Wasps announce 15-year partnership with Compass Group

COVENTRY rugby club Wasps has announced a 15-year extension to its existing partnership between Compass Group UK & Ireland and Arena Coventry Ltd (ACL), the club’s subsidiary company which runs the Ricoh Arena, in a deal expected to generate £195m in total turnover.

Levy Restaurants UK, the sports, leisure and hospitality sector of Compass Group UK & Ireland, will provide all catering services for match day, conferencing and events until 2030, having retained and extended the contract which previously ran from 2007.

Compass Group UK & Ireland is one of several service partners of the Wasps Group, as well as official club partners: Land Rover, EMC2 and DS Smith.

The club’s new technical wear partner Under Armour was confirmed last month.

Wasps recently announced a series of planned improvements for the Ricoh Arena, including a partnership with Hilton Worldwide to convert the Ricoh Arena Hotel into a DoubleTree by Hilton.

When all upgrades have been completed by the end of 2015, the Ricoh Arena will offer visitors a total of five bars, three restaurants on-site and more than 20 food and beverage outlets.

David Armstrong, group chief executive officer at Wasps, said: “We are very pleased to have extended our partnership with Compass Group UK & Ireland. The increased length and investment of this new contract reflects the upward curve Wasps and ACL have followed since Wasps acquired the Ricoh Arena and aligned the brands.

“It also indicates a firm belief in what we can achieve off the field at our new home, through the powerful combination of sport, business and entertainment.”

No5 Chambers score Blues deal

LEGAL firm No5 Chambers is has become an official diamond partner of Birmingham City FC.

The Blues are aiming to build on the feel-good factor generated by Gary Rowett’s appointment as manager in October last year.

No5 Chambers has agreed a new sponsorship deal with the Championship club and will have its name emblazoned across the back of the Blues’ away shirts throughout the 2015/16 season, while the home kits will sport the branding of Novate Direct Legal Solutions, No5’s sister public access company.

The deal was launched at a reception at No5’s head office in Birmingham attended by club manager Gary Rowett, first team players and senior directors.

Tony McDaid, practice director at No5, said: “We are delighted to be getting involved with English football through our new partnership deal with Birmingham City.

“We attended the club’s golf event in Benidorm earlier this year and the relationship proved a really good fit. Many of our barristers are Blues fans, so the excitement is certainly building for the season kick-off on August 8 when Birmingham take on Reading at home.”

Ian Dutton, Birmingham City’s head of commercial, said: “This is fantastic news for the club and its supporters. No5 is a high profile, local and national name and we’re thrilled to be associated with such a successful company.”

Aston Villa secure two new club partners.

BETFAIR and bet365 will become official partners of Aston Villa at the beginning of next month and both companies will have co-exclusive rights in the betting category.

Both will have the right to be associated with Aston Villa and activate the partnerships globally and both will appear on the club’s LED screens and interview backdrops.

Aston Villa chief commercial officer Charlie Wijeratna, said: “I am very pleased that we have got two top betting brands on board as partners for next season.

“Commercially the club has two aims – we want to partner with good brands that will activate extensively and we want to increase our commercial revenues so we can compete with the best on the pitch.

“These two deals represent a very significant commercial increase on last year’s betting partnership and taken together with the recent announcement of an enhanced shirt sponsorship deal with a top US brand, demonstrate significant progress towards those goals.”