European Sponsorship Association

the essential and inclusive community for all professionals working in sponsorship

Member News

Six Nations remain in the running to host The 2022 Ryder Cup

Ryder Cup Europe can today announce that six nations have formally confirmed their intention to submit a Bid for The 2022 Ryder Cup. From the list of seven nations who initially expressed an interest in hosting what will be the 44th staging of the biennial contest between Europe and the United States, Denmark has advised of its intention not to proceed with a formal Bid leaving Austria, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey still in the running. Turkey’s formal notification to bid was ... read more

Jantastic is back – bigger and better – for 2015

Digital activity challenge announces new partners and goal of encouraging 100,000 people to be more active in the New Year Jantastic, the New Year fitness challenge that in 2014 saw over 21,000 people log 356,000 runs and cover in excess of one million miles, is about to launch for 2015 with a number of new partners.  Macmillan Cancer Support, Strava, Virgin Money Giving, England Athletics, Triathlon England and Tribesports have all signed up to help Jantastic reach its ambitious goals for ... read more

Liverpool’s Lucy Bronze wins inaugural Vitality player of the season Award at Liverpool Ladies Awards

Liverpool Ladies Football Club last night (Monday 10 November) hosted their annual Player of the Year awards dinner at Anfield as the Reds celebrated winning back to back Women’s Super League titles. Vitality, the Official Wellness Partner of Liverpool FC hosted the night’s proceedings in the prestigious Trophy Room at Anfield. Lucy Bronze was voted as the winner of the first ever Vitality Player of the Season 2014, which takes into consideration an individual’s high fitness levels, ... read more

ICON strengthens its connections with Leaders

Following a successful relationship which goes back over five years with the Sport Business Summit at Chelsea, Leaders have reached an agreement with ICON to be their Official Branding and Signage Supplier for the forthcoming Sport Business Performance Summit. The Sport Performance Summit takes place at the Emirates Stadium, London on Wednesday 12th and Thursday 13th November, and gathers 600 of sport’s most elite coaches, managers, sporting directors, technical directors and performance ... read more

Ten days to go until #sporto2014

SPORTO 2014: Only 10 days left, still time to sign up On November 20-21, (S)Portorož will once again host the most prominent representatives of sports marketing from the Adriatic region, as well as some amazing renowned world-class experts. The main purpose of SPORTO Conference, this year held for the 11th year in a row, is to enhance cooperation in the development of sports business industry, acquiring new expertise and exchanging experience. The two-day event also offers an excellent ... read more

Future of the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open secured through to 2020

The Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open was given a significant boost today with news that its future has been secured until 2020, thanks to extended commitments from both the title sponsor and the Scottish Government. Scotland’s First Minister, the Rt Hon Alex Salmond MSP, Aberdeen Asset Management Head of Global Equities, Stephen Docherty – representing CEO Martin Gilbert – and European Tour Chief Executive, George O’Grady, confirmed the agreement in the historic setting of Bute House ... read more

Samsung and Sky bolster their rugby partnerships with sponsorship deal

Two of England Rugby’s partners come together with Twitter Amplify Sky is partnering with Samsung as sponsors of Sky Sports’ England QBE International updates on Twitter, providing near-live video clips of match action. The digital content-led campaign will be live during Sky Sports’ coverage of England’s four QBE Internationals from Saturday 8 November. Tweets from @SkySportsRugby promoting Sky Sports’ live match coverage will contain near-live video clips of the match presented by ... read more

