Europe

British bottled water company Harrogate Spring has agreed a one-year deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board to become the official water partner of England Cricket.

German energy company EWE has extended its contract as the main sponsor and naming rights partner of leading Basketball Bundesliga club EWE Baskets Oldenburg through to 2016.

Online gaming company 32Red will use its recently-signed shirt sponsorship with Scottish football club Rangers to drive brand awareness, as well as consideration of the brand when sports fans choose an online gaming provider.

Italian Serie A football team Roma has reached an agreement with Sky Italia to carry the pay-television broadcaster’s branding on the front of its shirts for the final two matches of the 2013-14 season.

English Lacrosse has extended its partnership with wealth management firm Rathbones to include title sponsorship of the International Lacrosse Federation (FIL) 2017 Women’s World Cup.

Mutual insurance provider Royal London is using its title sponsorship of one-day cricket in England to end its position as the “best kept secret in financial services”, Clare Salmon, group brand director and executive director at Royal London told Sports Sponsorship Insider.

Telecommunications and cable operator Numericable has been unveiled as the new lead partner of leading French rugby union club Stade Français.

Monaco has signed up optician Alain Afflelou as the French Ligue 1 club’s new official partner for the 2014-15 season.

German football club FC Köln has marked its return to the Bundesliga by signing a four-year extension to its partnership with sportswear firm Erima.

German Bundesliga football club Schalke 04 has sealed a four-year extension to its stadium naming rights deal with the C&A Veltins Brewery through 2019.

The UK arm of Japanese electronics firm Brother has agreed a partnership with this year’s editions of the Tour of Britain and Women’s Tour 2014 cycling events.

Caledonian brewery Deuchars IPA has sealed a four-year sponsorship deal with the Scotland Rugby League governing body.

Aberdeen-based bus company First Bus has been confirmed as an official supporter of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games.

Sports Sponsorship Insider has published video interviews with some of the key panelists at last month’s ESA Sponsorship Summit, including leading brand-side figures Paul Meulendijk, former head of sponsorship for MasterCard Europe and David Wheldon, managing director of brand, reputation, citizenship and marketing for Barclays.

This month, the second ESA Sponsorship Summit, organised by the European Sponsorship Association, took place in London to debate the main challenges facing the sponsorship industry today and consider the future for sponsorship over the next decade.

English Premier League football club West Bromwich Albion has extended its technical partnership with sportswear company Adidas until the end of the 2015-16 season.