Shorts: Aston Villa, London Marathon, Decathlon

Aston Villa owner V Sports has completed its minority partner investment deal with Atairos, the club has confirmed. 

In an agreement that was first announced in December, the US-based strategic investor will join V Sports, the joint-venture set up by businessmen Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens, who took over the club in 2018. 

Villa says the fresh funding from Ataoris, which has more than $6.5bn (£5.2bn) equity capital, will predominantly be used for club infrastructure investments. 

Michael Angelakis, CEO of Atairos, said, “We have deep respect for Aston Villa, its rich history and loyal fan base, world-class management team and employees, and the V Sports ownership group. We are confident this partnership will provide further long-term support for the growth of the Premier League and Aston Villa’s men’s and women’s teams. 

“We look forward to working with Nassef, Wes and the Aston Villa team to strengthen the Club’s ability to compete and achieve even greater success.” 

The 2023 TCS London Marathon has revealed that its official fundraising total was £63m, ahead of the 2024 edition of the iconic race. 

Last year’s TCS London Marathon reportedly raised the highest total for charity since 2019, and accumulates the total funds raised since the inaugural event in 1981 to exceed £1.2bn.  

Hugh Brasher, Event Director for the TCS London Marathon, said, “Every year, the TCS London Marathon inspires tens of thousands of people to take on the challenge of completing 26.2 miles and raise these incredible sums for charity. It’s part of what makes the London Marathon unique and such a force for good on a day where we truly celebrate humanity and community. 

“This means that the London Marathon has helped thousands of charities to raise more than £1.2 billion since our first edition back in 1981. It is a phenomenal total and we salute every single person who has contributed to this. We wish the class of 2024 all the best for a fantastic day on Sunday 21 April.” 

Global sports retailer Decathlon UK has appointed Fifty as its new technology- led media agency partner. 

The partnership will see UK sports technology agency Fifty develop and execute an integrated media strategy to ‘optimise campaign performance across all channels.’ 

Oliver Simpson, Head of Performance Marketing at Decathlon UK, said, “We’re thrilled to partner with Fifty. 

Their capabilities perfectly align with our growth goals, with the AI platform showcasing how we can adapt to market trends quickly and more accurately. Early on the Fifty team showed us where we had opportunities to reach new audiences in key growth segments and importantly how to connect with them, an approach that will support long-term brand building and sustainable growth.” 

Sky Media has announced Optimum Nutrition as the new official nutrition partner of Sky Sports.

The campaign marks Optimum Nutrition’s debut in UK TV advertising, and will see it release content featuring McLaren’s Racing’s Landon Norris and Optimum Nutrition’s ambassador and Lioness Lauren James. 

Karin Seymour, Director of Client and Marketing at Sky Media said, “As we head into an incredibly exciting summer of sport, the timing couldn’t be better for Optimum Nutrition to make its TV debut in the UK. It’s great that we’re creating a deeper connection between sports fans and Optimum Nutrition by introducing the brand as Sky Sports’ official nutrition partner.”