Industry Shorts: ECB & Key Workers, Ifab, AELTC
As international cricket returns, the England Test team have unveiled the shirts they’ll wear against the West Indies, emblazoned with the individual names of key workers that have helped throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.
Each player and member of backroom staff will have the name of a chosen key worker on their shirts, with first-time Captain Ben Stokes wearing the name of Dr Vikas Kumar, a specialist at Darlington Memorial Hospital. Each key worker – nominated by local member clubs – will receive the shirt after the match, signed by the individual player.
IFAB, the international governance body behind the rules for football, is set to announced that the five substitute rule – brought in to aid social distancing and fatigue as football returned during lockdown – will continue throughout the 2020/21 seasons, according to multiple reports.
Initially brought in as a short term solution, the rule will now apply throughout next season across global leagues, although it is unclear when they might yet start with the elongation of current seasons due to the pandemic.
The All England Lawn Tennis Club has continued its commitment of giving during the Coronavirus pandemic with a donation of balls to the LTA to help grassroots tennis regenerate following lockdown.
The 30,000 Slazenger balls will go towards the LTA’s Play Your Way scheme, alongside 25,000 Championships towels, with smaller donations also set aside for two charities supported by the Wimbledon Foundation.
Italian sports brand ellesse has signed rising British tennis pro Paul Jubb ahead of his first professional tournament in early July. Jubb, managed by 77 Sports Management for whom Andy Murray is a co-owner, joins the likes of Johanna Konta, Alfie Hewett and James Ward on the roster.
Jubb’s professional bow comes after he became the first British male to win the men’s single title at the 2019 NCAA Division 1 Men’s Championship.
Finnish Norwich City striker Teemu Pukki and South African Sales Sharks scrum half Faf de Klerk have both been announced as ambassadors of sports drink brand iPro.
De Klerk, a 2019 Rugby World Cup winner with the Springboks signs on in a two year deal, while Pukki’s appointment as an ambassadors comes after iPro renewed as Official Hydration Partner of the Canaries.
