Industry Shorts: Southampton, Pulseroll, Lewes FC
During their club’s first home game of the Premier League season – against Manchester United – two young visually impaired Southampton fans were given the chance to be mascots and lead their team out into a full stadium.
The mascots – who are Southampton fans – were given life-changing wearable technology by club sponsor Virgin Media back in 2020. The IrisVision glasses, which help them to see more clearly, enabled them to watch their team in a way they’ve never experienced before.
After leading out their team, the pair – Florence and Joshua – sat in the crowd near the dugout in their wearable tech, and were introduced to the crowd during half-time to a warm ovation from the crowd.
Massage therapy and wellbeing brand Pulseroll has made its first move into domestic rugby, partnering with Gallagher Premiership side Leicester Tigers.
The deal will see the brand join the Tigers as Official Muscle Recovery Supplier, giving players and medical staff access to Pulseroll’s best-in-class range of scientifically proven massage guns, vibrating foam rollers, and massage balls.
According to the brand, percussion therapy can include increasing range motion by up to 14% and increasing blood flow to the muscles by 22% which reduces muscular pain if used as part of daily warm up and recovery routines.
Lewes FC have appointed Sue Anstiss to their Board of Directors.
Anstiss is a founding trustee of the Women’s Sport Trust, a Co-Founder of the Women’s Sport Collective and the author of the upcoming book ‘Game On: The Unstoppable Rise of Women’s Sport’.
Having run a sports PR agency for 26 years, she is now CEO of Fearless Women, a member of the RFU’s Independent Diversity and Inclusivity Advisory Group, and a Non-Executive Director at Leisure Focus – a charity running leisure facilities in Berkshire.
Chinese-based AquaBloom International Sports Technology Group (ABSG) and UK-based The Sports Playmaker have formed a ‘China, UK and Global’ all-round partnership.
The pair will collaborate through a ‘variety of areas’ to bring sports tech projects to each other’s markets.
The Sports Playmaker was set up by Jay Greene, formerly of IMG, Infront, & Sportradar, and aims to make it easier for rights holders, broadcasters, agencies, publishers, and brands to ‘cut out all of the noise’ from new technologies entering the market.
Alcohol-free wine brand Eisberg has extended its partnership with the Tour of Britain and the Women’s Tour, and will celebrate five years of partnership with the country’s biggest professional cycle races this year.
The deal will see Eisberg extend their relationship as the Official Alcohol-Free Wine partner for the Tour of Britain this September, and also The Women’s Tour, which takes place from 4th to 9th October.
The brand will also continue as the Official Sprints Competition partner of both Tours for a fourth successive edition of each race. Competitors who win the Eisberg Sprints Competition will be presented with the Eisberg Sprints Jersey.
UEFA has announced that the medical team that saved the life of Denmark player Christian Eriksen at UEFA EURO 2020, and Danish national team captain Simon Kjær, are the recipients of the 2021 UEFA President’s Award.
According to the confederation, the accolade is a ‘mark of homage’ for their contribution to Eriksen’s aid when he suffered a cardiac arrest during his tema’s UEFA EURO 2020 group stage match against Finland on 12th June.
The honour is shared with Simon Kjær, whose actions in immediately helping Eriksen as well rallying his team around the midfielder earned him praise from around the world.