PGA European Tour Chief Executive George O’Grady to step aside

George O’Grady, Chief Executive of the PGA European Tour has today confirmed that he has asked The Board of Directors to begin the process to appoint his successor. The Nominations Committee, chaired by David Jones, has been tasked with recruiting the new Chief Executive as the Board looks to implement its growth strategy and build on the firm traditions and relationships of The European Tour. The search is at an early stage. An announcement about this process had originally been planned ... read more

brandmeetsbrand secures international sponsors for the International Wine and Spirit Competition

brandmeetsbrand is delighted to announce two new sponsorship deals for the International Wine and Spirit Competition 2014. This prestigious event, dubbed ‘the Oscars of the wine world’ promotes the quality and excellence of the world’s best wines, spirits and liqueurs and is known and trusted by consumers as an international badge of quality. Now in its 45th year, the results are widely covered in both consumer and specialist media with an estimated audience of 1.9 billion worldwide keen to ... read more

Dove Men+Care have teamed up with players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales to launch an emotive video ahead of a huge 12 months of international rugby

In celebration of its ongoing partnerships with the home unions, as well an exciting year ahead for the sport, Dove Men+Care have produced a video based on an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s inspiring poem ‘If’.  Leaning on the likes of Cian Healy, Sam Warburton, Greg Laidlaw and Owen Farrell, the video takes us behind the scenes and unpacks everything that we love about the game of rugby and its values.  It throws us right into the heart of the pre-match changing room and shows us what it means ... read more

Burhill added as Senior Open Qualifying venue

Burhill Golf Club has been added as a fourth qualifying venue for The 2015 Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex. The Surrey course joins the Berkshire Golf Club, Camberley Heath Golf Club and Foxhills in hosting the Monday qualifying event on July 20, prior to the 29th Senior Open Championship being held at Sunningdale Golf Club from July 23-26. Approximately 400 players are expected to compete in the 18-hole qualifying competition. They will be hoping to earn a coveted spot in the ... read more

Slingshot Sponsorship Appointed as Sponsorship Agency for Wales Rally GB 2015

The UK round of the world’s leading Rally Championship, Wales Rally GB, has appointed Slingshot Sponsorship as their dedicated sponsorship agency for the 2015 event. With only two weeks to go until Wales Rally GB 2014, the routes are being cleared across various locations in North Wales for the climax of this year’s Championship. The FIA World Rally Championship comprises rounds in 13 different countries around the world and covers four continents in 11 months, culminating with a Champion ... read more

Stuart Pearce learns to play Poker at Nottingham University

Stu Wants to be a Millionaire! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ozn7vLx8J1o Former England international and current Nottingham Forest Manager, Stuart Pearce was at Nottingham University to promote the WPT500 Final being held out of London for the first time in the UK. The 55 year old was given a poker master class by Simon Trumper from Nottingham’s Dusk Till Dawn Casino and then met students at the table for an interactive autograph signing session. The Nottingham Forest Manager ... read more

Aviva announces 10th Judge for Player of the Month Award

After an explosive start to the 2014/15 Aviva Premiership season, Aviva has teamed up with Premiership Rugby to give fans their say on the Aviva Premiership Player of the Month award. Currently decided by a judging panel made up of nine top rugby journalists from print, broadcast and online media, from this month fans will become the 10th judge, joining the esteemed panel of rugby experts to have their say on who deserves to win the coveted monthly award. With the Autumn Internationals ... read more

FCA’s Magical Memories Tour hits the road

The number of looked after children has increased steadily over the past five years, however there are still not enough foster carers in the UK meaning many young children are staying in care. To address the issue, the UK’s leading foster care provider Foster Care Associates (FCA), creative solutions agency Superdream and sponsorship and experiential experts GMR Marketing have teamed up to create an event programme that will attract new foster carers across the South of England. The Magical ... read more

30 days to go: Adidas are coming to The Brand Conference. Are you?

