Industry Shorts: AFC Wimbledon, The Fa, Img Replay

AFC Wimbledon have confirmed that the club will play its first game at the new Plough Lane stadium on 3rd November.

The League One side will return to the former ground of the old Wimbledon club – which spent 80 years on the site.

The phoenix club was established in 2002 and has held the goal of returning to Plough Lane ever since. Construction on the new stadium began in 2019, and is scheduled to host its first game behind closed doors when AFC Wimbledon play Doncaster in League One.

The FA will review its Board composition over the next nine months, according to the organisation’s Inclusion Advisory Board Chair, Paul Elliott. 

Providing an update on the progress of the FA’s Football Leadership Diversity Code, Elliott said: “As there are several ways to further diversify the Board, different options must also be considered before an approval process begins.

“We also need to ensure that the Board continues to appropriately balance the interests of both our professional and grassroots game and appoints individuals with the relevant skills, knowledge and experience.

“This is why it’s more complex than simply adding another seat to the table. The process of altering the composition of Boards is by no means unique to the FA and, naturally, it takes time and would need to be finalised in accordance with the constitution.

“Over the next nine months, a detailed Board review will be undertaken and once an outline and proposal has been agreed by the Board, this will go through the relevant formal approval processes. I am delighted that these discussions are underway.”

IMG Replay has signed an agreement with Queensbury Promotions which will see the agency digitise and market Frank Warren Boxing’s archive of more than 2,000 fights.

The archive dates back over 110 years, with iconic fights featuring the likes of Frank Bruno, Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton included, as well as selected fights involving Tyson Fury, Mike Tyson and Chris Eubank. The oldest is the 1909 Heavyweight clash between Jack Johnson and Stanley Ketchel.

The deal also includes future bouts featuring Warren’s current stable of top fighters.

BBC Sport has signed up to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Sports for Climate Action Framework.

Bringing together representatives from across the global sports community to drive change by setting clear targets and standards in line with the Paris Agreement, the framework harnessing the power of sport to affect change.

The organisation says it is already delivering work in accordance with the UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action Framework’s principles with a commitment to sustainable production training, a migration to remote working on Premier League football and major events, and the creation of journalism on sustainability issues in sport.

International search and consulting firm SRI has announced an official partnership with Sports Loft.

Established in 2019, Sports Loft, supports technology companies within sport and media. facilitating innovation in the sectors. 

Through its 20 years’ experience advising sport and entertainment companies, Sports Loft says SRI will bring its insight and expertise to accelerate individual and team performance in start-ups at all levels of organisational maturity. READ MORE

Edgbaston Stadium has announced a new digital media partnership with international ride-hailing app Ola.

The digital platform will work with Edgbaston as one of its exclusive travel partners, and will also work on projects to support delegates within the venue’s conference and events business and match day programme in 2021.

Ola will also get a presence across the venue’s website and new mobile app in the run-up to the Vitality Blast Finals Day on Saturday 3rd October. It has also received promotional rights for Bears Den TV, the programme accompanying the live stream of Birmingham Bears Vitality Blast matches at Edgbaston. 

KLABU, an organisation powering access to sport in refugee camps, has announced ex-professional footballer and former refugee Fabrice Muamba as an Official Ambassador as part of their new kit reveal.

Muamba arrived in England aged 11 following the civil war in Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo), and will support the organisation in its efforts to build clubhouses in refugee camps, supply equipment across Africa, and colourful kits which it sells to raise vital funds to support its mission to help young refugees cope and connect on their way to a better future.