualified leisure riders get their chance to compete on the hallowed turf. Once again enthusiasm for this part of Badminton is huge, riders having qualified in autumn 2011 and now preparing for the most important days of their sporting life. In addition, for the first time for many years, Badminton will host, on Thursday, 3rd May, the first 2012 qualifying round for the Dubarry Burghley Young Event Horse Championships, which is sure to bring many breeders and followers to see the potential stars of the future.

16th January, 2012

McDonald's extends Olympic Games partnership through to 2020

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and McDonald's Corporation have announced that McDonald's has extended its global sponsorship agreement until 2020.

The announcement was made at the first ever Winter Youth Olympic Games in Innsbruck, Austria, in the presence of IOC President Jacques Rogge and McDonald’s President and Chief Operating Officer Don Thompson.

Commenting on the announcement, President Rogge said: "We are delighted that McDonald's, our long-time and valued Olympic Partner for more than thirty-five years, is continuing its ongoing commitment not only to help fund the Olympic Games but also to support the Olympic Movement around the world and ultimately the athletes themselves".

Chief Operating Officer Don Thompson commented: "We share the Olympic ideals of teamwork, excellence and being your best. Those ideals are at the heart of what McDonald's stands for and how we've brought the Games to life. Feeding the athletes is a tradition we are extremely proud of, and we look forward to continuing our role in helping to make the Games possible".

As a TOP Sponsor and Official Restaurant of the Olympic Games, the agreement with the Olympic Movement includes sponsorship of the National Olympic Committees and their Olympic teams for the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, Rio 2016 Olympic Games, PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games and the 2020 Olympic Games, for which the host city has yet to be elected. The agreement also includes the Youth Olympic Games (YOG): the current Innsbruck 2012 Winter YOG, Nanjing 2014 YOG, Lillehammer 2016 Winter YOG and the 2018 YOG and 2020 Winter YOG, for which the host cities have yet to be elected.

IOC Marketing Commission Chairman Gerhard Heiberg added: "We are very pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with McDonald's, and we appreciate the quality menu that McDonald's delivers at the Olympics as the Official Restaurant of the Games. We believe that the long-term agreements we have in place with leading companies are a testament to the continued strength and appeal of the Olympic Games as a global marketing platform for sport".

12th January, 2012

BGC Partners to sponsor Masters snooker

World Snooker has announced BGC Partners as the new title sponsor of the Masters, "snooker's greatest invitation event".

BGC Partners is a leading global brokerage company primarily servicing the wholesale financial markets with offices in over thirty-five major cities.

The BGC Masters is being held at Alexandra Palace in London. It will start this Sunday and will run until 22nd January. China's Ding Junhui will be defending his title against the rest of the top sixteen players in the world, including the likes of Judd Trump, Ronnie O’Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Selby.

The tournament will be broadcast live on the BBC, Eurosport, CCTV5, GSC Shanghai and Now TV Hong Kong, with highlight coverage in Australia, India, Thailand, Malaysia and the Middle East.

World Snooker Chairman Barry Hearn said: "It gives us great pleasure to bring in a new title sponsor for one of our biggest tournaments, especially one as prestigious as BGC Partners. This is a huge step forward for our sport and demonstrates the growing appeal of snooker on a global scale.

"Snooker is on the rise and the momentum built by a tremendous UK Championship last month will be continued at the BGC Masters as we already have outstanding ticket sales. The world's elite players will put on a fantastic show at Alexandra Palace and I'm sure our new friends at BGC are going to enjoy what they see".

Shaun Lynn, President of BGC Partners said: "The Masters is one of the most prestigious and well-recognised events in the snooker industry's calendar and BGC Partners is proud to be title sponsor for the first time this year. BGC prides itself on the excellence of the services our world-class brokers and state-of-the-art technology provide to clients around the globe. We are delighted to join with the world's top snooker players in presenting this championship event to snooker enthusiasts and sports fans worldwide".

9th January, 2012

Gaming and betting giant William Hill in major sponsorship deal with The FA

The UK and Europe's leading gaming and sports betting business, William Hill, has agreed a two and a half year deal with The Football Association to become an 'Official Supporter' of the England football team, and 'Official Supporter' and 'Official Betting Partner' of The FA Cup.

The deal with the FA, which the company claims is the first of its type for the betting industry, comes into effect on January 7th, 2012 and will continue through to the end of The FA and FIFA World Cups in 2014. The agreement features a wide and unique range of image rights, advertising and promotional opportunities.

Ralph Topping, Chief Executive of William Hill said: "We have been looking for sponsorship opportunities from which we can reward and engage with our customers for the events they most enjoy. This deal with The FA will help us to achieve our objectives of developing the prominence of our brand and increasing market share in all our business channels.

"Our 'Official Betting Partner' status of The FA Cup complements our existing partnership with the Scottish Football Association and our sponsorship of the Scottish Cup with which we are already extremely delighted and it becomes a welcome addition to our quality range of sponsorships within darts, snooker and racing. The next two and a half years are an exciting time for UK football and we're delighted to now be part of all of those events".

Kristof Fahy, Chief Marketing Officer for William Hill, commented: "This is an excellent deal for both parties and it gives us some very good opportunities to develop our brand across a wide variety of channels. The England and FA Cup branding and imagery will enable William Hill (including via williamhill.com) to promote its services and products that we can offer to our Casino, Games, Sportsbook, Bingo and Poker customers".

Henry Birch, Chief Executive Officer of williamhill.com, was similarly upbeat. "The deal with The FA is an excellent one for williamhill.com", he said, "as it provides us with a strong platform for our brands and products both in the UK and internationally".

Peter Daire, The FA's Head of Sponsorship said: "We are delighted to have William Hill on board. They have a strong track record in sports sponsorship and a considerable online and high street presence that will enable us to strengthen our communication platforms for England and The FA Cup. In return, William Hill will benefit from an association with two of the highest-profile football sponsorship properties in the world".

5th January, 2012

Telegraph Business Club confirmed as official Media Partner of Business 2012

The Telegraph Business Club has signed up as the official Media Partner of Business 2012.

Running from 18th to 20th March at The O2 in London, Business 2012 is free to attend and will offer over 600 workshops, seminars and exhibitors, available to attendees interested in learning about about setting up or developing their business.

Dedicated to entrepreneurs, owner-managers and professionals, the Telegraph Business Club features articles, expert views and case studies to help people to grow their business. The organiser's Managing Director, Vishal Misal of Blak Pearl Ltd said that the Telegraph Business Club was the ideal Media Partner for Business 2012: "We are obviously delighted to have such a prestigious brand associated with the event and feel that we are perfectly aligned with the Telegraph Business Club in terms of our goals, so this is a fantastic opportunity for both parties.

"Telegraph Business Club Members are serious business people who are like-minded and determined to put the UK economy back on a positive path. All 50,000 members of the Club are most welcome at Business 2012 and will be able to network with other similarly focussed, driven and inspired entrepreneurs and business owners from across the country and indeed the world".

Speaking about Business 2012, Sir Richard Branson said: "I can confirm that I will be at Business 2012, being interviewed live on stage and answering questions and tweets. No one has a monopoly on good ideas and events like this can open the door to greater connections and business opportunities: something we all need during these challenging times".

Confirming that he too will be a keynote speaker at Business 2012, Lord Sugar said: "I've always encouraged entrepreneurs and hopefully this event will really help people to grow bigger and better businesses. Encouraging young people to become entrepreneurs is something I've always believed in. I have always said they are the business people of tomorrow and we need to encourage and support them all we can. This event is for serious business people and will help small businesses at the time they need it".