Financial Services

Major League Baseball team Los Angeles Dodgers has agreed a commercial partnership with US retirement market specialist Security Benefit.

Sports management and marketing agency SportBox Entertainment Group has brokered a partnership with golf’s PGA Tour to make Canadian financial institution RBC the title sponsor of the Canada Cup.

Arabian Gulf Development has expanded its involvement with football in the United Arab Emirates after signing a naming rights agreement for the UAE League Cup knockout club competition.

The Sony PlayStation gaming console brand has a limited sponsorship budget in Europe because of its Uefa Champions League commitment, but is open to additional regional or national sponsorship deals – even outside of its core areas of football and motorsports.

German Bundesliga top-tier football club VfB Stuttgart has extended a sponsorship deal with the Mercedes-Benz Bank.

Financial services company Prioritet Finans is to become the new main sponsor of Swedish Allsvenskan top-division football club Djurgården.

Dutch Eredivisie football club Ajax has signed a short-term extension to its main sponsor deal with financial services firm Aegon.

The Royal Dutch Hockey Association (KNHB) is generating over €4.2m ($5.8m) per year from central sponsors for its 2013 to 2016 commercial cycle as it prepares to host the men’s and women’s Hockey World Cups in May.

US retail mortgage lender Quicken Loans has agreed a multi-year deal to become the new title sponsor of the PGA Tour golf tournament formerly known as the AT&T National, along with becoming an official partner of the Tour itself.

The Chinese Football Association Super League (CSL) is close to a new four-year sponsorship deal which will take the competition to between $55m (€39.5m) and $60m in annual central sponsorship revenue.

San Francisco-based financial services firm Wells Fargo has reached a five-year agreement with tournament host organisation Champions for Education to extend its title sponsorship of the Wells Fargo Championship PGA Tour golf event through 2019.

Belgian Pro League football club Anderlecht has sealed three-year extensions to its agreements with main sponsors BNP Paribas Fortis and Belgacom.

Financial services firm Aberdeen Asset Management has expressed an interest in helping to establish and sponsor a third Scottish Pro12 rugby union team in its home town.

Formula One motor racing team Force India has reached sponsorship agreements with Mexican companies Consorcio Aristos and Ficrea.

US auto insurance company Geico has signed up as the presenting sponsor of the Superbike World Championship (WSBK) race at the Laguna Seca circuit in California.

International accounting firm Mazars has agreed a two-year deal with Yorkshire County Cricket Club to become the English team’s principal partner.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has announced that financial services company BNP Paribas has extended its title sponsorship of the season-ending WTA Championships.

Since the New Year, the Australian Stock Exchange-listed ANZ Banking Group has bolstered its portfolio of sponsorships in Australasia and Asia by extending sponsorship’s of the Australian Open tennis championship and ANZ Championship netball competition.