Industry Shorts: Adidas, Snickers, Sky Q

Adidas has pledged 1% of its global net sales of footballs to the charity Common Goal, as part of a new initial three-year partnership.

The pair aim to ‘maximise football’s contribution towards a more equitable and inclusive world’, and will aim to ‘drive lasting social change’ for under-served communities, fighting racism and discrimination, powering gender equality, fostering mental well-being, and promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion.

They also aim to support grassroots community organisations around the world, via a network of 140 high-impact football NGO’s in 90 countries. The aim is to directly impact 90,000 lives through a series of projects and strategic focuses concentrated on removing inequality, improving access, and working towards greater gender parity. READ MORE

After England’s UEFA EURO 2020 semi-final victory over Denmark at Wembley, Snickers has called on the government to announce a bank holiday on Monday, 12th July if England win the final the night before.

The brand, which is an Official Partner of the England national team, says it will also bring back the Marathon Bar if the holiday is granted. It has also launched a Change.org petition in an attempt to convince the government to give the nation the day off. 

It’s not the first time the brand has reverted to its former branding in the name of nostalgia. In 2019, a limited edition relaunch of Marathon sold four million bars in 12 weeks, with retailer Morrisons introducing a limit on how many packs customers could buy in a bid to stem demand.

GolfPass, the direct-to-consumer subscription service developed in partnership between Rory McIlroy and NBC Sports Group, has launched for the first time on Sky Q.

The service offers golfers educational content from star players – including McIlroy and Shane Lowry – top coaches including Chris Como, Sean Foley, and Michael Bannon; classic shows, and original productions, such as the David Feherty fronted chat show Feherty, Big Break, and The Conor Moore Show.

The addition of GolfPass means Sky Q adds golf instruction to its existing deals with the likes of Peloton and Fiit, strengthening it as a destination for recreational sport and fitness. The platform also offers viewers entertainment from Sky as well as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.

The Hundred has unveiled more all-star musicians and artists who will perform at its events this year.

In the build-up to its first game – kicking off with the women’s competition – on 21st July, the competition has added UK rapper and Celebrity Circle champion Lady Leshurr, Manchester festival legends Everything Everything, and English singer-songwriter Jack Garratt to its list of artists bringing ‘high energy entertainment’ to The Hundred.

Billed as the ‘biggest sport and music collaboration in UK history’, each of the competition’s 64 games will feature live acts, with Becky Hill performing at the opening game, and Jack Garratt headlining the opening men’s game the following day. 

The competition will welcome Jax Jones to headline the music side of the Lord’s final later this year, while an up and coming DJ will be embedded into each of the eight teams as part of a partnership with BBC Music Introducing.

The Black Swimming Association (BSA) and Community Leisure UK (CLUK) have announced a new partnership which aims to tackle inequalities in the aquatics sector.
The partnership will see the BSA and CLUK address barriers preventing engagement in aquatics, increasing the participation of people from African, Caribbean, and Asian communities and understanding the aquatic behaviours of these communities.

CLUK will work to provide a nationwide platform for public leisure providers to discuss and address ethnic diversity within aquatics, while the BSA will bring its expertise and relations with the targeted communities to ‘provide visibility, build trust, and bridge them with the sector’.

CLUK also aims to prioritise workforce diversification within public leisure, including equal access and opportunities, as well as encouraging diversity in leadership positions.

The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games has announced RGS Events as the Official Provider of Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment for next summer’s event.

The organisation will be responsible for the sourcing, manufacturing, delivering and dissolution of all equipment, and was appointed following an international tender process.

Its remit includes product categories ranging from furniture through to appliances, transport elements, and crowd control items which will be used across every venue and village at Birmingham 2022.

It also represents RGS Events’ third consecutive Commonwealth Games appointment, having been both an Official Provider and Sponsor to the Glasgow 2014 and Gold Coast 2018 editions. It has also been the major supplier to the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and will reprise the role at this year’s Tokyo 2020 Games.