Shorts: Loughborough Lightening, UFC, Warner Bros. Discovery
Loughborough Lightning Netball have announced Vitality as their official wellness partner for the 2025, 2026 and 2027 Netball Super League (NSL) seasons.
The three-year commitment is part of Vitality’s ongoing support for women’s sport and enabling more women to live a healthy and active life.
It follows the insurer’s investment in Loughborough University’s Women in Sport Research and Innovation Hub.
Vitality colleagues will work closely alongside the team to amplify research and innovation initiatives, as well as having a brand presence on Lightning’s dresses.
Vitality has sponsored England Netball since 2015. The national body is a member of Loughborough Sport’s ecosystem and home training environment for the Vitality Roses. The partnership will look to build in this space to reach new audiences.
Lightning’s next fixture will be against Nottingham Forest Netball on Saturday, 5th April.
UFC has announced a multiyear partnership with Meta, with the tech giant becoming the organisation’s first official fan technology partner.
The collaboration will see integration across Meta’s portfolio, including Meta AI, Meta Glasses, Meta Quest, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads.
Meta will also become the official AI glasses partner of UFC and will work with UFC to creatively use their AI glasses at UFC events.
The partnership will be integrated into UFC assets with activations in all pay-per-views and Fight Nights, including brand placement in the Octagon, numerous broadcast features, and in-arena fan experiences.
Threads, Meta’s text-based platform for public conversations, will become an official social media partner of UFC, featuring exclusive content that drives conversation around the biggest moments of each UFC event, and providing a dedicated space for fans to share perspectives and engage with one another.
Dana White, UFC President, said, “Mark and his team at Meta are going to do things that will blow away UFC fans. Meta has the greatest minds in tech and they are going to take fan engagement to the next level.”
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) Sports Europe has agreed a four-year partnership with the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC).
The agreement ensures that millions of fans across Europe can watch the events exclusively on Max and discovery+.
Semi-finals and finals of every World Cup and World Championship event will also be available live on WBD’s premium linear channels – Eurosport across Europe and TNT Sports in the UK and Ireland.
WBD has played a key role in the soaring popularity of sport climbing since 2022, bringing coverage of the sport to new audiences across Europe.
Last year, sport climbing coverage reached millions of viewers on WBD’s platforms, including record-breaking audiences during the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Trojan Paillot, SVP Sports Rights Acquisitions and Syndications at Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe, said, “Sport Climbing captivated audiences across our platforms during the Olympic Games in Paris last year, and we’re excited to leverage our extensive reach to build on this momentum and further grow the sport as we look ahead to LA28.”
England Squash has renewed its partnership with Dunlop for four years, maintaining Dunlop as the Official Ball Partner and introducing it as an Official Grassroots Development Product Partner.
Under the agreement, Dunlop balls have continued to be used exclusively in all major England Squash and Squash 57 competitions, including the British National Squash Championships, the Optasia Squash Super League, and county leagues. The partnership has also expanded to provide equipment for grassroots and community programmes aimed at increasing participation in the sport.
Dunlop has been a long-term partner of England Squash and remains a key supplier of squash balls globally. The extension aligns with wider efforts to grow the sport, with England Squash focusing on accessibility and development at all levels.
Joey Barrington, Membership and Commercial Manager at England Squash said, “We’re excited to take our partnership with Dunlop to the next level. As a market leader in squash balls, Dunlop is the perfect partner for our major events and competitions, and their continued support is important to the sport’s growth.
“This renewed collaboration isn’t just about improving the game for competitive players – it’s about transforming grassroots squash and reaching new audiences.”
TV 2 has signed a long-term broadcast deal for Denmark’s top-tie women’s football league, the Kvindeliga.
The deal, which was brokered by Two Circles, will come into effect from the 2025/26 season and run until the summer of 2031.
As part of the agreement, at least one match per week will be aired on TV 2’s linear sports channels, with all remaining matches in each round available on the broadcasters streaming platform, TV 2 Play.
Under Armour has announced the signing of Paris Saint-Germain and Morocco National Team right-back Achraf Hakimi.
Hakimi joins Under Armour’s expanding list of young football athletes across EMEA as the brand aims to increase its presence and relevance in the French market.
Hakimi will wear Under Armour’s Shadow Elite 3 boots and Under Armour’s performance and sportswear products.
Hakimi joins Pedro Porro (Tottenham FC), Sacha Boey (Bayern Münich), Ferran Torres & Marc Casadó (Barcelona FC) as Under Armour athletes.
Achraf Hakimi said, “I am super excited to join Under Armour, a brand that designs great products and aligns perfectly with my personal values and ambitions.
