Up-and-coming sports in need of a marketing makeover

In 2005, the Professional Darts Corporation launched Premier League Darts. It was an immediate success, attracting 888.com as its official sponsor. In turn, the brand was replaced by Holsten, and subsequently Whyte & Mackay. The sport's biggest stars have rebranded themselves as Phil Taylor, Raymond van Barneveld and Wayne Mardle, but rather 'The Power', 'The Man' and 'Hawaii 501', respectively.

Barry Hearn, the man behind Premier League Darts, has now turned his attention to Prizefight, a boxing tournament on Sky Sports, in which eight heavyweights fight a series of bouts in a single evening, to win a prize of £25,000. 'We looked at Twenty20 cricket and decided to focus on an entirely new formula,' said Hearn at the tournament's launch.

In 2005, a reality boxing series called The Contender, produced and presented by Sylvester Stallone, came to the small screen. The series was a hit in both in the UK and US. Laden with high-profile product placement from brands including Gatorade and Toyota, episodes followed contenders' progress as they lived and trained together, competing for a place in a winner-takes-all fight.

Founded in the early 90s, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), shown on Setanta, has grown into one of the most popular combat sports in the US. Its vicious, apparently lawless nature appalled and enthralled in equal measure, but marginalised the sport and made appealing to sponsors a struggle.

Last year, with a new owner and altered rules, UFC grossed more from pay-per-view than WWE Wrestling or any boxing event. It still has rough edges to smooth be-fore it can reach a mainstream audience and a broader range of sponsors, but it is well on its way, with stars such as British fighter Michael Bisping, winner of Ultimate Fighter 3.

Earlier this year, Dunlop, Liffe, Barclays, Viagogo, Rockstar Games and Tsingtao supported the International Table Tennis Masters at London's Royal Albert Hall. It was supported by live music acts and celebrity matches, and was broadcast on Sky Sports. 'The international event supported TTK, the Greenhouse Schools Project, which gives inner-city kids the chance to access sport,' says Ray James, head of sport sponsorship at Sky Alive. 'Commercially, it was a great success. The evening was a sell-out, and talks about -staging the event again next year have already started.'

According to James, the glitzy showcase went some way toward changing public perceptions of table tennis and opening the sport up to a wider audience, although it may be some time before we see players adopting showy nicknames.

One clear success story has been the development of Twenty20 cricket, an abbreviated version of the game that has successfully targeted not only cricket enthusiasts, but also football fans during the off-season. Its latest incarnation, Indian Premier League (IPL), is probably the most ambitious sports evolution of the year, with some of India's wealthiest investing in teams such as the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Chennai Super Kings. The tournament has courted controversy by recruiting foreign cheerleaders to entertain the spectators, and the services of some of the world's leading cricketers from Australia, the West Indies and South Africa have been auctioned for up to $1.5m (£750,000).

Whether IPL, which is broadcast on Setanta Sports, can effectively become the global cricket league - as has happened with the Barclays Premier League in football - is a big question. It will face competition from a rival league set up by the English Cricket Board, which is determined to hang onto its brightest stars. The English Premier League Twenty20, which could kick off as early as 2010, will be backed by Texan billionaire Allen Stanford, who has invested millions in the Stanford 20/20 tournament in the West Indies.

Not all new developments have been greeted with such enthusiasm, however. Game 39, the Premier League's plan to stage domestic football matches overseas, has not been well received by either FIFA or the Football Association. 'That's not to say it is dead, but it was roundly criticised and has been shelved for the time being,' says Angus Buchanan, director of The Sports Consultancy.

A1GP, the self-proclaimed World Cup of Motorsport, was set up in 2005 with hopes of attracting passionate global audiences and sponsorship from blue-chip brands. While it is broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK and has struck a partnership deal with Ferrari, it has failed to capture the public's imagination. 'It's like the UEFA Cup, but far less successful.

I don't see a future for it and I wouldn't recommend it to my clients', says Tim Crow, chief executive of sponsorship agency Synergy.

Crow is equally dubious about the launch this autumn of SuperLeague Formula, a single-seater motorsports championship that pits teams owned by football clubs across Europe against each other. 'Last time I checked, they were football clubs [not motor racing teams]. I think it's ludicrous. It just won't work in the real world,' he says.

Nonetheless, the league is in discussion with England's top clubs and with major club sponsors including Samsung, AIG, Carlsberg and Emirates about valuable branding opportunities on the livery of their teams' cars.

Brands themselves have also helped to create some of the most innovative new sporting events of recent years. Success stories include the Red Bull Air Race series, which is broadcast on Channel 4, Sony Ericsson's Night Tennis and Betfair's one-day Turbo Tennis tournament. While the idea of turbo-charged golf, fishing or show-jumping may not have sponsorship directors reaching for their chequebooks just yet, the successful evolution of sports such as darts and cricket suggests there are risks worth taking.

We asked sponsorship industry leaders which sports they think need a makeover:

Horse Racing

Tim Crow, Chief executive, Synergy:

 Most people are mystified by horse racing. The sport needs a much clearer proposition and narrative. The appeal and dominance of successful races like the Grand National rests on clear positioning, but there are too many races that are appeal only to a niche group of hardened punters. Unless it is addressed, the sport will never broaden its appeal.

Emirates Airline London Sevens

Edd Hood Associate, Sponsorship Consulting 

The London Sevens rugby tournament needs to build up a sense of what it is and where it is heading. It is run by the Rugby Football Union, which has a commitment to rugby development, while the organisers of its Hong Kong and Dubai equivalents are free to adopt a more commercial perspective. Twickenham is also far too big a venue. Hong Kong's stadium is much smaller, and matches are played under floodlights, which adds a touch of theatre.

 Table tennis

Ray James, commercial manager, Sky Alive

With over 300m playing worldwide, table tennis is one of the most participated sports around.  In the UK alone, we've 2.5m active players, which is a level of interest many sports would die for. However, UK table tennis has suffered from a lack of exposure in recent years across all media platforms, especially TV.  The sport really needs a showpiece event in the UK to raise its profile in an ever competitive marketplace for sports.  An event which is able to draw in the best players from around the globe, and one which will capture the interest of the media and public alike.

 For example, the English Table Tennis association could look to revive The English Open - "the Wimbledon" of Table Tennis.  In years gone by, it was the most prestigious event on the Table Tennis Grand Prix circuit.  As a real celebration of table tennis, such an event could really engage a much wider audience, both in person or through the armchair.'