Shorts: Harry Kane, W Group, Newcastle Red Bulls
The Harry Kane Foundation has collaborated with UK charities Shout and Bounce Forward to host a free webinar.
The online event, entitled ‘Stronger Together: Building Resilience and Meaningful Connections’, will give attendees practical tools to build resilience, strengthen connections, and support others. The webinar will feature a video message from Harry Kane, alongside insights from Shout Clinical Director, Sarah Kendrick, and CEO of Bounce Forward, Lucy Bailey.
The session aims to equip attendees with tools to build resilience in everyday life, strengthen meaningful connections to support mental wellbeing, and provide tips on how to support themselves and others.
The webinar is free to join but places are limited to 500 attendees and are exclusive to UK residents: http://bit.ly/48iSIkA
A spokesperson for the collaboration said, “With the right mindset, you can learn to bounce back from any challenges, even when life has its ups and downs. Whether it’s stress, self-doubt or feeling alone, resilience and meaningful connections can make all the difference.”
Jennifer Cox, Business Consultant & Head of Philanthropy, The Harry Kane Company, said, “The online webinar is free to join and will give attendees practical tools to build resilience, strengthen connections, and support others.”
Creative communications network W Group has launched Spike, a sports marketing agency built to operate at the intersection of sport, social and fan culture.
Positioned as a culture-driven, fan-first, and social-first agency, Spike will focus on delivering campaigns and commercial strategies for brands, rights holders, and athletes, helping them connect with audiences. The new agency will be led by Founder Nick Fruin, a long-time sports marketing specialist at W Group. He is joined by Melissa Robertson, previously CEO at Dark Horses and a current Trustee of Women’s Sport Trust, who takes on the role of non-exec Chair.
The team behind Spike was formerly W’s Sport & Entertainment division, having delivered campaigns for clients including England Rugby, Paris Saint-Germain, and Endura. The launch comes as the agency leads on a Rugby World Cup activation with the Red Roses and O2.
While operating independently, Spike will remain part of W Group, giving it access to the network’s ecosystem of agencies including W Communications, Hello Franses, Chomp, and Lotus.
Nick Fruin, Founder of Spike, said, “Those involved in sport can no longer rely on passive logos in opportune places; the only way to cut through is to operate at the speed of fans, leaving perimeter boards behind and engaging communities with creativity that earns attention and fuels conversation.”
Warren Johnson, Founder and CEO of W Group, said, “The launch of Spike marks the latest evolution of our decentralisation strategy to inhabit the worlds where our clients need us most. This is a new entity that not only responds to our clients ever-growing needs in sport but shows a long-term commitment to entrepreneurship and employee ownership.”
Newcastle Red Bulls have announced a significant overhaul of their management structure, which sees Director of Rugby Steve Diamond step down from his position.
The Premiership Rugby club has made several senior appointments aimed at strengthening its academy programme, fan experience and long-term sporting success.
From 1st November, Neil McIlroy will join as Sporting General Manager to lead all rugby management activities. McIlroy was previously Sporting Director at the Catalan Dragons and General Manager at ASM Clermont. Alan Dickens, senior coach since 2024, has been promoted to Head Coach, reporting to McIlroy.
John Fletcher is set to join as Academy and Pathways Director from 1st December. Fletcher is the current Head of Pathways at the Scottish Rugby Union (SRU) and a previous Head of England Under 18s.
The club has also appointed Jonny Petrie as its new Managing Director, starting on 6th October. Petrie, who will be responsible for the club’s off-field success, brings experience from his time as CEO of Ulster Rugby and Managing Director of Edinburgh Rugby.
England cricketers Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer have invested in The Medical Travel Company (TMTC) through their athlete-led collective 4CAST.
The investment, which also includes Indian cricket star KL Rahul, is part of a €3.8m Seed round for TMTC. The round was led by Nexus Venture Partners and will help the company expand its doctor-led pathways for UK patients to access treatment in India.
Founded by Stokes and Archer in 2021, 4CAST focuses on turning athletes’ global experiences into strategic investments. Both Stokes and Archer have first-hand experience of India’s healthcare standards through their time playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), which influenced their decision to back the company.
