Reading Football Club announced that Waitrose, the food shops of the John Lewis Partnership, will be the new club sponsors for the 2008/9 season.

A one-year contract has been signed with an option to extend and the deal will make Waitrose the only food retailer in Britain to be club sponsor of a major football team.

As part of the deal, the Waitrose name will appear on the new home and away kits, and offers will be available to season ticket holders.

The retailer and club are also aiming to provide Waitrose food in the stadium and its conference facilities.

Reading FC Chairman, John Madejski, commented, "We are absolutely delighted to announce the start of what we hope will prove to be a long-term partnership with one of the most reputable and respected retail brands in the UK.

"We hope that this will become a pioneering partnership and we are already aiming to introduce Waitrose food and drink products across the stadium, hotel and conference centre, which we are sure will be well received by our supporters.

"Waitrose will also be making a number of exclusive offers available to our season ticket holders and we are very pleased that they have shown such willingness to engage with our supporters."

After announcing that Waitrose are the Club's new sponsor, Commercial Director Pat Coyne revealed, "We are planning to launch the new kits in July.

"We're aiming for the team to play in the new away kit in the friendly at Didcot on 12th July, and for the new home kit to be unveiled at the friendly with Aston Villa on 2nd August."

Luton Town are searching for a new kit sponsor after Electrolux confirmed they would not be renewing their deal.

The appliance company has been involved with Luton for three years, having first sponsored the Hatters when they relocated their head office from Slough to Luton in 2005.

Brad Tribble, vice president and managing director of Electrolux Major Appliances UK & Ireland, said: "After three years sponsoring club football there are clearly tangible benefits for any local company – especially forging closer links with the community – and Electrolux has found these of great value.

"Looking ahead, the club's new management has some fantastic opportunities in place for companies to support the kids, the community and the club.

"Unfortunately the timing was not right for Electrolux, as renewal came at a time when the group's sponsorship strategy across Europe was – and still is – being reviewed. Therefore the decision was made not to renew local initiatives such as sponsorship of Luton Town FC.

"We wish the club all the very best for the next season and hope to see them ultimately bounce back to the Championship in the coming years."

The Hatters now face the difficult task of finding a new shirt sponsor in addition to sorting out their difficulties with the FA and Football League.

With only 7 matches to go at Euro 2008 it's time to take it to the next level with our EURO 2008 POOL and separate the boys from the men.

Points will go up for every exact result you predict for the last 7 games, leaving 410 points to be earned. So if you want to win one of the 4 TOFFS football shirts you better get in there while it's still possible to win.

For those who are new to this game; All you have to do is login (become a member if you're not) and you'll get access to the games of the pool.

You can fill in your 1st half score and second half score and they will earn you points. All games will be locked 15 minutes before each game starts so you can make some last minute changes when your favorite player does not play.

The one with the most points at the end of Euro 2008 wins. It's simple as that.

The winner of the pool gets to choose 2 shirts from the TOFFS classic shirt collection. The second and 3rd place winners can both choose one Football shirt from the famous classic shirt company website.

Basic Italia and Torino Football Club announced that they have signed a technical sponsorship agreement for the Torino Football Club’s teams, which will take effect as of next season. The agreement is valid for three years and can be renewed.

The Torino football players will wear the innovative Kombat 2009, which is included in the new technical collection developed by the Kappa R&D centre in line with best quality and aesthetic standards. Brand new collections for training and leisure time are being created in record time following innovative technical solutions and design.

Thanks to this agreement, Basic Italia has been given the title of Technical Supplier and Official Sponsor of Torino Football Club, as well as the licence to produce and market merchandise bearing the Torino team logo.

After expressing mutual satisfaction over the agreement, both parties have announced that its details will be clarified during a press conference on 5 July at Chia, in Sardinia, in occasion of the Second Workshop of Torino F.C., in the presence of the respective managers. The official shirts for the 2008/09 season will also be unveiled on this occasion.

CAF (The Confederation of African Football) and Adidas signed in CAF Headquarters an extension of their agreement until 2016.