SportsPro presents The Brand Conference As the final countdown begins to SportsPro's The Brand Conference, Thomas van Schaik, Global Brand Director at Adidas, has become the latest major name from the sports industry to confirm their presence on 20th November. There are just 30 days to go until the world of sport, including brands, rights-holders and agencies, come together at Lord's Cricket Ground, in London, for a day dedicated to discussing the ways in which sport can be used as a tool ... read more

Inaugural Thailand Classic to welcome European Tour stars in 2015

Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin will play host to the inaugural Thailand Classic from February 12-15 next year, when it will become the first event co-sanctioned between The European Tour and Asian Tour to be permanently based in Thailand. The tournament, which marks the European Tour’s return to Thailand after an eight year absence, will be the richest in the Kingdom, with a prize fund of US$2 million dollars. Keith Waters, Chief Operating Officer of the European Tour, said, “We are ... read more

Valencia and Two Circles Kick-off with Success

Valencia CF, in partnership with Two Circles, is delighted to announce the success of their season-ticket campaign for the 2014-15 season. The club has grown the number of season ticket holders by over 3,500 compared to 2013-14, exceeding ambitious sales targets in the process. Valencia CF has been working with Two Circles since January 2014, having appointed the agency to help the club improve the way it communicates with its customers. The season ticket campaign has represented an important ... read more

Mo Farah to start Vitality North London Half Marathon

Organisers of the brand new Vitality North London Half Marathon are pleased to announce that double Olympic, World and six time European Champion Mo Farah will be the official ambassador and race starter for this year’s inaugural event taking place on Sunday 15th March 2015. The race promises a unique “stadium to stadium” sporting experience, with a route that takes runners through Wembley Stadium, the iconic home of English football, as well as finishing at Allianz Park, home of Saracens ... read more

Vitality to sponsor Rugby Union on Sky Sports

Sky Sports coverage of Rugby Union will be sponsored by Vitality, the healthy living rewards programme from PruHealth and PruProtect for the 2014-15 season. Vitality will be part of Sky Sports’ biggest ever Rugby Union season, with sponsorship branding around Sky Sports coverage of European Rugby, Guinness PRO12, Top 14, Ireland, France and Italy Autumn Internationals and the IRB World Sevens Series. The sponsorship will also cover repeats, highlights and magazine programming such as The ... read more

Samsung becomes RFU’s Official Consumer Electronics & Smartphone Partner

England Rugby to benefit from the latest Samsung technology The Rugby Football Union (RFU) has today announced a long-term partnership with leading electronics provider Samsung.  The three year agreement will see Samsung become a key technology supplier as the Consumer Electronics & Smartphone Partner and Official Home Technology Partner to the RFU and England Rugby Team. As the UK’s leading manufacturer of large format displays, Samsung will install over 700 state-of-the-art digital ... read more

Sir Roger Bannister awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by Vitality before starting the Oxford Half Marathon

Sir Roger Bannister was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by Vitality ahead of today’s Oxford Half Marathon. Sir Roger Bannister started the Vitality Oxford Half Marathon for 6,000 runners with a large hooter at the Kassam Stadium today. Before he lifted the starting rope the 85 year old was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award by former UK hurdler Jon Ridgeon on behalf of sponsors PruHealth and and PruProtect with Vitality. Sir Roger Bannister said “It was fantastic to be able ... read more

Off the back of the success of SportsPro Live, SportsPro presents The Brand Conference

Being held in the UK at Lord’s - the world’s most famous cricket ground - on 20th November, SportsPro’s The Brand Conference will be an essential day of insight, knowledge-sharing and debate for rights-holders, brands and agencies on the use of sport as the ultimate communications tool. Featuring expert panels and case studies, The Brand Conference will build on the success of SportsPro Live, SportsPro’s acclaimed industry conference held in March 2014, and provide sponsors, brands and rights ... read more

Foxy Bingo and Breast Cancer Campaign unite with Wigan Warriors and St Helens ahead of Saturday’s Super League Grand Final

Super League partner Foxy Bingo have partnered with Breast Cancer Campaign’s ‘Wear it Pink’ campaign this month and both Saturday’s teams have got in on the act at a boot signing session this week. Pictured are the two captains, Paul Wellens (St Helens ) and Sean O'Loughlin (Wigan), signing special edition Breast Cancer Campaign Pink X Blades rugby boots which the online gaming site have made specially ahead of Saturday’s Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford. Fans from both clubs have ... read more

RAF football team win ‘Train Like England’ experience with Samsung!