Ben Stokes, Co-founder of 4CAST, said, “When we first started 4CAST, we wanted athletes to partner with innovative businesses and great founders. We feel we have done so here and we’re excited to back Ankit and Sahil on their journey with TMTC.”
Rugby League Commercial has agreed a partnership with social media platform Reddit ahead of the Betfred Super League Grand Final.
The partnership, which is powered by Reddit Community Funds, will kick off with Ask Me Anything (AMA) opportunities at the official media launch. The AMAs will give fans a chance to engage with players from the two finalist clubs.
100 members of the Reddit community will be invited to an ‘In Real Life’ event. Reddit will also have a presence around the stadium with LED advertising, in the match programme and on the big screen.
Adam Whiteside, RL Commercial Head of Digital, said, “It’s been a record-breaking year for all our digital channels, and the development of our partnership with Reddit is now an extension of that. Betfred Super League engagements have passed 5.6m, which is up 27% year on year, our impressions are approaching 300m – an 83% increase on 2024 – and our video views are up 95% from the same stage last year.
“The video of St Helens’ match-winning try at Leeds last weekend has had more than 3m views alone. We’re expecting another bumper weekend with the Betfred Super League Semi Finals on Friday and Saturday, followed by the Championship and Betfred Women’s Super League Grand Finals on Sunday – then all roads lead to Old Trafford.”
Sports marketing agency Blueprintx has been appointed by Jadah Agency to deliver public relations in the UK and Africa for the 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games.
As part of the agreement, Blueprintx will work directly with the Saudi Ministry of Sport to deliver strategic public relations and media activation across core markets in the build-up to the event.
Rob Hughes, Co-founder, Blueprintx, said, “The purpose of The Games is to unite the Islamic world in Riyadh, showcasing solidarity through sport. Blueprintx looks forward to driving this vision through media activation.”
Levy has announced a formal partnership with experience design consultancy 20.20.
The move follows a collaboration and will see 20.20’s strategic design services become an addition to BUILT by Levy, the company’s brand and experience innovation arm. 20.20 specialises in brand storytelling and premium hospitality design, and recently redeveloped Aston Villa FC’s premium hospitality offering across seven spaces.
Despite the partnership, 20.20 will retain its independence, operating as a distinct business and continuing to work with its own client base under its current leadership.
Rak Kalidas, Chief Creative Officer at Levy, said, “Our partnership with 20.20 has already shown the immense potential of combining our operational excellence with their creative brilliance. This partnership is a huge step in our mission to redefine the future of experiences.
“Offering 20.20 as part of the BUILT by Levy team is a natural evolution that will allow us to push the boundaries of what’s possible. Their strengths in brand storytelling and premium hospitality design are a perfect complement to our existing offer, and together, we will create truly unforgettable experiences for our clients and their guests.”
No Limits Tour (NLT) Cliff Diving Championship, has launched its inaugural season.
Co-founded by two-time US national diving champion David Colturi and entrepreneur Raphael Eder, the series gives competing divers co-ownership in the competition. An elected Athlete Board will control a portion of the net profits, ensuring athletes have a direct stake in the sport’s future.
The launch is supported by commercial partners including Athletic Brewing Company, New Motion Beverages, and Hawaiian volcanic water brand, Waiakea.
A full global schedule is planned for 2026, and the championship aims to expand to an eight-event global calendar by 2028. Projected revenues are US$50m by 2035 with a target of more than eight billion social media views by 2030.
Raphael Eder, Co-founder, NLT Cliff Diving Championship, said, “The NLT Cliff Diving Championship is set to transform extreme sports by offering fans an immersive experience, bringing them closer to the sport, its athletes, and partners. This will be achieved through an athlete-centric content strategy, underpinned by dynamic on and off-water entertainment and memorable brand activation opportunities.
“The NLT Cliff Diving Championship will operate a sustainable model focused on maximising digital reach and providing exceptional hospitality and sponsorship activation opportunities for brands looking to connect with a broad audience of young and gender-diverse fans.”
