North America

The Army National Guard has agreed a deal with the National Women’s Soccer League to become the official armed forces partner of the US women’s top-flight football competition.

Chicago Cubs have entered into a three-year deal with locally based pizzeria Giordano’s that makes it the exclusive pizza of the MLB baseball team and its Wrigley Field home.

Information technology services company Atos has reached an agreement to become the fourth premier partner of Toronto’s staging of the 2015 Pan American/Parapan Games multi-sport event.

Mixed martial arts series the Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced a two-year extension to its sponsorship deal with the US arm of Japanese tyre manufacturer Toyo Tires.

WNBA basketball team Phoenix Mercury has agreed a wide-ranging sponsorship deal with gambling and holiday destination Casino Arizona and Talking Stick Resort.

US fashion brand Levi’s has renewed its five-year sponsorship agreement with MLB baseball team San Francisco Giants.

University Hospitals (UH) in Cleveland has reached a 10-year sponsorship agreement with its local NFL American football team Cleveland Browns.

US sportswear company Nike has agreed an apparel and sponsorship deal with the University of Tennessee's athletics department.

State-owned Dutch bank ABN AMRO is set to overhaul its sponsorship strategy in the summer of 2014 and stablise its focus on partnerships with properties in the Netherlands, Ernst Boekhorst, manager of sponsoring and events at ABN AMRO and director of the ABN AMRO foundation, told Sports Sponsorship Insider.

Multinational electronics company Panasonic has agreed a deal to become a partner of the Philadelphia Eagles NFL American football franchise.

Irish sponsorships picked up two of the most prestigious awards at the ESA Excellence Awards last night, with Liberty Insurance winning the Business to Consumer category for its joint sponsorship of Gaelic Athletic Association sports, hurling and camogie, and Electric Ireland winning the gold medal in the ESA Best of Europe category for its sponsorship of Team Ireland in the London Olympics 2012.

Canadian NHL ice hockey franchise the Ottawa Senators has agreed a 12-year extension to its sponsorship deal with telecommunications company Bell Media which will run through the 2025-26 season.

The organising committee for Toronto’s staging of the 2015 Pan American and Parapan American Games has made a double addition to its commercial portfolio by agreeing deals with CAA South Central Ontario and Allstream.

Home and business security monitoring specialist SecurTek has expanded its sponsorship of the Canadian Curling Association’s Season of Champions series.

Beazley is a specialist insurance company that relies heavily on strong relationships with insurance brokers. Its five-year commitment to sponsor British Fencing, from 2011 to the end of 2015, provides the business with different ways of engaging with brokers - including through PR in target media and client entertaining opportunities.

Formula One motor-racing team Scuderia Toro Rosso has confirmed a three-year extension to its sponsorship agreement with Nova Chemicals.