Football

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.

Boston-based global insurance company Liberty Mutual Group has a diversified and varied portfolio of sponsorship assets and partnerships in 26 different markets around the world. Its Irish division is using an innovative sponsorship around Gaelic sports to show its commitment in a new market.

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.

US security, health and engineering solutions company Leidos has become the new main shirt sponsor of Major League Soccer team D.C. United.

Japanese watch manufacturer and timing specialist Seiko has agreed a three-year sponsorship deal with the Asian Football Confederation relating to the continental governing body’s club competition programme.

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

China’s Ping An Insurance has sealed a four-year deal to become the title sponsor of the Chinese Super League, the country’s top football division.

The Asian Football Confederation is generating between $18m (€13.1m) and $20m per year from Official Sponsors for its club competitions from 2014, in the 2013-16 cycle, following the addition of a second Chinese brand in as many months, construction machinery manufacturer Shandong Lingong Construction Machinery (SDLG).

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.

Sporting goods brand Puma’s five-year kit sponsorship deal with English Premier League club Arsenal is part of a strategy focused on fewer, but bigger, “killer” deals to make it the number three brand in the football market, Christian Voigt, Puma’s senior head of global sports marketing has told Sports Sponsorship Insider.

Car manufacturer Opel has extended its partnership with German Bundesliga football club Bayer 04 Leverkusen through 2016.

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.

German Bundesliga football club SC Freiburg has extended its sponsorship agreement with car manufacturer Opel.

Major League Soccer team Sporting Kansas City has reached a deal to make US supermarket chain Price Chopper a founding level sponsor.

Campeonato Brasileiro Série A football team Portuguesa has renewed its shirt sponsorship agreement with electronics manufacturer DL for the Brazilian top division’s 2014 season.