Shorts: Anthony Joshua, World Rugby, Millwall,
British boxing star Anthony Joshua has become a co-owner of Hexagon Cup team AD/vantage, ahead of this year’s edition of the padel competition.
The former two-time world heavyweight champion joins tennis icon Sir Andy Murray as a co-owner of AD/vantage, which won the inaugural Hexagon Cup last year.
This year’s tournament will take place in Madrid between 29th January and 2nd February.
The British-owned team’s leadership also includes Murray’s former coach Dani Vallverdu, as well as businessman Arran Yentob.
Each of the Hexagon Cup’s eight teams comprises one male, one female, and one ‘Next Gen’ pair.
Padel is one of the fastest growing sports – both in the UK and internationally – with 5,000 hours of the sport being played each day across the country.
“The growth of Padel as an international sport has been really impressive and interesting to watch so getting the chance to join Andy and the rest of the ownership team was an opportunity I had to take,” Joshua said.
“I am looking forward to supporting the team as they defend their Hexagon Cup title in Madrid later this month and as they continue to grow and develop.”
World Rugby has secured a new partnership with Sports Travel & Hospitality (STH) for the next three Rugby World Cups.
The agreement with the Sodexo Live subsidiary covers the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup in England, as well as the next men’s Rugby World Cup in 2027, and the next Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2029, which will both be staged in Australia.
STH will collaborate with rugby union’s global governing body to develop premium experiences for the tournaments.
The company’s ‘RWC Experiences’ programme will offer a range of ticket packages for the international rugby competitions, featuring travel and hospitality solutions for fans.
This year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup will take place between 22nd August and 27th September, and will be held across eight venues throughout the nation.
“Fan experience is at the heart of our purpose to grow rugby’s audience share by making it more accessible and relevant,” said Alan Gilpin, CEO of World Rugby.
“Our relationship with STH goes to the heart of this purpose – to redefine rugby hospitality and create a range of experiences that cater for new leisure hungry audiences, while also catering for existing audiences.
Sodexo Live Worldwide CEO, Nathalie Bellon-Szabo, added, “Developing innovative travel and hospitality programmes is at the heart of what we do at Sodexo Live.
“We are thrilled that our dedicated organisation, STH, has been entrusted by World Rugby to deliver this ambitious vision.”
Millwall FC have partnered with QuinnBet, which becomes an official sports betting partner to the EFL Championship club.
Millwall have agreed a two-year partnership with QuinnBet, a betting company operating in the UK and Ireland.
Under the agreement, QuinnBet will gain visibility through branding at The Den and across the club’s digital platforms.
Niall McPartland, Head of Commercial and Sponsorship at QuinnBet, added, “We are delighted to partner with Millwall FC on this initial two-year deal.
“We would like to wish everyone at Millwall FC the very best for the season ahead.”
RL Commercial and IMG have revealed a revamp of rugby league fan app, ‘Our League.’
The app’s Match Centre features news, video content, and key information across the men’s, women’s and wheelchair Super League, the Challenge Cup, and Community Rugby League divisions.
The enhanced Our League app will additionally include a new predictor game, as well as interactive features such as Player of the Match votes, polls, and quizzes.
Agency giant IMG is leading the digital transformation of rugby league’s commercial arm, as part of a long-term strategic partnership.
In 2024, Rugby League garnered more than 8.5m engagements across social media, and generated more than 162 million individual views across video content.
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