Shorts: Burnley, Sport England, QPR

Burnley Football Club have partnered with Rezzil to deliver a first-of-its-kind virtual reality matchday broadcast.

The collaboration will offer supporters around the world an immersive experience of the club’s pre-season friendly against Lazio at Turf Moor on 9th August.

The broadcast represents a new venture in fan engagement for the club, leveraging Rezzil’s expertise in virtual reality to bring the matchday atmosphere to a global audience.

Fans will be able to watch the game in a fully virtual environment, designed to replicate the experience of being inside the stadium.

This initiative is the first time a professional football match of this nature has been broadcast in this format. The partnership with Rezzil, a company known for its VR training applications used by professional athletes and clubs, is a strategic move by Burnley FC to explore new technologies and enhance supporter interaction.

Alan Pace, Burnley Chairman, said, “This partnership with Rezzil and Premier League Player allows us to share the magic of Turf Moor in a truly immersive way,”

“It reflects our forward-thinking approach to fan engagement and our commitment to global supporters. Our mission is to provide the best experiences to fans, and by entering into the world of Virtual Reality, they can get closer to the game than ever before.”

Simon Hayes has been appointed Chief Executive of Sport England and will formally take up the role in September.

Until Hayes begins in September, Phil Smith, currently Executive Director of Partnerships, has been set to serve as interim Chief Executive.

Hayes will lead the organisation during the continued delivery of Uniting the Movement, Sport England’s 10-year strategy focused on increasing participation and tackling inequality in physical activity. Introduced in 2021, the strategy has guided public investment into grassroots sport across England, with an emphasis on supporting underrepresented groups and communities.

Sport England, a non-departmental public body under the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has distributed funding from both government and the National Lottery. In the 2023–24 financial year, it has allocated over £300 million to organisations and initiatives aimed at improving access to sport and physical activity.

Hayes’s appointment has come at a time when participation levels in England have continued to recover following the COVID-19 pandemic, with the organisation preparing for its next phase of investment and programme delivery.

Queens Park Rangers have entered into a partnership with asset tokenisation platform TokenFi ahead of the 2025-2026 EFL Championship season.

The collaboration will integrate blockchain technology to enhance fan interaction.

Under the terms of the agreement, TokenFi will become the club’s official partner and official training kit sleeve partner. The company’s logo will appear on the training wear of the first team, coaching staff, and manager.

The partnership will also see TokenFi branding across Loftus Road Stadium, including on LED signage, dugout headrests, hospitality lounges, and club media backdrops. The deal includes digital activations such as email campaigns, matchday graphics, and newsletters.

The agreement also facilitates interaction with TokenFi’s associated brands, Floki and Valhalla, with the potential for further collaborations in future seasons.

Euan Inglis, QPR’s Commercial Director, said, “By embracing tokenisation, we are redefining how fans engage with the club. This partnership aligns with our goal of connecting with supporters globally in innovative ways.”

Cambridge United have partnered with Genie AI, to become the first professional football club to manage player contracts using AI agents.

The deal will see the League Two club use the AI platform to draft, review, and approve legal documents, including player contracts, employee agreements, and commercial deals. The move is expected to significantly reduce the club’s external legal spend and shorten deal turnaround times from weeks to days, allowing staff to focus on player recruitment and fan experience.

Genie AI is backed by several major investors, including Khosla Ventures, founded by venture capitalist Vinod Khosla. The partnership follows Cambridge United’s recent investments in a new training ground and stadium buyback, as the club continues to adopt new innovations.

Alex Tunbridge, CEO of Cambridge United FC, said, “There’s a growing conversation about AI in Cambridge, in football and across the legal world. Partnering with a home‑grown innovator like Genie AI keeps us at the forefront.

“If we can keep the same legal quality while saving serious time and money, that’s exactly the kind of smart decision that lets us reinvest in players, facilities and our matchday experience.”

The Women’s Sport Trust (WST) has appointed Eilidh Gibson to the role of Athlete Programmes & Relationship Manager.

Gibson will lead on Unlocked, WST’s athlete initiative which supports female athletes to develop their voice and influence.

The programme aims to help athletes drive positive change across the sports industry.

Gibson’s experience as an elite athlete will be central to her new position, managing relationships and developing programmes for the trust’s growing community of sportswomen.

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