Shorts: Arsenal, Lta, Vettel

Arsenal FC has extended its partnership with Camden Town Brewery.

The deal will see the Borth London brewery remain the official beer partner of the Premier League club.

The partnership, which began in July 2019, now extends into a long-term agreement from the 2023-2024 season.

To celebrate the renewal, Camden Town Brewery has launched a new beer, ‘North London is Red’ Lager.

Holly Gibson, Head of Brand Experience & Partnerships at Camden Town Brewery, said, “We have loved working with Arsenal over the past four years and we are really proud of what we have achieved so far. Who doesn’t love highlights? We’ve saved millions of cups from landfill by introducing a re-usable cup scheme (the first of its kind in the Premier League), we teamed up with David Seaman to serve fresh pints, we brewed a double strength Camden Hells Lager to celebrate 50 years since Arsenal’s double, we supported Arsenal in achieving the record number of ticket sales and attendees to the WSL, and so much more. Cheers to the Gunners and roll on next season!”

Juliet Slot, Arsenal’s Chief Commercial Officer, added, “We’re excited to extend our partnership with our neighbours and fellow Arsenal supporters at Camden Town Brewery. The atmosphere at Emirates Stadium has been fantastic this season and Camden beer has become an important part of the matchday experience for our passionate supporters.

“We’ve already achieved so much together in areas such as sustainability and supporter engagement, and the launch of the new ‘North London is Red Lager’ is a fantastic way to kick off our renewed commitment as we move forward together.”

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has partnered with Lexus.

The deal sees the car brand become the official performance partner and official automotive partner of the LTA.

The multi-year deal provides Lexus with naming rights across key LTA performance areas, at all levels of the professional player pathway, from junior domestic competitions to LTA major events, and the elite national teams.

Lexus will also have naming rights for the LTA’s performance competitions. The 2023 calendar features 45 weeks of international and domestic competitions hosted in Britain, providing British tennis players with opportunities to gain competition experience, ranking points and prize money on home soil.

The national teams competing in the Davis Cup, Billie Jean King Cup and World Team Cup will be known as the Lexus Great Britain teams.

The largest public tennis centre in Britain, and host to the Rothesay Open and British Open Wheelchair Tennis Championships, will also be named the Lexus Nottingham Tennis Centre.

As the official automotive partner of the LTA, Lexus will provide vehicles as part of the official transport at the LTA’s Rothesay Summer Series major events, Trophy Series and Pro Series events.

Scott Lloyd, Chief Executive Officer of the LTA, said, “As the governing body of tennis in Great Britain, the LTA’s mission is to open up tennis and grow the game at a grassroots level as well as to support the development of talented players to the top of the game. This is a significant partnership, that incorporates many areas of our performance development as well as engaging fans and participants. We’re delighted to have Lexus on board and look forward to kicking off the British grass-court season on Sunday at the Lexus Surbiton Trophy.”

Chris Hayes, Director of Lexus UK, added, “We’re honoured to be partnering with such a prestigious organisation to help foster up-and-coming British tennis talent and provide a clear pathway to future competition success, while showcasing the excitement and energy of the sport.  The partnership was a natural step for the Lexus brand, and we look forward to showcasing our Lexus omotenashi hospitality and craftsmanship to British tennis fans throughout this season’s LTA events and towards the future.”

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel has joined SailGP.

The German, who retired from Formula in 2002, has announced the launch of the Germany SailGP Team alongside double Olympic sailing bronze medallist Erik Heil and team owner Thomas Riedel.

Germany will be the latest nation to contest the purpose-led global racing league, which kicks off its fourth season in June with the Rolex United States Sail Grand Prix at Navy Pier, Chicago.

Inspired by entrepreneur and investor Thomas Riedel – president of leading communications company Riedel – alongside his new co-investor Vettel, both will take an active role in the management and performance of the team.

Sebastian Vettel, the former F1 driver, said, “I see a lot of potential as SailGP starts its fourth season and for the first time with a German team. Parallels between sailors and Formula 1 have long existed. The boats are fascinating and the speeds on the water are incredibly high. The races are exciting and I am happy to be close to them with a motivated group of young sailors. In addition, the series not only uses wind power, but also strives to set new standards in sustainability in sports.”

Matchroom Boxing has announced an extension to its global ticketing deal with Stage Front.

The partnership will look to innovate with Web3 and enter the Metaverse with new technologies like NFTs for added engagement and security.

Eddie Hearn, Chairman of Matchroom Sport, said, “I am delighted to extend our partnership with Stage Front. We are committed to providing the best value and experience to our fans, and with Stage Front, we are committed to creating unique experiences that make attending the biggest nights of the best sport in the world even more memorable.”

Tulaib Faizy, Vice President of Partnerships, added, “Stage Front is thrilled to announce our continued partnership with Matchroom Boxing. Through our collaboration, we have been able to bring world-class boxing events to audiences around the globe. We look forward to continuing this successful partnership and delivering even more unforgettable experiences to boxing fans.”

Women’s Sports Group (WSG) have announced that Rachel Knight will join the business with immediate effect and will take up the position of Co-Managing Director in the autumn of 2023.

 Knight will work alongside current Managing Director, Steph Harries.

Rachel was previously Sports Rights Director at BT Sport, leading the rights team and overseeing acquisition strategy and budget, successfully securing renewals of the UEFA Champions League and Premier League deals for the broadcaster.

Heather Rabatts, David Kogan, and Steph Harries, said, “We are delighted Rachel is joining WSG at this pivotal moment in the evolution and growth of women’s sport.  With industry projections indicating a potential global value of $200 billion within the next decade, WSG’s unparalleled combination of experience and skills is uniquely positioned to accelerate this growth.”

The European League of Football, a professional American football league operating in Europe, has announced a new partnership with WSC Sports for the upcoming 2023 season.

WSC Sports automates the creation and distribution of sports highlights for over 300 leagues and broadcast partners across the globe including the NBA, ESPN, YouTubeTV, NHL, DAZN, La Liga.

Under terms of the new deal, WSC Sports’ award-winning AI solutions will enable the American football league to create and distribute a range of video content around its 107 games this season

Zeljko Karajica, Chief Executive Officer of the European League of Football, said, “WSC Sports’ cutting-edge artificial intelligence technology helps us to create and publish sports highlights automatically and in real-time. This technology is an end-to-end solution that allows the European League of Football to publish content instantly and at scale. The potential seems almost infinite, and we are very happy to having found such an innovative partner”.

SECUTIX, a ticketing technology company, has announced the appointment of Chris Rawlings.

The former Scottish FA and Rugby Football League Chief Commercial Officer joins the ticketing technology company as Business Development Lead for the UK and Ireland.

In his new role, Rawlings will be responsible for ‘driving business growth and developing new partnerships in the region.’

SECUTIX’s clients include The Hundred, Fulham FC, England Netball and Lancashire Cricket Club.

Chris Rawlings, said, “In my career, I have been responsible within organisations for ticketing teams and having the best ticketing platform, worrying about revenue streams and how to deliver a great experience for a fan or event guest. Working with the suite of SECUTIX digital solutions along with my understanding of client challenges, I’m looking forward to asking clients what success looks like for them and helping them to achieve it.”

David Hornby, SECUTIX MD for Northern Europe, UK and Ireland, added, “We are delighted to welcome Chris to the team. He gets the way ticketing systems must now operate internally – no longer just with the event organiser’s IT department – plus he knows the current challenges that decision-makers in sport and live entertainment face. Our clients will greatly benefit from his trusted advice, and I look forward to working with him.”