Shorts: Formula 1, WSL, LIV Golf
London’s O2 Arena will host Formula 1’s season launch event for 2025, the global single-seater racing championship has announced.
For the first time in Formula 1 history, all ten teams will attend the event on 18th February, including their drivers and Team Principals.
These include Alpine, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Haas, Kick Sauber, McLaren, Mercedes, Racing Bulls, Red Bull, and Williams.
The occasion will mark the start of the sport’s 75th anniversary year, providing fans with the opportunity to witness the unveiling of the 2025 team liveries and the driver line-ups for the upcoming season.
The launch event will be brought to life through the creative vision of BrianBurkeCreative, in collaboration with Stufish Entertainment Architects, DX7 Design, and production company 1826.
Burke, an international creative producer, has previously worked on the opening and closing ceremonies for the inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1, said, “For the first time we will bring together our fans, all 20 superstars of our sport and some very special guests to officially kick off our new season and mark our 75th year of racing.
“With 2025 set to be a classic season following all the drama so far in 2024, this is a fantastic opportunity for fans of all ages to experience up-close the incredible entertainment spectacle that is Formula 1.”
The WSL is set to take over multiple London underground stations for the fixture round on 16th and 17th November, in partnership with Transport for London (TfL).
During that weekend, all 11 matches across the WSL and Women’s Championship will be played at the respective main stadiums of each home team for the first time.
Tube stations White Hart Lane, Seven Sisters, and Fulham Broadway stations, will each undergo a makeover ahead of the games at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Stamford Bridge.
Fans traveling to the matches will hear special announcements from players including Bethany England (Tottenham Hotspur), Lotte Wubben-Moy (Arsenal), Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), and Alex Greenwood (Manchester City).
These players have recorded messages that will play throughout the stations ahead of the kick-off. Additionally, each station will feature unique whiteboards designed for the occasion, giving supporters another way to engage as they head to the matches.
In the coming weeks, TfL will also introduce the “Lioness Line” on the London Overground to celebrate the England women’s national football team’s achievements.
LIV Golf has expanded its executive team with the additions of John Ruzich and Denise Taylor.
Ruzich joins as Chief Legal Officer, overseeing all legal functions across the league and its 13 teams, including responsibilities for international operations and events.
Meanwhile, Denise Taylor, appointed as Head of Product and Technology, will lead the league’s global technology solutions and product development.
Both executives will be based in New York and are set to officially begin their roles in November 2024.
Greg Norman, LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO, said, “Welcoming John and Denise to our leadership team is another big step for our League as we continually enhance our operations and scale our business.
“Their expertise, honed through leadership roles at premiere sports organisations, makes them invaluable additions.”
Chelsea have appointed former Tottenham Hotspur executive Todd Kline as the club’s Head of Commercial.
Kline officially started his new role on 11th November, after leaving Spurs, where he served as Chief Commercial Officer.
In his new role, Kline will be responsible for securing a new front-of-shirt sponsor for Chelsea, as the club has been without a primary partner for the first three months of the current campaign. However, Chelsea has secured new sponsors for its sleeve (Fever) and training kit (BingX).
His predecessor, Tom Glick, left his role as President of Business last year after just ten months.
The American joined Tottenham in March 2021, following a Senior Vice President role at the William Morris Endeavor (WME) agency, where he managed sports talent and property sales.
Previously, Kline held positions with the NFL’s Washington Commanders and Miami Dolphins, where he brokered a lucrative naming rights deal with Hard Rock for the Dolphins’ home stadium.
Kline’s appointment comes during a period of significant executive-level change at Chelsea, following the club’s £4.25 billion takeover by a consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in May 2022.
World Table Tennis (WTT) has confirmed that the WTT Star Contender London will be part of the 2025 event series.
The competition will take place from 22nd to 26th October 2025 at London’s Copper Box Arena.
This event marks another step in WTT’s strategy, following the announcement of the WTT Feeder Manchester 2025 event in April.
Adria Christy, Table Tennis England CEO, said, “We are delighted to be staging another event in 2025 as we extend the opportunities for our members and fans to see world-class, international table tennis in this country.
“A key part of our Table Tennis United strategy is making our sport more visible, and the development of a major event series is critical to that ambition, and I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you to our city partners and venues who have been so supportive in helping to bring the series to life.”
Global marketing & management agency Blueprintx has announced the signing of former England left arm spin bowler, speaker and presenter Monty Panesar.
Blueprintx will support Monty across his commercial portfolio including partnerships, broadcasting and speaking arrangements.
Commenting on the signing, Blueprintx co-founder Rob Hughes, said, “We’re immensely excited to welcome Monty Panesar to our talent roster at Blueprintx. Monty’s career to date speaks for itself and we are delighted to be working alongside him to expand his commercial portfolio.”
FAWNL Northern Premier Division side Liverpool Feds has agreed a new shirt sponsorship deal with Liverpool-based sports marketing agency, Creative Players.
Debuted at the weekend’s fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers W.F.C., the team has received ‘essential funding from the agency.’
After talks with a proposed private investment partner for the club stalled in recent weeks, Creative Players has committed several thousand pounds worth of funding for the remainder of the 2024/25 season.
Creative Players’ relationship with Feds dates back to 2022 when the agency agreed to cover the annual costs of gym access for the squad over a three-year period. This was driven by ‘the agency’s desire to invest back into women’s football,’ following a client campaign around the 2022 UEFA Women’s Euros.
As part of the original partnership, Creative Players also committed to funding a documentary about the club.
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