J.League renews with sponsors

The J.League, the top division of Japanese club football, has extended its sponsorship deals with the Yamazaki Biscuit Company confectionery group and insurance company Meiji Yasuda.

YBC last month changed its name from Yamazaki Nabisco, the moniker which had hitherto formed part of the official title of the J.League’s knockout competition, the League Cup.

Under the new agreement, YBC’s new Levain product line will be incorporated into the official name of the cup. The 2016 competition will be known as the J.League YBC Levain Cup, while YBC will also sponsor the 2017 to 2019 editions of the tournament, which it has been a partner of since its inception in 1992.

Meanwhile, Meiji Yasuda has agreed a deal to become the title sponsor of the J.League’s season-ending Championship tournament, which this year begins on November 6.

The Meiji Yasuda J.League Championship will feature the winners of the J.League’s two regular-season stages, with the winner of the tournament progressing to the 2016 Fifa Club World Cup tournament, which is being staged in Japan.

Meiji Yasuda served as the naming rights partner of last year’s Championship and is also the J.League’s title sponsor.