Student sports event seeks sponsorship

The British Universities Sports Association (BUSA) is seeking sponsors for its flagship multi-sport National Finals championship ahead of its launch in March 2008.

BUSA, the governing body of university sport, is seeking a host broadcaster and a headline sponsor for the event, which aims to consolidate 49 separate sports, including athletics, football and windsurfing, into a national event.

It is working with London-based sports marketing agency Fast Track on plans to consolidate the individual events into a cohesive national event. The programme is expected to comprise between 15 and 30 selected sports likely to raise the profile of student sport in the UK. Fast Track has initially been tasked with identifying a host city to support the championship.

The body has increased its focus on sponsorship deals and recently signed a three-year deal with Vodafone as its primary sponsor. The mobile giant joins long-standing associate sponsors PricewaterhouseCoopers and The Daily Telegraph. All sponsors will be involved in the new championship event.

BUSA aims to develop an event to showcase the diversity of sports across the university sector. Chief executive Ian Randell says it will also seek agencies to work on developing the event and driving awareness.