Shorts: Alpine, Fa, Rotherham United

The Hexagon Cup has announced French car manufacturer Alpine as the new official automotive sponsor to the padel tournament.

As per the agreement, the Alpine logo will feature on the nets and sides of the main courts throughout the tournament, which takes place 31st January to 4th February 2024.

The Alpine A290_β show car will also be on display, as well as a dedicated stand for the brand, identifiable by the display of an Alpine A110.

Antonio Labate, Alpine Vice President Sales, Marketing & Customer Experience, said, “The choice of Alpine’s partnership with the Hexagon Cup was an obvious one. It is part of our ongoing investment in Padel, following our presence at the Greenweez Paris Major at Rolland Garros, with a new competition format with mixed players and the new generation.

“Passion and team spirit are values at the heart of Alpine’s DNA and I can’t wait to participate to this spectacular competition and announce our Alpine Padel Team ambassadors.”

Carlos Almazán, Sporting General Manager at Hexagon Cup, added, “We are very proud to announce this partnership with Alpine as the official automotive sponsor of the tournament. We are excited about the opportunity to work together to offer fans an unforgettable experience that combines the best of motorsport and padel. This sponsorship reflects Hexagon Cup and Alpine’s commitment to excellence, innovation, and passion for challenges.”

The Football Association has confirmed changes to the structure of the FA Women’s National League (FA WNL) Board.

The changes are a result of a general meeting with the clubs at the end of 2023.

Sue Hough, who also sits on the FA Board, has assumed the role of chair.

Baroness Sue Campbell, the recipient of the FEVO Sport Industry Awards’ most recent Integrity and Impact Award in association with InsightX, remains in her position on the board, with Elaine Oram, CEO of Nottinghamshire FA and member of the Women’s Football Board, taking the additional FA representative position.

The FA WNL Board has been expanded from nine to 12 members, with the clubs voting to add an additional three representatives.

Sue Hough, Chair of the FA Women’s National League Board, said, “It’s a hugely exciting time for the FA Women’s National League and our three-year strategy is making great progress to ensure the advancements we are seeing across the elite end of the women’s game are also harnessed throughout tiers three and four of the pyramid.

“I am delighted to be the new chair of the board and to have the opportunity to work alongside so many experienced people who bring with them a wealth of knowledge from across the game. The board’s ambition is to have a flourishing league where the clubs can perform to the best of their ability both on and off the pitch. We look forward to working collaboratively with the wider team to drive the FA Women’s National League forward in this exciting new era.”

EFL Championship football club Rotherham United has appointed Rob Scott as the club’s new Director of Football.

Rob is a former Millers’ player and has been Head of Recruitment since 2019.

Rob’s appointment will not impact on his previous position at the football club and he will continue to oversee the recruitment of players, assisted by his network of scouts.

A statement from the club, read, “The Board have identified the need for this newly-created position to primarily act as a conduit between departments – both football and administrational – throughout the club and ensure that a synergy is maintained when a player or member of staff leaves or is replaced, negating the risk of any deviation from the way in which the football club wants to employ its strategy moving forwards.

“Rob’s new role will have a particular focus on assisting the delivery of long-term projects encompassing matters at the club’s training ground at Roundwood, the continued development of the club’s academy provision and the review of the off-field infrastructure.”

Ryan Shahin, a member of the 2017 Sport Industry NextGen Programme, a new sports management and marketing agency, Twenty.

Twenty has already built a client roster that includes England and Racing 92 star Henry Arundell, Danny Care, former England Captain Dylan Hartley, and a number of other current rugby internationals such as Alex Mitchell, Lewis Ludlam, Jonathan Joseph, and Ben White.

Twenty will represent it clients in all on-field contract work, commercial and media opportunities, as well as work with brands and right-holders on talent procurement and strategy.

Shahin has previously worked at LADbible and YMU Group.

Ryan Shahin, Founder of Twenty, said, “In what has been a huge period of mergers and acquisitions in the sports talent representation space, I felt there was a gap for a boutique-style agency focusing on truly elite International talent, focusing on maximising on and off-field opportunities for a select number of clients.

I’ve been extremely fortunate that athletes like Henry and Danny have been willing to back my vision for a true agency partner, and that even in the current challenging macro environment, we have already had great traction in the market with the likes of Amazon, TNT Sport, Nike and many others.”

EFL Championship football club Southampton FC has appointed London-based agency Mongoose Sport & Entertainment ahead of the upcoming 2024/25 campaign.

The club has exclusively retained Mongoose to take its front-of-shirt sponsorship opportunity to market.

Chris O’Donoghue, Chief Executive Officer of Mongoose Sport & Entertainment, said, “Mongoose are delighted to be working with such an established Club, and with the team flying high in the Championship, we are looking forward to taking their front of shirt to market in order to find a new longstanding principal partner.”

Charlie Boss, Chief Commercial Officer for Southampton Football Club, added, “We are delighted to be working with Mongoose on the next part of our journey. Mongoose have a huge amount of expertise in this space and we look forward to bringing on board some new partners at such an exciting time for the club.”

Stay up to date with the world of sports business by subscribing to the Sport Industry Daily.