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Scottish second-tier outfit Ayr United have become the first soccer club to accept payment in their club shop from cryptocurrency Bitcoin Cash (BCH).

BCH was announced as the side's shirt sponsor back in April, with the kits revealed by topless models days later for the second year in a row.

Ayr United were promoted to the Scottish Championship at the end of the 2018/19 season and are hoping to boost shirt sales with the new deal as well as cutting the transaction fees of alternative payment options. The average transaction cost of BCH to the merchant is just US$0.02.

Graeme Miller, commercial manager at BCH, commented: “I am relatively new to the world of Bitcoin Cash but there is a huge community out there and I am hoping they get behind us as we start a very important season back in the Championship. All commercial ventures have to embrace new technologies and we are proud to be the first in football to offer supporters around the world BCH as a payment option.”

Sponsorship

Dutch soccer giants PSV Eindhoven have signed a three-year that makes Markteffect an official club sponsor for the next three years.

Swiss soccer club FC Basel have renewed their partnership with Adidas that sees the German sportswear manufacturer continue to supply the Super League giants kit until 2021/22.

English second-tier outfit Wigan have signed a three-year kit supply deal with Puma for the next three years that the club claim provides 'significant investment'.

Indian tyre manufacturer BKT has signed up as the title sponsor of Serie B, the second division of Italian soccer, until the end of the 2020/21 season.

Cricket Australia has struck a deal for real estate company Domain to become the title sponsor of the body’s home Test series over the next four years.

The National Hockey League's (NHL) San Jose Sharks have announced a new, five-year partnership with cloud data protection and management firm Druva.

Prayag, a bathroom appliances brand, has been announced as a 'gold level' sponsor for the upcoming Netmeds Cup international Twnty20 cricket tournament between India and Ireland.

German sportswear company Puma has agreed a multi-year partnership with The Basketball Tournament, a summer league in the US

UCI World Tour cycling team Mitchelton-SCOTT have announced a new supply partnership with tyre brand Pireilli to kick in for the Tour de France.

Media Rights

Poland’s National Broadcasting Council (KRRiT) has granted Telewizja Polsat a licence for Polsat Games, an esports channel likely to make its debut in quarter three this year.

Personal Endorsement

Sportswear brand FILA has announced that it has signed a sponsorship agreement with Leo Borg, son of tennis legend Bjӧrn Borg. Leo, 15, was recently ranked number one in the Under-14 age group in Sweden and captured the U14 Swedish Masters title last November.

SmartSeries

Minor League Baseball's (MiLB) Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are partnering with Umbel as their platform for fan engagement.

Investment

Video display company Daktronics has announced today the acquisition of AJT Systems’ services and technology to expand the company’s control system features and offerings.

The Gibraltar Football Association (GFA) has submitted a project to construct a new national stadium on the site currently occupied by Victoria Stadium.

Politics & Governance

German top-flight soccer side Bayer Leverkusen have signed a cooperation agreement with the Japanese first division outfit V-Varen Nagasaki. The three-year partnership sees both club collaborate in youth development.

Sticking with Germany, Borussia Mönchengladbach have opened a foreign office in Shanghai to strengthen the club's presence in Asia.

The new International Testing Agency (ITA) has officially commenced operations following a second foundation boarding meeting in Lausanne.

Ambush of the day

International fashion retailer C&A was hit by a Fifa sanction following the company's use of social media to promote its products at the World Cup. Bruna Marquezine and Rafaella Santos, respective girlfriend and sister of Neymar, were both featured on C&A's Instagram story whilst watching the Brazil forward play in Russia, with Marquezine even showing off a yellow bra and tagging C&A in the post. Marquezine and Rafaella are both brand ambassadors for the company.

All the posts were later taken down by the company who released a statement saying they would comply with the soccer governing body's rules regarding ambush marketing from now on.

'C&A clarifies that Bruna Marquezine and Rafaella Santos are our partners and that the company values ​​compliance with ethics and compliance with Fifa's determinations regarding the World Cup,' it said.

Our industry digest will update throughout the day as deals break so check back to make sure you do not miss a story