RAF Valley FC are put through their paces by FA experts at St. George’s Park A squad of RAF personnel, who play together in their air base football team, won a money-can’t-buy ‘Train Like England’ experience, after winning a Facebook competition run by Samsung UK. Samsung UK is the Official Consumer Electronics & Smartphone Supplier to the England Team, and offered RAF Valley FC a revealing insight into how the England squad will spend their time at St. George’s Park preparing for the ... read more

Slingshot Sponsorship Appointed as Exclusive Sponsorship Agency for Snowboxx Festival

The highlight of the winter festival calendar – Snowboxx Festival, has appointed Slingshot Sponsorship as their exclusive sponsorship agency. The festival is to be held in March 2015 at the beautiful resort of Alp D’Huez, France. Since its inception in 2013, Snowboxx festival has hosted attendees from across the globe. A week long snow escape, Snowboxx, is the perfect ski holiday – granting audiences the chance to cruise alpine pistes by day and dance to world renowned DJ’s by night. The ... read more

ICON provides backdrop to Ryder Cup success

Taking place at Gleneagles from September 23rd to 28th, The 2014 Ryder Cup saw success not only for the European Team, but also for all those involved behind the scenes in staging one of the world’s largest sporting events. Leading branding specialist ICON played a major operational role, delivering The Ryder Cup’s look programme which was such an important element of the event presentation. Set against the stunning Perthshire scenery, ICON was responsible for dressing all the tees, ... read more

EF Education First appoints Havas Sports & Entertainment as its sponsorship and marketing agency around Rio 2016

Havas Sports & Entertainment (Havas SE), the global brand engagement network of the Havas Group, has been appointed by EF Education First (EF), an international education company specializing in language training, educational travel, and cultural exchange, to manage the marketing strategy and communications around their partnership with the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee (ROCOG) of the Olympic & Paralympic Games and the Brazilian Olympic Committee. Havas SE in Brazil will support EF ... read more

Women’s Tennis Association appoints PHAR Insight for analysis of lead global partner opportunity

PHAR Insight has been appointed by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), the global governing body for women’s tennis, to undertake an analysis of the value Lead Global Partner (LGP) sponsorship opportunity can deliver to brands. The LGP partnership provides the opportunity to be recognised as the leading brand associated with women’s tennis in the world, and has been developed by the WTA to reflect the strategic goals that brands are increasingly aiming to achieve through their ... read more

Essentially joins forces with ABC Sports Management

CSM Sport & Entertainment (“CSM”), the leading international sports marketing and entertainment agency has further strengthened its position in the UK athlete management sector through the acquisition of ABC Sports Management, one of the UK’s top athlete representation businesses. ABC Sports Management will merge with CSM’s Essentially, the leaders in commercial sales and athlete management, with immediate effect. The acquisition is part of the focus on growing the global athlete ... read more

brandmeetsbrand welcomes Adam Landau and Laura LeRox to the team

brandmeetsbrand is delighted to announce that  Adam Landau will join the company as Account Director. Adam has been involved in commercial sponsorship for over 20 years working across a variety of well-known media platforms. He has successfully developed and run the sponsorship teams, sales strategy policy and deal delivery process for radio stations; LBC, Jazz FM and talkSPORT and ISP Portal Freeserve. Most recently he spent 8 years in marketing partnerships at Express Newspapers where he ... read more

Sponsorship and event marketing forum in Helsinki boosts industry knowledge in Finland

The second sponsorship and event marketing forum in Helsinki, Finland on 6th November 2014 brings international and national speakers and industry operators together to discuss the current and future industry trends. The Finnish sponsorship and event marketing association, Sponsorointi ja Tapahtumamarkkinointi ry, brings Kim Skildum-Reid, Bruce Cook, Anders Lindén and seven national speakers for a half-day forum in Helsinki, Finland, to lead discussions on the sponsorship and event marketing ... read more

