United Kingdom

British automotive firm Jaguar Land Rover has agreed to become the presenting partner of the new Invictus Games multi-sport event, which will be hosted in London from September 10-14.

Aintree Racecourse has reached a three-year deal with Betfred to make the UK bookmaker the official betting partner of its showpiece Grand National Festival.

Premiership Rugby, the governing body of the top division of English rugby union, has agreed a two-year sponsorship deal with breakdown provider Green Flag.

Financial services company Yorkshire Building Society is to become an official sponsor of the 2014 Grand Départ, an event that marks start of the Tour de France cycling competition.

Online bingo operator Foxy Bingo has agreed a two-year extension to its partnership with Super League, with the agreement now running until the end of the 2015 season of the top division of UK rugby league.

UK telecommunications company BT has renewed its title sponsorship of the Great CityGames Manchester, taking in the 2014 edition of the urban athletics event.

The UK’s biggest insurer Aviva is set to donate £46,730 (€57,000/$78,100) to its charity partner, Railway Children, following last weekend’s #Take5 Twitter campaign, which asked football and rugby union fans to tweet their support for the charity in exchange for a donation from Aviva.

Train operator ScotRail has agreed a partnership with the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games to assist in the hosting of the multi-sport event.

London’s Wembley Stadium has ended its search for a lead partner with telecommunications company EE signing a six-year deal to take on the rights.

Activation has become a sponsorship necessity.

Many brands match their rights fee when allocating budget for activation and, with the importance of activation rising as the number of channels in which to work increase, where that money is best spent is often an issue for debate.

Headwear, apparel and accessories manufacturer Ahead has reached an agreement to become the primary headwear provider to golf’s Open Championship for three years, beginning with the 2014 edition of the tournament.

English Premier League football club Manchester City has entered into a three-year partnership with camera brand iON.

Formula One motor racing team Williams has announced a new partnership with Brazilian financial institution Banco do Brasil for the 2014 season.

Beer brand Budweiser’s decision not to renew its lead partner contract with English football’s FA Cup has highlighted some weaknesses in the competition’s value to sponsors, industry experts said this month.

The shortlist of the UK Sponsorship Awards 2014 – of which SportBusiness Group, the publisher of Sports Sponsorship Insider, is a partner – has been unveiled ahead of the ceremony in London on March 26.

US sportswear firm Nike has been announced as the official performance wear partner of the Boat Race for the 2014 edition of the historic UK rowing event.