Motorola, one of the National Football League's key sponsors, has signed a sponsorship agreement with the United Football League, which begins this October.

The UFL is a new professional football league set up by former National Football League executives, which will host teams in cities across America including Las Vegas, New York and Orlando. UFL investor Bill Hambrecht is on Motorola's board of directors.

Motorola will be a foundation partner of the league in a deal that will run for an initial one year, but is expected to continue. The company pays US$50 million per season for its sponsorship of the NFL. It will use its UFL sponsorship to showcase a range of new products.

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"Motorola is the global communications leader and we are thrilled to have them as a foundation partner for the UFL's Premiere season," said Frank Vuono, chief operating officer of the UFL. "We are integrating Motorola into our overall communications strategy by utilising the company's latest technologies to deliver our product to the fans. Collectively, we are setting a new standard in how corporate partners are utilised in professional sports."

Erick Soderstrom, vice president of brand marketing, Motorola Mobile Devices, added: "Motorola is proud to be working with the UFL in order to help support their mission to advance the game of football and make it accessible for fans everywhere. Our partnership with the UFL gives us an opportunity to connect with a highly-desirable target for the Motorola brand."