“I look forward to growing my career with them as they rapidly expand in football and in sportswear, in France and across EMEA.”
Midnite has been named the official UK betting and casino partner of the World Snooker Championship.
Kyren Wilson will defend his title against 31 of the world’s best players, all competing for the £500,000 top prize.
A global audience is expected to watch live on BBC, TNT Sports, Eurosport, CCTV5, WST Play, and other platforms.
Midnite, launched in 2018 by Nick Wright and Daniel Qu, aims to enhance the fan experience throughout the championship, including giving away three pairs of Century Club tickets for the final session.
Peter Wright, Chief Commercial Officer of WST, said, “We are thrilled to join forces with Midnite for the first time on our biggest tournament.
“They are an ambitious brand, committed to the user experience and to bringing fans together to enhance interaction using technology which pushes boundaries. Most importantly, they place the highest priority on having fun in a responsible way on their platforms.”
Performance eyewear brand SunGod has launched its first UK retail store.
The store will offer visitors the chance to experience SunGod’s products and participate in community events.
SunGod partners include INEOS Grenadiers, McLaren F1, Williams F1, England Cricket, Ben Ainslie and his Athena Pathway sailing team, and ultra runners and triathletes.
Founded in 2013, SunGod has grown into a globally recognised eyewear brand with a focus on sustainability. The brand is a certified B Corp and 1% For The Planet member, with carbon-neutral products and operations. In 2023, King Charles awarded SunGod the King’s Award for Sustainable Development.
Ali Watkiss, SunGod’s CEO and Co-Founder, said, “We’re excited to bring SunGod Basecamp to London, a city with an incredible energy and community that’s been at the heart of our journey since day one.”
Anti-poverty charity Trussell has launched the Football vs Hunger campaign in collaboration with football content creator Bryan’s Gunn.
The campaign aims to tackle poverty in the UK by uniting the football community.
Football clubs and fans are being asked to sign for Trussell FC, a team united in the belief that no one should need a food bank to survive.
In 2024, food banks in Trussell’s UK-wide community distributed 3.1 million emergency food parcels.
The campaign video features Bryan’s Gunn’s trademark editing style, incorporating football commentary and post-match interviews from figures such as Dion Dublin, Mary Earps, David Moyes, Jürgen Klopp, and Alex Scott.
Trussell hopes to build on the support that many football clubs and fan groups have already provided to their local food banks.
British Olympian Delicious Orie has been named an ambassador for the BoxWise Foundation.
Orie will support the charity through publicity events, course participation, and social media awareness campaigns.
BoxWise, with Frank Warren as Chairman of the BoxWise Foundation Development Board, delivers 10-week non-contact boxing programmes to disadvantaged young people across the UK.
The charity aims to reduce gang violence and knife crime through sport, community, and opportunity.
Founded in 2020 by Nick Maughan CBE and Rick Ogden MBE, BoxWise supports over 1,500 young people annually, providing sessions led by England Boxing coaches, free hot meals, and pathways programmes for education or employment.
Orie said, “I am thrilled to be an ambassador for such a great concept as BoxWise. The power of boxing in the community is massive and I have seen it work in practice locally and in what I’ve done during my amateur days.”
Volleyball World has partnered with UK-based media experience company Dizplai to transform the fan viewing experience for the Beach Pro Tour (BPT) and Volleyball Nations League (VNL).
The partnership aims to modernise broadcasts with dynamic graphics, interactive features, and enhanced fan participation.
Dizplai will provide custom broadcast graphics, live data and social media integration, sponsor branding opportunities and fan participation mechanics for the BPT and VNL, each with distinct visual identities.
Finn Taylor, CEO of Volleyball World, said, “Our fans are the heart of the sport, whether they’re cheering in the stands or tuning in from home. Online viewing is growing rapidly, and we want to be at the forefront of innovation when it comes to how our audiences experience volleyball.
“This partnership with Dizplai will allow us to create more interactive and dynamic broadcasts, ensuring fans, no matter where they are, feel closer to the sport than ever before.”
Stats Perform has appointed Charles Kaplan as its new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO), effective 21st April.
Kaplan will lead the company’s marketing capabilities, including Opta data insights, editorial services, sports news teams, and the Opta Content Agency.
The Opta Content Agency provides data-led features, storytelling, and creative campaign support to sports organisations, brands, and media outlets.
Carl Mergele, Chief Executive Officer, said, “A dynamic company like Stats Perform requires equally dynamic and forward-looking thinking with its marketing, and Charles is the ideal fit to lead our marketing function.”
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