Sponsorship & Marketing

Following a successful promotion of the Super Bowl, the National Football League (NFL) has handed Hill & Knowlton its PR contract in the UK.

US sports retailer Champs Sports has signed an endorsement deal with NFL players Tiki Barber and Ronde Barber.

Mark Palios has been confirmed as the new chief executive of the English Football Association after months of speculation and rumour.

International research company Sports Marketing Surveys have opened a new office in Spain - coinciding with this week's SportAccord conference in Madrid.

Badminton brand Carlton has re-signed Danish European champion Peter Rasmussen on a new three-year endorsement deal.

The Professional Squash Association (PSA) has appointed Pro-Active Television as exclusive TV and sponsorship development partners for the next three years.

European soccer governing body UEFA has opened the agency tendering process for the commercial rights to the UEFA Under-21 Championship in 2004.

Michael Payne, marketing director of the IOC, has warned that complacency is the biggest single threat to sportB4s commercial prosperity, in the opening session of SportBusiness 2003 at the SportAccord conference in Madrid.

SportBusiness 2003 forms today's section of industry conference SportAccord, with some of the biggest names in the industry discussing the core issues impacting on the sector.

The new marketing chief of Brands Hatch Circuits Ltd - previously Octagon Motorsports - has explained his role in the management team and his plans to further promote the unit's events.

MotoGP has signed its latest partner deal - this time with Austrian mobile computing and communications firm Gericom.

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) has unveiled its branding for its Athens 2004 Olympic teams.

A panel of experts at the SportAccord conference in Madrid have emphasised the need for stronger links between education and sport.

The GEM Group's European division has been appointed to handle the marketing, PR and communications for two teams competing in sailing's Admirals Cup.

Alasdair Farrimond has been appointed as the new group marketing manager of Brands Hatch Circuits Ltd - formerly known as Octagon Motorsports.

Hundreds of industry figures from around the world have gathered in Madrid this week as SportAccord - the sport business' biggest event of the year - gets underway today.

Sunglasses firm Arnette has secured a sponsorship deal with the MotoGP World Championship.

Formula One team Toyota has signed a 'multi-year' sponsorship deal with Karcher - a global manufacturer of cleaning systems.