Shorts: Lancashire Cricket, Stats Perform, Welsh Rugby Union

Lancashire Cricket has announced a three-year extension of its long-standing partnership with C&C Insurance Brokers.

The partnership, which officially began in 2019 following a previous hospitality agreement and commercial relationship spanning many years prior, will see C&C remain the official back of shirt sponsor for the Lancashire Men’s Rothesay County Championship shirt for the next three seasons.

As part of the deal, C&C Insurance Brokers also retains in-bowl branding at Emirates Old Trafford, including across the top of the Upper C stand and around the perimeter of the outfield for domestic and international fixtures.

Liz Cooper, Partnerships Director at Lancashire Cricket, said, “We are thrilled that C&C Insurance Brokers has, once again, committed to a three-year extension of their partnership with the Club – following a highly successful six-year period of working together.

“It’s an extremely exciting time to be involved with Lancashire Cricket and Emirates Old Trafford, with a jam-packed cricket schedule this summer, both domestic and international, including the visit of both the India Men’s and Women’s teams.”

C&C Insurance Brokers forms part of the Club’s partners including Emirates, Hilton, Heineken, Sportsbreaks, Sodexo Live! and Bartons Group.

Canada’s new Northern Super League (NSL), has signed a three-year deal making sports data company Stats Perform its exclusive official data partner ahead of its inaugural season.

The agreement commences with the league’s launch on 16th April and ensures detailed Opta data will be collected live from every NSL game for the next three seasons.

Detailed data from on-ball events, including AI-powered Opta Analytics metrics such as Expected Goalsand Expected Assists, will be captured and distributed via Stats Perform feeds and products like OptaAI Studio. Broadcasters, publishers, and rights holders can use this data to generate stories and insights.

As part of the deal, the NSL’s League Office and its six clubs will have access to Opta Search, part of the OptaAI Studio platform. This tool will allow their content creators to leverage Opta data for data-led stories, identify key talking points, and generate visualisations like player shot maps and touch maps for use on official league and club channels.

Stats Perform has recently secured similar official data partnerships with FootballDataCo in the UK and Concacaf.

Steve Xeller, Chief Revenue Officer at Stats Perform, added, “Stats Perform has been a huge supporter of expansion leagues around the world, so we are very pleased to be partnering with NSL in the lead-up to their first domestic campaign.

“Seeing a fully professional women’s soccer league launch in Canada is an incredibly exciting development for the sport in North America and we see considerable potential in working proactively with the League’s Head Office to help the competition grow, using the power of AI and data-led storytelling to build fan communities across the continent.”

Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has given Scarlets, Ospreys and Dragons a deadline of the 15th April, to confirm their intention to sign a new Professional Rugby Agreement.

The WRU took control of the capital club last week after it was placed into temporary administration when its owner, Helford Capital, was unable to meet funding obligations.

This development has raised concerns regarding the new five-year PRA, which had previously been agreed in principle between the WRU and the four professional sides in February.

The WRU’s acquisition of Cardiff cost £780,000 (£480,000 cash, £300,000 debt), with an additional commitment to provide £1.2m in funding until June 2026. Cardiff’s existing £9.1m debt to the WRU was restructured, with £3m converted into an investment, leaving £6m as debt.

The WRU has stated its intention to offer similar debt relief to the other three clubs, although details are unconfirmed. The governing body aims to return Cardiff to private ownership within 15 months and maintain four professional teams for the United Rugby Championship and European competitions.

Abi Tierney, Chief Executive, Welsh Rugby Union, said it was, “unthinkable for us to allow the demise of professional rugby in the Welsh capital”.

Sky has partnered with TV Out-of-Home provider C-Screens to deliver live football scores to digital screens in UK retail centres and service stations.

Fans can now see Sky Sports’ Gillette Labs Soccer Saturday updates from the top four English divisions, WSL, and SPFL in locations including Lakeside and Spitalfields Market.

Scores are displayed every five minutes on match weekends via a bespoke Sky-branded format.

The deal includes advertising from Haleon Voltarol and Aldi, placed via Publicis Media.

Bhavesh Patel, Director of Media at Sky, said, “Through this partnership, we are bringing the best of Sky’s football coverage to audiences wherever they are, ensuring fans stay connected to the latest action.”

The Alfred Dunhill Padel Classic has partnered with private aviation firm Volare Aviation ahead of the 2025 event.

The TTB Sport-founded pro-am tournament features celebrities and padel professionals.

The partnership supports the event’s fundraising efforts for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and The Hurlingham Club Foundation.

Nick Hoyle, Partner at TTB Sport said, “This partnership marks an exciting new chapter for both brands, bringing together the finest in sports, luxury, and aviation for an unforgettable experience at the heart of one of the UK’s most prestigious sporting events.

“Their reputation for providing first-class aviation services aligns perfectly with the values of our event, and we are excited to offer our guests and players an elevated experience both on and off the court.”

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