Sponsorship & Marketing

ISL Worldwide is to buy up all outdoor media sites surrounding the venues staging soccer?s Euro 2000 in a bid to thwart any plans of ambush marketing.

Laurie Landgrebe, director of marketing for Pro Player Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins, has enlisted the help of the NFL in securing a new naming rights deal.

British cash-and-carry firm Booker has struck a deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to sponsor both international and county cricket umpires for the current season.

Kellogg USA is set up a special ?commemorative box? promotion involving eight US Olympic hopefuls in the run up to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Maurice Greene, Marion Jones, Lenny Krayzelburg, Jenny Thompson, Amy Chow, Mark Ruiz, Leah O'Brien-Amico and Alison Dunlap will feature on commemorative packages of Kellogg's cereal. The promotion will hit US stores in August.

For the third consecutive year, Hewlett-Packard will launch a competition to showcase the design technology used in Formula One racing. ?Design Challenge 2000? is part of HP's technological sponsorship of the Jaguar Racing team and will accept design entries from all over the world.

Ford Motor Co has launched an innovative marketing campaign whereby its TV commercials will be integrated with sports programming. In an unusual arrangement causing some concern about the merging of advertising and programming, Fox TV?s upcoming ``No Boundaries'' adventure sports TV series will strongly resemble the Ford ``No Boundaries'' advertising campaign for trucks.

Bobby Robson, the Newcastle United - and former England - manager, has been named non-executive director of a Sunday newspaper publisher devoted to non?league football, reports the Financial Times.

One month before soccer?s Euro 2000 tournament kicks-off, supporters have the opportunity to snap up merchandise from the official online store.

Spanish soccer club ? and Champions League finalist ? Real Madrid has signed an exclusive marketing contract with Global Sportnet.

The Portland Trail Blazers have received criticism from basketball fans for showing Game 2 of the playoff series against Utah on pay-per-view at a cost $24.95. The game was broadcast nationally by the TNT cable channel, and blacked out within a 35-mile radius of downtown Portland. Responding to the criticism Harry Hut, the Blazers Senior vice-president for marketing said: ``People get the idea there's an obligation on the part of the team to televise a game, but there isn't.? The team, he said, wants ``to protect the home gate ... to provide a sold-out crowd atmosphere'' at the Rose Garden. However, Sunday's Game 1 of the series against the Jazz, shown on NBC, attracted a capacity crowd of 20,351.

Dick Rugge has been named senior technical director of the United States Golf Association.

Internet portal Sportal has launched its first TV advertising campaign ? due to run until Euro 2000.

Britain's Football News Organisation, a young firm that provides an online "form guide" for UK football punters, has said it plans to list on the London stock market after next season kicked off.

Legislators are poised to approve next week a total loss to taxpayers of $945 million for hosting the 2006 Asian Games in Hong Kong along with an event for disabled athletes.

Sportsworld Media Group plc, has been appointed exclusive marketing and media agent to the International Triathlon Union (ITU).

Long-standing Bayern Munich fan Boris Becker will sit next to Franz Beckenbauer at meetings of the prestigious German club's advisory board.