It’s been a quiet week on the local front in the lead-up to Easter, with most of the action in brand partnerships and sponsorships coming from overseas. Still, one major local announcement managed to steal the spotlight.
Welcome back to B&T’s Spotlight on Sponsors series, where we break down all the major sponsorship news from inside the sporting world.
So let’s race in!
BP x Adelaide Grand Final
The South Australian Motor Sport Board has announced that BP has officially signed on as the new naming rights sponsor for the iconic Adelaide street race, now rebranded as the BP Adelaide Grand Final.
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The deal comes after the previous sponsor, VAILO, entered receivership last month. Set to run from November 27–30, this year’s event will mark the first time Adelaide hosts the Supercars season finale, where four drivers will go head-to-head to decide the championship. The new format includes a 100km sprint on Friday in addition to the traditional twin 250km races over the weekend, adding extra excitement to the revamped finale.
BP’s sponsorship marks a return to big-brand backing for the event, which has been without a major global partner since the end of Clipsal’s long-running support in 2017.
“The Adelaide 500 has always had pride of place on the national motorsport calendar, but the advent of the BP Adelaide Grand Final will take that to the next level,” said SA Premier Peter Malinauskas.
“The fact that BP is partnering with the South Australian Motorsport Board speaks to the event’s stature.
“BP is a high quality, global brand with massive reach and will be actively promoting the event to its huge national customer base.
“That means more people coming to South Australia to pay witness to the best Supercars event in the country.
“The event will only get better, with the new format of the BP Adelaide Grand Final ensuring that we play host to the season decider every year.”
BP’s Senior Vice President Paul Augé said the company is “waving the green flag” on a new era, calling the Adelaide Grand Final the biggest motorsport event in the country.
“We started by expanding our fuel network through X Convenience and now we’re bringing BP to the biggest motorsport event in the country; the BP Adelaide Grand Final.
“In the five years we’ve partnered with Supercars, we’ve achieved a lot on and off the track. Now, we’re entering a new era with the BP Adelaide Grand Final.”
FPT x Chelsea Football Club
Chelsea Football Club has announced a global partnership with Vietnamese technology solutions provider FPT Corporation (FPT).
Founded in 1988, FPT has driven Vietnam’s technology surge over the last three decades. It will bring its future-ready technology and industry-leading workforce to advance Chelsea FC’s digital capabilities with aligned values of teamwork, ambition and hard work, enabling the club to transform and accelerate performance and deliver richer experiences for the club’s fans at home and abroad.
With FPT’s expertise in digital technology, software development, product engineering and IT service management, Chelsea FC will closely collaborate with FPT’s team of experts to identify and develop solutions that support the club’s global growth ambitions.
Chelsea FC and FPT share a vision to transform how the Blues engage and interact with their ever-growing global fan base, enriching the fan experience not only at the stadium but also across diverse digital channels, wherever they are. This partnership unlocks boundless opportunities to innovate – leveraging technology to inspire current and future generations and deepen their connection to the club like never before.
“As Chelsea FC celebrates its 120th anniversary, we know our future will be shaped not only by our commitment to success on the pitch but by the transformation of our club using technology. Vietnam has experienced significant growth in recent years and emerged as a global digital hub, thanks to the energy and spirit of its people. FPT’s expertise in core business systems, data intelligence, and AI makes them the perfect partner to propel Chelsea FC into this new era,” said Todd Kline, president of commercial for Chelsea Football Club.
“Becoming an Official Partner of Chelsea FC marks an exciting chapter in FPT’s global expansion. This partnership not only reflects our shared commitment to excellence but also showcases the transformative power of technology in enhancing performance and creating unforgettable experiences. At FPT, our vision is to bring happiness and meaningful connections to our customers and communities; and we look forward to partnering with one of the world’s top football clubs to continue making this vision a reality,” said Pham Minh Tuan, FPT Software CEO and executive vice president, FPT Corporation.
NetApp x NFL
The National Football League has named NetApp its Official Intelligent Data Infrastructure partner. NetApp will work with the league to develop cutting-edge, silo-free storage technology, allowing the NFL to manage the data to drive innovation.
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“The global partnership between the NFL and NetApp represents a shared commitment to leveraging intelligent data to drive transformative solutions for the league,” said Renie Anderson, executive vice president and chief revenue officer at the NFL. “By combining our expertise with NetApp’s industry-leading intelligent data infrastructure, we can unlock new efficiencies that accelerate innovation within our game.”
The NFL is one of the most widely recognised and beloved sports leagues in the world, with more than 218 million fans in the United States alone and many more around the world in countries including Mexico, Brazil, the U.K., Germany, Spain and Australia. NetApp will play a key role globally with the NFL, activating across the entire slate of 2025 International Games, and as the presenting sponsor of the 2025 NFL London Games and the first-ever regular season NFL game in Madrid. The NFL has tapped NetApp as a leader in enterprise data storage, bringing intelligence to the league’s data.
“Working with NetApp has helped us serve football fans worldwide by streamlining our technology operations and enabling us to be better custodians of our sport,” said Gary Brantley, chief information officer at the NFL. “We strive to innovate and excel in everything we do and work with partners that share those values. Over the years we have worked together, NetApp has earned our trust that they can meet those high standards. With an intelligent data infrastructure powered by NetApp technology, we have a secure data storage strategy that can carry us into the future.”
The NFL will leverage NetApp technology to elevate its data storage strategy in the era of intelligence across its entire organisation. By providing some of the most secure storage on the planet, NetApp will help the NFL maintain the long-term fidelity and integrity of its data. NetApp’s built-in security features, like NetApp ONTAP Autonomous Ransomware Protection with AI (ARP/AI) and solutions such as NetApp cyber vault, can protect customers from data loss and downtime by proactively detecting potential threats and quickly recovering data, helping reduce operational risk.
“The NFL has been a long-standing customer of NetApp, and it is gratifying to see their interest in expanding our relationship,” said Cesar Cernuda, president at NetApp. “By helping the NFL build an intelligent data infrastructure, we are elevating the sport for fans of football everywhere. Bringing intelligence to the league’s data storage allows them to modernise their infrastructure and gives them the tools they need to agilely adapt to the future.”
