Shorts: Manchester United, EFL, OneFootball

Manchester United have agreed a long-term renewal of its partnership with STATSports.

The Apex 2.0 system has received FIFA’s highest performance certification and has been used across multiple competitions including the Premier League and UEFA Champions League.

As part of the new deal, STATSports has installed fixed infrastructure and Local Positioning Systems (LPS) at Carrington and Old Trafford to support data collection across both sites.

Manchester United’s renewed agreement with STATSports comes ahead of the 2025/26 season under current head coach Rúben Amorim.

The deal follows a wider trend across elite football where clubs have invested in player monitoring to support training load management, injury prevention and tactical analysis.

The use of performance technology has increased throughout English football, with GPS tracking now common across Premier League and Women’s Super League clubs, as well as in the England national team setups.

Ed Leng, Head of Physical Performance at Manchester United, said, “At Manchester United, we’re always looking to push the boundaries of player performance. Wearable trackers are a vital part of that process, and we’re grateful for STATSports’ continued support and partnership.

“By expanding our fixed infrastructure at Carrington, Old Trafford and Leigh, we’ll enhance real-time tracking capabilities helping us to better prepare, develop, and protect our players.”

The English Football League (EFL) has partnered with electrical wholesalers Rexel and Denmans, designating them as the league’s official electrical wholesaler.

The collaboration, which was launched with the help of football legends John Barnes and Clinton Morrison, will see a commitment to grassroots football and the strengthening of community ties across Rexel’s 250 branches nationwide.

The two-season deal will see Rexel and Denmans become the official electrical wholesaler of the EFL until the end of the 2026/27 season.

This marks Rexel and Denmans’ first venture into English professional football, with investment planned for grassroots initiatives and community engagement.

As an official supporter of the EFL, Rexel and Denmans will have a presence at the EFL’s five Wembley finals, in addition to exposure on the EFL website, digital and social media channels.

Ben Wright, EFL Chief Commercial Officer, said, “With Rexel and Denmans branches situated in the heart of EFL communities, the partnership demonstrates the League’s ability to offer on the ground local activation, on a national scale.

“We’re proud to be Rexel and Denmans’ first-ever English football partner and look forward to helping build long-term engagement in our communities between customers, colleagues, Clubs and supporters.”

OneFootball has agreed an exclusive global partnership with Localised Inc, chaired and led by Peter Jones.

The deal offers football clubs, leagues, merchandise providers, and federations the ability to expand to a global direct-to-consumer (D2C) model for their owned and operated businesses.

This new strategic alliance enables football fans across the globe to purchase merchandise, including new kits, limited-edition drops, accessories, gifts, and unique memorabilia, all delivered directly to their doorsteps faster and locally in more than 200 countries.

OneFootball, which is backed by major clubs including Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain, will use its in-app ‘FanShop’ functionality to assist football clubs and organisations in building on their current commercial and sales strategy.

Localised’s cross-border eCommerce technology powers global shopping experiences for brands, removing barriers and friction from international retail.

Peter Jones, Chairman and CEO of Localised Inc., said, “This partnership is in scale and ambition. At Localised, we exist to help brands and platforms go truly global – and there is no better partner than OneFootball to do exactly that in the world of sport.

“Together, we’re making it for football fans everywhere to get closer to the clubs they love. Imagine a fan in Mumbai, São Paulo or Berlin all able to buy the same official shirt or signed memorabilia, in their own language, currency, and with local delivery. This is what we’re making possible today.”

Blueprintx has been appointed as the PR agency for technology sports brand, BallsApp.

The agency has been retained to deliver integrated PR services, from strategy through to press office execution, and will also manage ambassador partnerships for the brand.

BallsApp, a technology sports brand, connects users with physical sport and competition through its innovative platform. Blueprintx has welcomed BallsApp to its marketing division, marking a new partnership for the agency as it expands its roster of clients in the sport and technology sectors.

Rob Hughes, Co-Founder of Blueprintx, said, “We are delighted to welcome BallsApp to the agency’s marketing roster. It’s an incredibly exciting brand at the forefront of technology, and we are looking forward to executing a number of exciting activations over the coming months.”

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