Shorts: Formula E, Pwr, Chelsea FC

Jaguar TCS Racing, the British race team competing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, has announced Google Cloud as its official cloud partner for the 2024/25 season.

The collaboration will allow Jaguar TCS Racing to benefit from ‘Google Cloud’s AI and technologies to optimise performance on and off the track.’

The announcement comes ahead of the London E‑Prix double‑header, the 2024 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship season finale, where Jaguar TCS Racing will compete for both the Teams’ and Drivers’ World Championship titles.

James Barclay, Managing Director, JLR Motorsport And Jaguar TCS Racing Team Principal, said, “It’s fantastic to welcome Google Cloud as our official cloud partner for next season. This collaboration represents a significant step forward for Jaguar TCS Racing as we continue to push the boundaries of innovation in electric motorsport.

“Google Cloud’s expertise in AI and cloud technology is unparalleled, and we are eager to integrate their solutions to drive our performance to new heights. With just days until the finale of what has been an incredibly competitive season, we look forward to the journey ahead with Google Cloud.”

Premiership Women’s Rugby (PWR) has agreed a new long-term partnership with Gilbert which will see the British sports equipment manufacturing brand supply the league with rugby balls.

The new PWR Gilbert ball will be seen for the first time in the PWR Up Series in September and will be used throughout the Premiership Women’s Rugby campaign which culminates in The Final on Sunday 16 March.

Gilbert will also be supplying the kit for PWR match officials.

Belinda Moore, PWR Chief Executive, said, “Today’s announcement marks the continuation of a long-standing and strong relationship between Gilbert and the women’s game in England, to kick off our second season.

“Gilbert Rugby are worldwide leaders in rugby ball technology, innovation and quality and are the perfect fit for our League. I know our clubs are looking forward to getting their hands on the new season balls over the next few weeks.

Ahead of the club’s US pre-season tour, Chelsea FC has announced digital wallet firm Skrill as its official tour partner.

Skrill, which is powered by global payments platform Paysafe, will be the presenting partner of the Blues’ opening fixture of the pre-season tour against Wrexham at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Wednesday 24^th July.

Casper Stylsvig, Chelsea’s Chief Revenue Officer, said, “We’re delighted to welcome Skrill onboard as official USA pre-season tour partner of Chelsea FC. We admire their company ethos of offering customers an agile and adaptable approach to financial services, and they’ll provide fans with great opportunities to interact with Chelsea across multiple touchpoints. We’re excited to come together for our match in Santa Clara and get the tour started in style.”

The Football Association of Wales (FAW) has become the first national federation to join the Common Goal network.

The news sees FAW pledge to commit 1% of its revenues to the ‘collective effort to maximise football’s contribution to a more sustainable future for all, unlocking opportunities for young people and supporting communities.’

The FAW have started with a pledge to ensure 1% of ticket sales from the FAW’s 2026 Men’s World Cup qualifiers are returned to projects, programmes and initiatives through CFF and other initiatives that have a social impact on the people of Wales.

FAW Chief Commercial and Engagement Officer, Sharon Tuff, commented, “In the long term, we want to give the fans of our Cymru National Teams – known as The Red Wall – the choice over where this funding pledge goes so that they can see their impact of supporting the national teams in their own communities.

“It is also the intention of the FAW to work towards unlocking the 1% contribution with our partners and stakeholders, innovating across other commercial revenue streams as the federation strives to shape a better future for Wales at home and on the World Stage through football.”

In March, the Cymru Football Foundation (CFF) became a community member by joining Common Goal’s network for Football for Good organisations.

EFL League Two football club AFC Wimbledon has extended its partnership with Cherry Red Records.

The four-year deal will see British independent record label Cherry Red Records retain naming rights to AFC Wimbledon’s 9,000-seater stadium and extend the pair’s relationship to over 20 years.

Major League Rugby (MLR) has announced the introduction of new broadcast graphics, provided by Sportable, for the upcoming MLR Playoffs presented by SportsBreak.com.

As per the agreement, Sportable has produced a suite of ‘high production value match graphics powered by smart ball data’.

The introduction of the new graphics aim to enhance the data and insights provided by the smart ball, including metrics such as kick and pass distance, kick hang-time, and player head-to-head comparisons which have been used across broadcast and digital channels in all nationally broadcast MLR matches.

Sportable’s SVP Sales and Strategic Partnerships, Scott McCubbin, said, “We’re delighted to continue to evolve our partnership with MLR having gotten off to such a fantastic start. These innovations for the Playoffs will offer something new to existing MLR fans, enhancing the overall viewing experience, while educating new fans in some of the most important aspects of the game. We look forward to introducing more of these innovations alongside MLR in the future and continuing to offer fans of this great competition new ways to enjoy the game.”