Shorts: Invictus Games, Castore, Volleyball

Birmingham has won the bid to host the 2027 Invictus Games, despite competition from Washington DC.

The event, staged every two years, sees injured military personnel and veterans from around the world compete in a range of sports and was founded by Prince Harry.

Staged at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), the Birmingham games will be the first time the event has come to the UK since the Duke of Sussex staged the inaugural tournament in London in 2014.

Prince Harry, said, “Your city’s strong ties to the armed forces community made it a formidable contender from the very start.

“We have no doubt the people of Birmingham will join in celebrating the unwavering respect and admiration we have for our veteran and service community, showing the world how their courage ignites hope and unites us all – something your city knows well.”

Manchester-based sportswear brand Castore has appointed PrettyGreen as its retained PR agency after ‘a four-way competitive pitch.’

The brief for the London-based PR firm is ‘to deliver a press office function, influencer marketing strategy, athlete and ambassador activation, and partnership amplification for Castore throughout 2024 and beyond.’

PRWeek UK reports the retainer is ‘worth a six-figure amount, alongside additional project briefs and budgets.’

Kev McFadyen, Chief Marketing Officer at Castore, said, “With a proven track record of helping brands thrive in the sports and lifestyle sectors, as well as a deep understanding of how brands can play a meaningful role in culture, PrettyGreen will play an invaluable role in helping Castore reach more athletes who are looking for premium performance sportswear.”

Volleyball England has announced a three-year extension of its partnership with Universal Services.

Universal Services will continue equipment provider for Volleyball England’s premier events, including the Cup Finals and Final 4.

As part of the extended partnership, Universal Services will also assist Volleyball England in ‘producing and updating equipment guidance documents’, with resources made available to clubs on the Volleyball England website. 

Volleyball England, Chief Executive Officer, said, “I am pleased to extend our partnership with Universal Services for a further three years. Building on a successful first year, we will work together to enhance the range of products sold through VolleyStore, ensuring our members’ essential equipment needs are met.”

The Royal Parks Half Marathon, presented by Royal Bank of Canada, has announced natural nut butter brand Pip & Nut as a sponsor for this year’s race.

As part of the partnership, Pip & Nut’s brand-new range of peanut-butter-stuffed oat bars will become the official snack bar of this year’s race.

Liz Tack, Head of Royal Parks Half Marathon, said, “We are absolutely delighted to have Pip & Nut on board as a partner for this year’s race. It’s so important to fuel correctly before taking on a half marathon and their bars and nut butters are perfect plant-based options to help get runners over the line on race-day.

“We know that runners across the UK trust Pip & Nut to help fuel their training runs and gym sessions, so we’re thrilled to partner with them.”

The Australian Professional Leagues has announced English sports equipment manufacturer Mitre as the A-Leagues’ new official match ball partner for the next three seasons.

A-Leagues Chief Commercial Officer, Ned Negus said, “Mitre is such a historic brand with strong football credibility, so they’re the perfect partner to deliver our official Isuzu UTE A-League men and Liberty A-League women match balls.

“At a time when A-Leagues is putting football and fans first, Mitre is best placed to deliver a uniquely designed range of Ultimax Pro official match balls and a broad retail range offering more fans the opportunity to engage with A-Leagues and football.”