Adidas, long standing CAF partner, provides sport equipments to CAF for its events and developing programs including courses for coaching, refereeing, sports medicine and Football administration. Adidas contribute also financially.

A special ball was conceived by adidas, for all CAF events and also for other football activities in the African continent. The successful launching was conducted during the MTN – 26th African Cup of Nations in Ghana 2008.

CAF President Issa Hayatou said "The signing ceremony with adidas represent a greatest moment in the history of our institution.

I am pretty convinced that the extension of our partnership, once again, with our traditional partner will continue to strengthen our relationship which geared towards the development of CAF as well as Football in the continent."

Herbert Hainer CEO of the adidas group said "I am equally proud and happy to see that the partnership between CAF and adidas will continue in the future.

CAF is the architect of football in Africa in the future and their work has delivered tremendous results over the last years. We grew with each other and I am very confident that this will continue in the years to come for the benefit of the sport in Africa "

Vandanel has announced a major kit deal with Notts County FC. The League Two side and Vandanel have worked closely on the deal and now look forward to working together in the coming seasons.

Neil Burke, Director of Vandanel said: "We are delighted to be associated with what is universally recognised as the oldest football league club in the world. Vandanel is proud to supply top quality clothing and it is a privilege that our brand is to be aligned with such a well known and traditional club. We are very proud to be able to announce this deal".

Notts County Chief Executive, Geoff Davey, said: "This clothing deal is great news for Notts County and ensures our team and fans are getting superb quality kit for the next two seasons. Vandanel is a well known manufacturing brand name in English football and we are excited by this partnership with the firm."

The deal comes in to effect at the start of the new 2008/9 season and will run until 2010.

Everton will be launching a brand new kit for the 2008-09 season but there will be a significant change to the junior versions. Everton will become the first English club to completely strike alcohol sponsorship from their kids shirts. Following a recommendation from the Portman Group, the club has decided that all junior replica jerseys and training range will not carry the name or logo of the main sponsor, Chang.

The Portman Group is supported by the UK's leading drinks producers and is concerned solely with the social responsibility issues surrounding alcohol.

The Group's Code of Practice on the Naming, Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks was introduced in 1996. The Code, which is supported throughout the industry, seeks to ensure that drinks are marketed in a socially responsible way and to an adult audience only.

Everton Chief Executive, Keith Wyness, explained the club’s stance on this issue: "As a Premier League football club we are all too aware of our social responsibility, especially towards our younger supporters, and we are only too pleased to adopt this policy for the new season."

David Poley, Portman Group Chief Executive, added: "Everton is leading the way by becoming the first English club to remove alcohol branding from all children's replica sports shirts.

"No drinks company would deliberately set out to target children, it’s an unwanted side-effect of sports sponsorship. Hopefully, fans will appreciate why the industry does not want children to be viewed as walking billboards for their drinks."

With up to 20 per cent of supporters who do not normally buy a replica shirt bombarding fanzines and the club’s official website to say they would now be more than happy to shell out on one, it appears Acorns’ dreams of one being able to care for all 1,600 children in the region who have life-limiting conditions will move a step nearer to reality.

That is fantastic news for John Greenfield, head of merchandising sales at Villa, who is now predicting up to 100,000 Villa shirts will be sold throughout the world next season – getting the Acorns’ name spread across the globe.

Greenfield said: "There is no doubt that the shirts will be extremely popular this year now that they are promoting a charity which is an incredible cause and close to the hearts of many of us.

"We are already hearing from fans who do not normally buy a football shirt but who will be considering doing so this time because they are proud of this association between the club and a charity which does such incredible work with sick children and their families.

"But it is not just this gesture which has seen shirt sales rise. The biggest denominator is success on the pitch as can be reflected in sales over the last two seasons.

"In the 2005-6 season we sold 32,000 shirts throughout our Villa Village stores and last season we sold 41,000. We do not have figures back from our manufacturer Nike on overall shirt sales from outlets worldwide but we estimate some 79,000 Villa home and away shirts were sold over all and that does not include training kits, tracksuits and so on.