Sponsorship Success......

[Matt Ross]

Hi all,

Just to let you know that recently, i signed a year contract with Karakal, which lasts from the 1st September 2002 to 31st August 2003. If you need any information now on Karakal equipment, be sure to ask :)

Matt

[^shaz^]

Congratulations man, how do you go about gettin sponsorship, did you write to them or did they contact you etc etc??

Anyhow its awesome, congrats again

[UkPlayer]

Excellent, send me some free rackets ;)

[Winex West Can]

Originally posted by Matt Ross
Hi all,

Just to let you know that recently, i signed a year contract with Karakal, which lasts from the 1st September 2002 to 31st August 2003. If you need any information now on Karakal equipment, be sure to ask :)

Matt

Matt,
That's great news. I guessed that your sponsorship with Ashaway and Fleet (Yehlex) are over? Do you mind if I PM you to ask a couple of questions?

Peter

[Matt Ross]

Hi,

Yup, i'm going to be cancelling the one with Fleet very soon, just need to confirm the contract tomorrow. I may keep ashaway, i have got to see if it is allowed within the contract terms first. Sure, you know i dont mind, send me a PM :)

Matt

[Steve willis]

Shall look out for you and this great news on Sky sports news Matt.
:D

[Matt Ross]

Steve,

lol, sure thing boss :) By the way, me and Alan think your picture on your main webpage with Rexy, you look like a convict, lol. I'm still undecided which rackets though, probably the SLTi-80 looks pretty nice.

Matt

[Cheung]

Why change contract?

If you signed the orginal contract with Fleet, and got some stuff off them, will they sue you for breach of contract since now they do not have the original goods?

I think maybe not if you just managed to get equipment from Fleet on the cheap...

[edwin]

Originally posted by Matt Ross
Hi all,

Just to let you know that recently, i signed a year contract with Karakal, which lasts from the 1st September 2002 to 31st August 2003. If you need any information now on Karakal equipment, be sure to ask :)

Matt
Congratulations Matt. You must be feeling very happy after receiving this new sponsorship.

[Matt Ross]

Cheung,

I had signed no paper work or anything to say i was actually sponsored by Fleet. They only gave me discounted items. Now, i want to move on to Karakal. Like i said, i signed no paper work or contract with Fleet, they just said 'Ok'

Matt

[andrew_cherry]

Congrats! I hope you have good fortune with them. I recently switched over to Karakal, (SL70, and SL80Ti) and I love it! Not going back to Yonex or anywhere else in a hurry... Not too keen on the strings, but then I always just restring rackets when I get them anyway...

Let us know how you get on! I wonder whether i'll ever run into you at a tournament - are you going to Uni? Might be good for your badminton! :)

[Matt Ross]

Hi there,

Thinking about going to Loghborough University, but we'll have to see nearer the time :)

Matt

[jwu]

Hey matt, curious, how do you go about getting sponsorship?

[bigredlemon]

Originally posted by Matt Ross
Cheung,

I had signed no paper work or anything to say i was actually sponsored by Fleet. They only gave me discounted items. Now, i want to move on to Karakal. Like i said, i signed no paper work or contract with Fleet, they just said 'Ok'

Matt

Well, verbal contracts are binding nonetheless, right? Doesn't matter in any case since i'm sure you never agreed to an exclusive sponsorship, so it's probably ok even if u did sign something like a discount card.

[bigredlemon]

Originally posted by jwu
Hey matt, curious, how do you go about getting sponsorship?

Interesting question... did you contact them, or they contact you?

[Winex West Can]

Originally posted by Cheung
Why change contract?

If you signed the orginal contract with Fleet, and got some stuff off them, will they sue you for breach of contract since now they do not have the original goods?

I think maybe not if you just managed to get equipment from Fleet on the cheap...

Usually the sponsorship contract will last from 1 to 3 years depending on the player.

Most manufacturers will consider sponsorships and depending on the level that you are at, you will get different sponsorship agreements (e.g. goods available, length of contracts, etc).

[Matt Ross]

Hi all,

Whats all this talk about breech of contract etc? I didnt sign anything to say i would stick and premote the company, so therefore, they cant sue. Anyway, i've let Ian Little of Yehlex know and he said ok and wished me all the best for the future.

Matt

[bigredlemon]

Originally posted by Matt Ross
Hi all,

Whats all this talk about breech of contract etc? I didnt sign anything to say i would stick and premote the company, so therefore, they cant sue. Anyway, i've let Ian Little of Yehlex know and he said ok and wished me all the best for the future.

Matt

Legally speaking, a contract is formed whenever two people agree to something. Signing it is a formal acknowledgement of the agreement. This is because oral contracts, though binding and legal, have little effect since they can't be proved. And in any case, it doesnt matter cuz i doubt they'd sue even if you did sign a contract since its badminton afterall, and not a basketball deal with nike. Congrats on your new contract Matt!

Btw, do you have to do anything, or do they just hand you some nice racquets and let you play :)

[bigredlemon]

DELETE THIS POST

[Matt Ross]

Hi all,

Well, like i said, the sponsorship with Yehlex has been terminated, so there is no worries or getting sued. In order for sueing to happen, if it did, they would have to have a contract saying i will continue to use their items, clothing etc, which they did not give me anything to sign.

Matt

[Cheung]

Ahh,

So getting sponsored doesn't mean you have to sign a contract.

My mistake.

So does that mean Michael Jordan could have just given up Nike one day and gone with Reebok??

[modious]

So interesting.

