Shorts: Ear To The Ground, Chloe Chong, Gymnastics

Manchester-based sports marketing agency Ear To The Ground has appointed Anne Mills Coté as its new Group Creative Director.

Anne joins having previously worked on accounts such as Nike, Adidas, Converse and Asics.

Ear To The Ground was recently crowned at Agency of the Year at the FEVO Sport Industry Awards 2024.

British motor racing driver Chloe Chong has appointed UK-based PR agency DawBell.

Working in partnership with Pace Six Four – a motorsport agency supporting Chloe’s commercial affairs – DawBell will manage all aspects of Chloe’s PR, media and personal brand building activities.

The announcement comes as Chong kicks off the 2024 British F4 Championship season with JHR Developments, following 2023’s inaugural season of F1 Academy – where she raced as the youngest driver in the series and picked up a season best 5th finish at Circuit of The Americas, Austin.

George Martindale, Associate PR Director (Sports) at DawBell, commented, “Since we launched our sports division in 2022, motorsport has always been a major focus for us. 

“As the industry continues to cross over into lifestyle and popular culture more than ever before, it’s clear we are uniquely placed to help drivers, brands and organisations navigate this changing landscape and deliver proactive PR strategies that unlock new audiences and enhance their reputations, relevance and commercial value.

“We’ve had a great foundation in the early years working with Silverstone and The Formula 1 Exhibition, so bringing on board a driver felt like the natural next step. We can’t wait to get started with Chloe and help establish her as a leading figure in motorsport and beyond!”

DawBell recently added presenter Isa Guha and fitness trainer and entrepreneur Stef Williams to its expanding sports roster, as well as renewing deals with The R&A, Silverstone and The Formula 1 Exhibition.

British Gymnastics has appointed sponsorship and brand partnership agency Reg&Co to secure new sponsors. 

Over the coming year, British Gymnastics ‘aim to work with more brands to activate an incredible creative campaign’ in the lead up to Paris 2024 Olympics and LA 2028. 

Karen Morris, Managing Director at Reg&Co commented, “We’re absolutely delighted to have been appointed by the British Gymnastics team this year. Gymnastics is a sport with a very strong and marketable participation community and has an incredible medal winning track record. With over 1m weekly participants between the ages of 5 and 15 the sport can reach young, active upmarket families at scale and we’re looking forward to bringing together some brilliant new partnerships”. 

Kellie Cunningham, Partnerships Officer from British Gymnastics added, “From the success of Reg&Co having worked with British Gymnastics during both the World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022 and the World Trampolining Championships in Birmingham last year, I’ve been impressed with their ability to bring new partners to our sport. We’re very excited to see what they can do for us ahead of an action-packed year of gymnastics and beyond”. 

The Football Association (The FA) and Barclays have launched joint mentoring programme for aspiring leaders. 

The FA Kickstart: Leaders Mentor Programme supported by Barclays, beginning in July, aims to provide aspiring leaders from historically underrepresented groups within the football industry the opportunity to gain insight and support from experienced professionals. 

Dal Darroch, Head of Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Programmes, FA, said, “The diversity that we see in modern society isn’t currently reflected in mid-to-senior level positions within the football industry, and that’s something we’re committed to changing. This new programme is striving to unlock talent, support progression and tackle underrepresentation within our industry, ultimately equipping people with the confidence and enhanced skills they may need so they feel empowered to take the next step within their career. It’s an important milestone in our ongoing partnership with Barclays, with both organisations committed to making English football as inclusive as possible.” 

Major League Baseball (MLB) has announced its MLB London series Trafalgar Square takeover will be retuning for 2024. 

The activation is set to take place between 7^th and 9^th June when the New York Mets will take on Philadelphia Phillies in a two-game series at the London Stadium across that weekend.

Ben Ladkin, Managing Director, MLB Europe said, “We’re thrilled to be returning to Trafalgar Square for what will be a truly unmissable weekend in an iconic London location. Last year the response was incredible with thousands joining us to experience the festival atmosphere. Whether you’re a fan or a newcomer to baseball we have something for you – there’ll be food, music, entertainment, and games activities for all ages.”  

Extreme E has collaborated with EY Foundation to launch a new initiative that aims to increase employability opportunities for young people. 

The initiative is designed to ‘provide young people with paid employability training, work experience and mentoring.’ 

Over a two-week period, last month, Extreme E supported the EY Foundation’s Sustainable Technology Futures Programme, providing free- school- meal- eligible young people aged 16-18 paid work experience. 

Ali Russell, Managing Director of Extreme E, said, “As a championship which is constantly looking ahead to the future, it was great to collaborate with the EY Foundation to support the next generation of talent coming through as a result of the Sustainability Technology Futures programme.  

“The views and perspectives of young people looking to launch their careers cannot be underestimated, especially when it comes to sustainability, technology, equality, diversity and inclusion. There were some fascinating discussions taking place regarding the direction of so many of these key pillars, and it was great to see plenty of ideas and talking points come to the fore during the programme.”