Industry Shorts: Lions, Extreme E, LTA
Canterbury has unveiled the jersey which will be worn by the British & Irish Lions during the team’s 2021 Tour of South Africa.
The kit, which is made from 100% recycled polyester and will feature the logo of new Main Partner Vodafone, pays tribute to the origins of the players and those who have helped them to reach the pinnacle of the game, with each piece containing a homage to every teammate, club coach, family member and friend who helped the players along the way.
The launch also ties in with Canterbury’s #MadeFromAll campaign, which will celebrate the rugby community highlight some of the ‘game-changing stories’ from players of Lions Origin Clubs across the UK and Ireland.
Extreme E marked six months to go until its first race with an official launch, which also saw a change made to the race calendar.
The all-electric off-road series set up by Formula E Founder Alejandro Agag, confirmed that the season would begin in Saudi Arabia in March, pushing back three months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The series also confirmed its five-race calendar will finish in Patagonia, Argentina in December 2021, a race which will replace an event in Nepal. Organisers say the change was made owing to additional complexities in racing in the Asian country, which is set to be included in future years instead.
The LTA has called for urgent support for indoor tennis facilities, warning a third of indoor venues face closure despite the recent £100 million government investment in public leisure facilities.
The national governing body for tennis in Great Britain said it welcomed the government’s funding pledge, but called for more ‘comprehensive support’ through a Sports Recovery Fund to protect jobs and safeguard tennis facilities.
Scott Lloyd, CEO, LTA, said: “While we welcome the recent government announcement regarding investment into public leisure, this money will be spread thinly across a huge range of publicly owned sport and leisure facilities. Community Indoor Tennis Centres play a pivotal role in supporting the physical and mental health of people in their local communities, but COVID-19 has left many in a perilous position. The current restrictions across Britain still mean the number of people who can use these centres is significantly less than in normal circumstances and this will continue to have a huge impact on their financial viability as we move into a difficult winter.”
Creative agency Ear to the Ground has released the results of a new study revealing the world’s ‘top 40 most culturally relevant’ brands in sport.
Created in collaboration with the agency’s network of ‘culturally connected fans’, its Fan Intelligence Network, the index aims to provide brands with a ranking based on their influence on culture through sport. The agency also says it aims to create a definition about what it means for a brand to be considered culturally relevant.
According to the findings, sportswear brand adidas came out on top. The brand was also the winner of the Innovative Brand of the Year award, in association with Wiggin, at the Sport Industry Awards 2020. READ MORE
Find out more about the Sport Industry Awards 2021, and enter here.
Ukactive and Sported have received new funding from the Greater London Authority for a new initiative to engage more vulnerable young people in sport and physical activity over the school holidays.
The Open Doors programme has been awarded a new £160k grant, which the pair say will be used to unlock school facilities outside of term time, following successful pilots over the past year.
The programme is underway for October half-term, in accordance with the government’s COVID-secure guidance, and will run during the school holidays until March 2021.
Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-Min has signed with CAA Base, a division of CAA Sports, who will handle all areas of his representation.
Son, who is fluent in Korean, English and German and has worked with brands including adidas, Gillette, Samsung, and Cartier, will join fellow Spurs teammates Dele Alli, and Davinson Sanchez at the agency, which represents more than 300 international players.
Barcelona President, Josep Maria Bartomeu, has stepped down from his role at the club along with the Board of Directors after coming under intense pressure to resign.
In his leaving speech, Bartomeu also revealed that he had accepted proposals for Barcelona to join a European Super League, as well as agreeing to a new format of the FIFA Club World Cup.
Bartomeu will be replaced by in the interim by the club’s Economic Strategy President Carles Tusquets, who takes over the role of President of the Managing Committee.
Global Sports Investigations – a joint venture between Quest Global and The Sports Consultancy, headed by former UK Sports Minister Richard Caborn – has been retained by Suleyman Mikayilov in his bid to become President of the International Boxing Association (AIBA).
The AIBA presidential election will be held as a virtual election for the first time in its history, and will take place on 12th-13th December 2020.
