Shorts: ITF, Midnite, Pickleball England

Ross Hutchins has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the International Tennis Federation and will take up the role at the end of October 2025.

Hutchins has held several senior roles at the ATP Tour over the past 11 years, is currently Chief Sporting Officer at the organisation. He will begin his new position at the ITF in October 2025, succeeding Kelly Fairweather, who is stepping down after nine years in the role.

He has worked across a range of areas in the sport, including player development, event delivery, and international relations. A former professional player who represented Great Britain in the Davis Cup and at the Olympics, he has since served as Tournament Director and held executive positions focused on global strategy and operations.

As CEO, he will be responsible for the ITF’s strategic direction, overseeing its development programmes, professional tours, and global tennis participation. He will also manage the organisation’s role in delivering tennis and wheelchair tennis at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, as well as the qualification systems for both.

His remit will include leadership of the ITF Tours -Juniors, World Tennis Tour, Masters, Beach Tennis and Wheelchair Tennis and the continued growth of the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup competitions.

The ITF, which governs the sport globally and is based in London, has continued to prioritise international collaboration with its 213-member National Associations and organisations such as the International Olympic Committee and International Paralympic Committee.

Ross Hutchins, said, “It is an honour to be joining the ITF at such a pivotal time for the sport, and I am delighted to be taking on the role. After an enjoyable and fulfilling 11 years at the ATP for which I am very grateful, the time is right for a new challenge. The breadth of the work the ITF undertakes is inspiring, with its continual goal to drive the sport forward across all levels of the game and I am extremely excited and energised for the challenge ahead.

“I look forward to working with the President, Board, the tennis family, all partners and our 213 member nations to help ensure our sport continues to thrive both domestically and internationally, and remains a game for life that all our current and future fans can enjoy.”

UK sportsbook Midnite has launched a season-long £1,000 giveaway campaign for supporters of Southampton and Sheffield United at every home league match.

Midnite, the front-of-shirt sponsor for Sheffield United and the back-of-shirt sponsor for Southampton, has created the ‘Brace Yourself’ campaign, offering fans the opportunity to win £1,000 when a home player scores twice in a league match.

If no brace is scored, the prize pool has been set to roll over to the next home fixture. In addition, Midnite has matched each cash prize with a donation to a charity affiliated with the respective club.

Supporters at Bramall Lane and St Mary’s Stadium have been able to enter the draw by scanning QR codes placed around the venues and in matchday programmes, with a seat number selected at random before kick-off.

The campaign began on Saturday 9 August, when Southampton played Wrexham and Sheffield United faced Bristol City in their opening home fixtures of the 2025/26 EFL Championship season.

This initiative has marked the latest example of growing fan engagement activations linked to gambling sponsors in UK football, amid ongoing debate around the role of betting brands in sport and anticipated regulatory changes.

Pickleball England has named Elite Island Resorts as the headline sponsor for the 2025 English Open.

A record 2,300 players are set to compete at the tournament, which is the largest to take place outside of America.

A hybrid of tennis, badminton and table tennis, pickleball has seen significant growth in recent years, with over 50,000 active players and more than 800 places to play across the UK.

Karen Mitchell, Chair and Co-founding Director, Pickleball England, said, “Elite Island Resorts are the Caribbean home of pickleball and we’re excited to bring an island theme to this year’s Open. We can’t wait to work together to reach new audiences and help more people fall in love with this incredible sport.”

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