Industry Shorts: Old El Paso, Wigan Warriors, BBC
The Old El Paso challenge, which started with social media videos from Andy Murray and Nick Kyrgios, has since seen 100,000 meals donated to food banks around the world with the help of more tennis stars.
Kyrgios and Murray launched the #MessFreeChallenge earlier this year with videos showing them playing tennis and doing keepy-ups while holding an Old El Paso Tortilla Pocket before the campaign took off on social media with the help of the likes of Lleyton Hewitt, Sam Stosur, Garbine Muguruza and Gael Monfils.
Since then, Old El Paso’s parent company, General Mills, says it has donated 100,000 Old El Paso Mexican meals to food banks across the UK, Australia, France, Spain, Switzerland, Puerto Rico, the UAE, Canada, and the USA.
Fan engagement platform IQONIQ has furthered it sport sponsorship portfolio with a new deal to become Principal Partner of Betfred Super League side Wigan Warriors from the start of the 2021 season.
The multi-year partnership will see the Warriors – who have recently announced a radical brand refresh – become the latest in a series of teams and leagues to sign up to the IQONIQ platform, and the first rugby club. Recently, IQONIQ has entered into deals with organisations including La Liga, McLaren Racing, Roma, AS Monaco and Crystal Palace.
The deal will offer Wigan Warriors fans access to exclusive content as well as the chance to win prizes and experiences.
The BBC and Copa 90 will collaborate on new women’s football podcast.
Hosted by former New Zealand World Cup captain Bex Smith, who has also been on the Sport Industry Awards Judging Panel, The Players podcast will launch on 11th November and aims to ‘change the way we talk football’,
The podcast will see Smith conduct ‘laid-back chats’ with current players as well as legends of the sport.
Kent Cricket has signed a new partnership with luxury travel group Black Opal, who will become the main shirt sponsors for the club’s 2021 County Championship campaign.
The club also has plans to release a new commemorative Kent Cricket first-class playing shirt for 2021, after the names of all of the Club’s 219 Capped Players featured on a special 150th Year shirt during the Bob Willis Trophy in 2020.
The English Colleges FA has appointed Sport Industry NextGen Leader Sarah Nickless as National Women’s Football Development Officer.
Taking over the role as maternity cover, Nickless will run the FA Women’s Football apprentice programme having previously been Chair of the FA Youth Council and Development Officer at the Somerset FA.
Former Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho has won ‘substantial damages’ from the World Anti-Doping Agency after winning a court case over false claims about a drug test.
WADA has apologised for making allegations about Sakho’s successful appeal against a ban imposed for taking higenamine, which is often found in weight loss supplements.
The footballer tested positive for the drug after a Europa League game between Liverpool and Manchester United in 2016 and was given a provisional 30-day ban by UEFA. The drug, however, was not specifically added to the WADA banned list until 2017 and the ban was overturned on appeal.
An independent arbitration panel has rejected Sheffield Wednesday’s appeal against a points deduction imposed after the club was found guilty of breaching the EFL’s Profitability and Sustainability rules, but has reduced the severity of the punishment.
A 12-point deduction was imposed on the club ahead of the 2020/21 season, and has seen the club start adrift at the bottom of the Championship. However the arbitration panel has halved the sporting sanction, with the club receiving a six point deduction instead.