I think Matt got us all confused here...... He said his sponsership with Yehlex is terminated, not his contract. I think he didn't sign any contract agreeing to anything except getting discounts and help them advertise the brand. But if it's like that, what kind of sponsership is that?? No need to sign any contract? Hmmm.....

But he's now signing a contract with Karakal and also getting a sponsership. Hmmm....

I'm getting a little confused here as well!



I know Byron has a sponsership with Pointfore and he needs to sign a contract, etc.

[Matt Ross]

Hi,

Ok this is the deal. When i emailed Yehlex, i asked what they could offer me. Ian Little replied back saying that the best he could offer me was discounted items, no FOC items. So i took it, and that was concidered my sponsorship. I didnt sigh a contract with Yehlex to say that it would last a year or that i would be solely dedicated to Yehlex, same with Ashaway (who i am hoping to keep). Ashaway is the same as Yehlex, no contract signed.
Now, with Karakal, it's all done professionally. I had to send in an application form, they reviewed it and told me what they could give. They then gave me the contract saying that i would be soley dedicated to Karakal and use their items, clothing etc. Hence the fact i terminated the 'Sponsorship' with Yehlex. Hope this makes things clrearer. Sorry about the confusion.

Matt

[coops241180]

Wow - my partner/coach will be impressed - he's been sponsored my Karakal for abot 6/7 year i think - he will probably reply to this to correct me. seems to be making a come back - then again with racquets as low as 70 gms they are bound to be popular - i have to say tho i ain't keen on the colours of the clothes. (sorry i'm just too vain)

Neil

PS have you put ur profile on the Karakal website yet?

[Steve willis]

Back in my playing days I had Terms which was when a company helped you with the cost of equipment, rackets, shoes ect.
Sponsership was when you got equipment for free and in some cases money to help you fulfill your potential.

Terms and sponsership can be obtained as a coach,

[jwu]

so sponsorship is acquired by doing well in tournaments and be recognized? or you can contact the companies?

[Steve willis]

so sponsorship is acquired by doing well in tournaments and be recognized? or you can contact the companies?


All little bit of both most of the time

[philburton]

Originally posted by coops241180
Wow - my partner/coach will be impressed - he's been sponsored my Karakal for abot 6/7 year i think - he will probably reply to this to correct me. seems to be making a come back - then again with racquets as low as 70 gms they are bound to be popular - i have to say tho i ain't keen on the colours of the clothes. (sorry i'm just too vain)

Neil

PS have you put ur profile on the Karakal website yet?

Hey Coops,

You're very right - I have been sponsored by Karakal for about 7 years, in fact this year is my 8th!

Matt - congrats on gaining your sponshorhip with Karakal. If Mary has given you your password and login to the Sponsored Players section of the Karakal website, make sure that a paste a profile of yourself on there.

Whilst we're all on the subject of good news, just thought that I'd let you all know that on Tuesday I gained a Sports Scholarship from my University - UMIST in Manchester.

Once again well done Matt, I recommend the Ti-75.

Phil

[bigredlemon]

I just checked out Karakal's web site, and they have some very nice stuff there... like the SL-70. Rated at 30 pounds of tension and it only weighs 70g unstrung? That's insane, in a good way. The design could be better, but it's not ugly or anything. The Ti-75's design looks awsome.

How come we can't get these in Canada/US? They seem to be better than high end yonex...

[philburton]

I am sure there are US/Canadian distributors for Karakal. If email Karakal at ths address: sales@karakal.com, I am sure they will be able to put you in touch with some over that side of pond who stocks their equipment.

Phil

[jwu]

Originally posted by bigredlemon
I just checked out Karakal's web site, and they have some very nice stuff there... like the SL-70. Rated at 30 pounds of tension and it only weighs 70g unstrung? That's insane, in a good way. The design could be better, but it's not ugly or anything. The Ti-75's design looks awsome.

How come we can't get these in Canada/US? They seem to be better than high end yonex...

check out www.badmintonwarehouse.com BRL. They have the SL-70 and SL-80 for sale there.

[Winex West Can]

Originally posted by bigredlemon
I just checked out Karakal's web site, and they have some very nice stuff there... like the SL-70. Rated at 30 pounds of tension and it only weighs 70g unstrung? That's insane, in a good way. The design could be better, but it's not ugly or anything. The Ti-75's design looks awsome.

How come we can't get these in Canada/US? They seem to be better than high end yonex...

Contact Nick Ong or PM "Karakal Toronto" for a list & prices

[Matt Ross]

Phil,

I sent you a PM.

Matt

[bigredlemon]

Thanks for the links... but i dont think i'll be getting another racquet for awhile. If they ever make a extra long version of that racquet, that would be very nice :)

[Karakal Toronto]

Thanks for the referral WWC :). Matt congrats on your sponsorship. I too as well as phil recommend the Ti-75. I use to use the Ti-10 and i find the Ti-75 alot better in my opinion not just because of the price but for the performance. It's stiff and head heavy however the lightness allows for amazing defensive returns. Hope you enjoy your sponsorhip and good luck with your season.

Sincerely,
Nick

[Matt Ross]

Nick,

Thanks for your kind words :). It's a real toss up between what rackets to buy, either the Ti-75 of the SLTi-80. I'll have to give both a try to see how they feel. I want, really a light, balanced racket.

Matt

[Nick]

The SL-70 is light and a balanced racquet however i dislike it's flexibility. It doesn't fit my playing style. The SLTi-80 would also be an amazing choice. It's not quite as stiff and head heavy as the Ti-75 and it has a longer grip area which would help in doubles, theoretically. Well do give them a try and i hope the best for you. Don't forget the lil people :).

Have a good one.

Cheers,
Nick
Karakal Toronto