Uefa

Commercial bank UniCredit this (Friday) afternoon struck a deal with Uefa, football’s European governing body, to remain an official partner of the Champions League and become a new partner of the Europa League secondary club competition.

Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has today (Thursday) extended its top-tier sponsorship agreement for the Uefa Champions League club football competition.

France-based human resources company Proman will use its national sponsor position at Euro 2016 to create business relationships with other tournament sponsors.

French recruitment agency Proman has signed up as the second national sponsor of the Uefa Euro 2016 national team football tournament.

Airline Emirates is understood to be in talks with another football property after the company announced it would end its relationship with Fifa at the end of 2014.

Guy-Laurent Epstein, marketing director of Uefa Events, believes that the federation is on course to hit its projected revenue target for sponsorship rights connected with Euro 2016, despite the current shortfall of three Global Partners.

French lottery operator Française des Jeux (FDJ) signed a deal with Uefa’s to become a National Sponsor of Euro 2016 in France.

Japanese car maker Nissan has appointed the London office of global public relations company Ketchum to activate its top-tier sponsorship of football’s Uefa Champions League European club competition.

Financial services company UniCredit is in talks to renew its partnership with the Uefa Champions League for the 2015-16 to 2017-18 cycle, after a strong return on investment from its current deal.

Clubs in the 2013-14 Uefa Champions League, Europe’s premier continental football competition, generated around €640m ($878m) from shirt sponsorships and kit supplier deals during the season.

UK asset management firm Threadneedle Investments decided to upgrade to a global position in triathlon, having trialled the sport as a local partner of the PruHealth London Triathlon, last year’s ITU World Series Grand Final.

European clubs who participated in the 2013-14 edition of the Uefa Champions League generated an estimated cumulative annual total of around €640m ($878m) from shirt sponsorships and kit supplier deals, Sports Sponsorship Insider can reveal.

Sponsorship has proven a “flexible instrument” to financial services company UniCredit that has supported brand building and will provide a platform for future business related objectives, Daniele Penna, head of strategic sponsorships at UniCredit Group told Sports Sponsorship Insider.

Payment systems company MasterCard is using its sports sponsorships as part of a consumer-based marketing strategy despite a lack of direct consumer operations, Ann Cairns, president, international markets for MasterCard, told Sports Sponsorship Insider.

The value of the Uefa Champions League’s automotive partner position will increase by at least 33 per cent in the 2015-16 to 2017-18 cycle following its deal this month with carmaker Nissan.

German sportswear and equipment company Adidas has expanded its partnership with Uefa to become the official match ball supplier for international qualifying matches played under the jurisdiction of European football’s governing body until 2017.