RadiumOne partners with Amnet to Connect Audience Everywhere

RadiumOne, the programmatic advertising experts, have partnered with the Dentsu Aegis Network’s  trading desk Amnet, in order to help Amnet leverage 'connected audience everywhere' for Dentsu Aegis Media clients. This partnership allows RadiumOne to complement Amnet's own technology and helps broadens their reach of online influencers, expanding their ability to discover the most valuable audiences where they are across the internet and delivering brilliant results, engagement, awareness and ... read more

Repucom and ITV extend Product Placement Partnership

This month (September) marks the 3rd anniversary of ITV’s deal with Repucom to provide valuation services for product placement; working on household favourite programmes in the UK such as Emmerdale and The X Factor. The service itself  analyses and reports on the exposure and media value the brands achieve in the shows. ITV have been at the forefront of product placement since the ban was lifted in the UK in 2011. Their placement of Nescafé Dolce Gusto in This Morning meant ITV were the ... read more

Havas Sports & Entertainment signs strategic partnership with Vincent Gaillard’s sports consulting agency, Sportcom Ventures

Havas Sports & Entertainment (Havas SE), the global brand engagement network of Havas, has today announced a strategic partnership with Vincent Gaillard, a former Coca-Cola senior global sponsorship executive and former Director General of SportAccord, who recently launched the global sports consultancy, SportCom Ventures. With SportCom Ventures based out of Switzerland, home to the majority of international sports governing bodies, this partnership will enhance Havas SE’s strategic ... read more

HOME Manchester appoints PHAR to secure sponsors for new multi art centre

PHAR, the specialist sponsorship agency, have been exclusively appointed by HOME, Manchester, to help secure partners and sponsors for the new arts centre opening in March 2015. HOME will be the third largest arts centre in the UK, the biggest outside London and will offer something new and innovative to audiences in the North West and beyond. It will be the focal point of the new First Street development in the city centre and has been formed by a merger between Cornerhouse and the Library ... read more

The European Tour returns to India in 2015

The European Tour will return to India in 2015 when the Indian Open joins The Race to Dubai for the first time. Taking place from February 19-22, at a venue to be confirmed soon, the US$1.5million event will be co-sanctioned with the Asian Tour. It will be promoted by India’s leading sports management company, Nimbus Sport, which has extended its partnership with the Indian Golf Union (IGU) to manage and promote the Indian Open from 2015 to 2017. The tournament, which has been played since ... read more

Foxy Bingo is thinking Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and asks for your Real Life Stories

Next month Foxy Bingo is partnering with Breast Cancer Campaign for its sixth year in a row. Foxy Bingo aims to raise awareness of breast cancer and highlight the life-saving research that Breast Cancer Campaign funds. Foxy’s Real Life Stories would like to give three women affected by breast cancer the VIP treatment and are asking you to get in touch to nominate someone who has been affected by the disease and deserves some pampering. Perhaps your Mum, Grandma or Sister has recently been ... read more

Havas SE continues international expansion with relocation of Global COO Jérôme de Chaunac to New York City

Havas Sports & Entertainment , the global brand engagement network of the Havas Group, has today announced that Global COO, Jérôme de Chaunac, will oversee global operations from his new base of New York City. This move is a continuation of the strategic development of the network internationally which has seen a reorganization of its Global team, after President & Global CEO Lucien Boyer’s relocation to London at the beginning of the year. Jérôme will maintain his global role which ... read more

First tri-sanctioned tournament – AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open launched

The AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open was today launched at the C Beach Club at Heritage Resorts on Domaine de Bel Ombre, becoming the first tri-sanctioned golf tournament endorsed by the Sunshine, European and Asian Tours, all of whom are founding members of the International Federation of PGA Tours The tournament, which is expected to draw top performing golfers from each of the three Tours, will be played at the Heritage Golf Club from 7–10 May, 2015. The golf club, recently ranked among the top ... read more

