LAST WEEK'S SPONSORSHIP NEWS

These stories cover sponsorship news for February 3-9, 2020. This is part of our "Last Week Today" series that includes a weekly roundup of the past week's most exciting and industry-altering news. Check back on our blog every Monday for updates!

NEW XFL SPONSORSHIP

The XFL Roughnecks and Kroger announced a new partnership with Kroger named the presenting sponsor for the Home Opener that took place this past Saturday, February 8th. Kroger Houston Division President Joe Kelley said, “We look forward to seeing the impact this team will have on and off the field.” Read the complete press release on XFL.com

OFFICIAL AIRLINE PARTNER

Paris Saint-Germain, France's most successful football club, teams up with Qatar Airways as the new Premium Partner and Official Airline Partner for the next three seasons. This partnership extends to Paris Saint-Germain women's football and handball teams until 2022. The press release can be found on PSG.fr.

MCLAREN SECURES NEW SPONSOR

Darktrace entered into a partnership with McLaren, beginning with the 2020 Formula 1 season. It will provide artificial intelligence across the McLaren Group and McLaren Racing to protect the team against cyber-attacks. In return, the Darktrace brand will be represented on the rear wing of the McLaren MCL35 race car and on the race suits of the team's race drivers. Official press release available on McLaren.com.

PARALYMPIC SPONSOR NEWS

Japanese airline All Nippon Airways (ANA) was announced as a Supporting Partner of the Paralympic torch relay. This deal will bring extra promotion to the Paralympics through ANA's in-flight entertainment options and magazines.

The Paralympic Torch Relay Partnership Programme also includes water technology company Lixil as a Presenting Partner and energy company Eneos as another Supporting Partner.

Details for the ceremonial Paralympic torch flame lighting festivals available on SportBusiness.com

RENAULT RETURNS

French car manufacturer Renault co-signed a letter of intent with the French Rugby Federation to return as a major sponsor of French Rugby.

Renault was the FFR's official car from 2008 to 2012, reportedly paying €3m per year. BMW took over the deal from 2013 to 2016 and while it's not entirely clear what prompted the early contract termination, all parties seem to be in agreement with the changes. The sponsorship contract for Renault is scheduled for completion before March 31, 2020.

If you're interested in reading the about the drama, AKA speculation for early contract termination, head over to SportBusiness.com.

OFFICIAL SPORTS DRINK

BioSteel Sports Nutrition Inc. named the Official Sports Drink of the Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center. This marks the first major partnership with a professional U.S. sports team for BioSteel.

The Brooklyn Nets had been using BioSteel products for years so this deal was a natural evolution of the relationship. The multi-year agreement will include significant branding exposure through digital and static assets at all Nets games at Barclays Center, as well as practice games at the HSS Training Center.

The press release is on PRNewsWire.com

Look out next Monday for the usual round-up on sponsorship news.