Sony sponsors soccer
Socceroo Tim Cahill will be doing promotional duties for Sony as part of the company's partnership with the Football Federation of Australia.
All those parents pacing the sports sidelines this winter trying to record their little darling's first goal will be envious of the announcement today that Sony has become the official consumer electronics supplier to the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) and the Socceroos.
Details of the partnership, which will extend through the next World Cup in 2010, were a bit vague, but FFA's CEO Ben Buckley said that the "unique equipment" supplied by Sony will help the coaching staff with match preparation and review.
While FFA presumably gets loads of Handycams and Bravias, Sony in return gets access to the Qantas Socceroo players, games, branding and merchandise. The sweetener is an individual deal with star player Tim Cahill, who will hit the promotional trail on behalf of Sony.
Cahill, currently recovering from a knee injury, dutifully showed up and fielded questions today on the upcoming match against Uruguay and Australia's chances in the Asian Cup.
CNET.com.au staffers in the front row were a bit out of our depth when the sports beat took over from the tech one, but we can report that Cahill had a diamond ring on his finger that, if draped over one of the nearby Sony TVs, would have rivalled the carats on the jewel-encrusted Philips Ambilight LCD on display at the Sydney Home Show. Another example of tech and bling -- well, sort of.