Wembley Stadium joins Allianz Park as second sporting venue to be added to the Vitality North London Half Marathon route

Organisers of the brand new Vitality North London Half Marathon are pleased to announce that Wembley Stadium connected by EE, the iconic home of English football, is the second sporting venue to be added to the much anticipated half marathon race route. Runners of the event, taking place on Sunday 15th March 2015, will not only start and finish at Allianz Park, home of the mighty Saracens Rugby Club, but also run through Wembley Stadium on route, promising a unique “stadium to stadium” sporting ... read more

Havas Sports & Entertainment appoints new Managing Director in Poland

Havas Sports & Entertainment (Havas SE), the brand engagement network of the Havas Group, is pleased to announce the appointment of Aleksandra Marciniak as the new Managing Director of Havas Sports & Entertainment Poland. An experienced sports marketing and sponsorship professional, Aleksandra will be responsible for overseeing daily business operations, client relations, as well as strategic and new business development for Havas SE Poland. She will lead a team of ten who work with ... read more

One year to go until the EuroHockey Championships London 2015

Today marks one year until the start of the EuroHockey Championships London 2015. The event promises entertainment on and off the pitch, featuring the top eight men’s and top eight women’s teams in Europe, including both England teams. Tickets went on sale last month at www.eurohockey2015.co.uk and are selling very quickly as they offer the perfect opportunity to watch world-class sport in a family friendly and iconic setting, on London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park where the London 2012 ... read more

Olympic Champion Chris Boardman, MBE, named as ambassador for Friends Life Tour of Britain

Chris Boardman, the Olympic gold medal winning cyclist, has been named as the ambassador for the Friends Life Tour of Britain. Chris, who became a household name after winning gold at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, will represent Friends Life in the build up to the Tour of Britain offering insight and expert analysis ahead of the race. He will also continue to represent the Life and Pensions specialist next year ahead of the Friends Life Women's Tour and the Tour of Britain 2015. "For a ... read more

Premiership Rugby confirms new partner

Premiership Rugby today announced Citizen Watch UK as its Official Timekeeper, marking the start of a new two-year partnership. Working closely the two brands will raise awareness of Citizen's new global brand statement: 'Better Starts Now' within the rugby community nationwide, supporting the company's on-going strategy to grow awareness amongst consumers aged 35-55yrs. As part of the partnership, Citizen will receive branding on Premiership Rugby stadium perimeter boards and stadium ... read more

Senior Management Appointments at Two Circles

Two Circles, the data-driven sports agency recently named Agency of the Year at the 2014 BT Sport Industry Awards, has announced some significant new appointments and promotions, as part of a new 3 year strategic plan – Two Circles 2.0. The company has grown quickly since inception in 2011 and now has just under 50 employees. The agency has created a new management structure, with three current team members reporting into Co-Founder Gareth Balch, who assumes the title of Managing Director. ... read more

Generate brings Proms back to Chatsworth

Generate Sponsorship produced a spectacular open-air classical proms concert at Chatsworth as part of a weekend of entertainment at the stunning Derbyshire stately home. The concerts were held in the historic gardens at Chatsworth, attracting thousands of concert-goers. The Proms Spectacular – held on Friday, August 1, featured a programme of music including popular classics, film themes and music associated with the “Last Night Of The Proms”. The concert also featured selected music ... read more

Tickets now on sale for 2015 Senior Open

Following Bernhard Langer’s record-breaking 13 shot victory in The Senior Open Championship Presented by Rolex at Royal Porthcawl on Sunday, tickets today went on sale for the 2015 Championship, which returns to Sunningdale Golf Club for the second time. Significant discounts are available via www.senioropengolf.com as part of a special pre-Christmas offer, giving golf fans the chance to see some of golf’s most iconic names in action at Sunningdale from July 23-26, 2015. The Berkshire ... read more