Shorts: Laura Woods, Scottish Rugby, Ttb Sport Capital

BetMGM has announced TNT Sports presenter Laura Woods as its new brand ambassador.

As part of collaboration, Woods, who will be working with ITV Sport at this summer’s European Championships in Germany, will be sharing her thoughts with BetMGM’s customers on the key sporting stories throughout the year via a weekly blog, while she will be involved in creating regular video and social content.

She will also be prominent in various advertising campaigns across the online betting brand’s channels.

Woods, commented,“I’m delighted to be joining BetMGM as the brand’s newest ambassador, particularly ahead of a huge couple of months in the sporting calendar with the Euros starting in just two days’ time, the Olympics weeks away and, of course, the new Premier League season just around the corner.”

“BetMGM has a strong ethos around responsible gambling – something I’m really passionate about. It’s a really exciting partnership and I can’t wait to get started!” 

Sam Behar, UK Director at BetMGM UK, said, “Laura is the ideal fit for the BetMGM brand as we grow our ambassador network.

“Her broadcasting career to date has been hugely impressive, entertaining and informing sports fans across the UK week in week out and we’re excited for Laura to share her wealth of knowledge and expertise with our customers.”

Scottish Rugby has partnered with travel brand Skyscanner in a deal that will see the men’s team’s upcoming tour renamed.

The partnership, which sees Skyscanner become the official travel technology partner of Scottish Rugby, sees this year’s summer tour named the Skyscanner Americas Tour.

The Skyscanner Americas Tour begins in North America where Scotland will play the Canada on Saturday 6^th July. Scotland will then journey to Washington DC to take on USA heading to South America to play Chile. The tour will end in Uruguay where the two sides will play each other for the first time since the 1999 Rugby World Cup.

Skyscanner will also collaborate with Scottish Rugby on creating social content, continuing from a similar partnership during the Guiness Six Nations.

Charlie Simpson, Scottish Rugby’s Head of Business Development, said, “Skyscanner are an Edinburgh born, global company and we are excited to partner with such an ambitious, forward-thinking business for the Skyscanner Americas Tour and beyond.

“Earlier this year, we combined with Skyscanner to deliver something different with the Ultimate View content which showed what can be possible and we’re excited to see the content side of things go from strength to strength to continue to grow both our brands.

“Skyscanner are an excellent addition to our ever-growing portfolio of sponsors and we’re looking forward to seeing the impact of partnering up with a world leading travel brand.”

Global marketing, investment and advisory group TTB Sport Capital has made a ‘significant new investment’ into live experience platform Planet.

The latest funding from TTB Sport – which counts former England cricket captain Sir Andrew Strauss as its Executive Chairman – includes contributions from prominent figures in the music, sport, and entertainment industries.

According to a statement, ‘the new investment from TTB Sport will enable Planet to leverage its expertise in live music to enhance more live experiences in sport and broader entertainment sectors.’

“With our deep understanding of fan engagement in music, we are now uniquely positioned to translate these insights to the benefit of more live audiences,” said James Morrison, Co-founder and CEO of Planet.

“This investment not only accelerates our product roadmap, including paid membership upgrades and affiliate commercial partnerships, but also supports our mission to provide truly personalised and memorable live experiences at scale, with the aim to further our work with labels, brands and broader entertainment platforms.”

Teresa Teague, founder of TTB Partners, added, “We see a tremendous opportunity with Planet Fans. Their proven model of fan engagement in music shows a clear path towards transforming how superfans interact and buy into their passion points. We see clearly the future for further application of this technology in sport and beyond, building even more loyal fanbases for businesses and delivering game changing, innovative experiences”

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has announced a new partnership with money transfer remittance service Remitly.

The collaboration, which focuses on helping ‘advancing cricket’s goal to become the most inclusive sport’ will see the launch of the Taste of Cricket campaign.

The campaign sees over 100 recreational clubs across England and Wales open up their doors to their local communities for a special match tea, with each event showcasing different stories of ‘community clubs and volunteers who are driving positive change within the game and improving access to recreational cricket.’

Adil Rashid MBE, who last year marked his 100th T20 international appearance for England, said, “Food has always played a big part in my life – as someone of Pakistani heritage, some of my fondest memories are centred around mealtimes with family. So, to be a part of a sport that celebrates different cuisines and cultures in such a unique way is really special.

“One of my favourite things about touring is getting to try the incredible variation of match teas across the world, so I’m very much looking forward to sampling the eclectic mix of food enjoyed by communities across England and Wales with Taste of Cricket.”

Kate Miller, the ECB’s Chief Communications Officer, commented, “Being one of the only sports that breaks play to eat, cricket and food are intrinsically linked. We know that across England and Wales, an array of communities enjoy cricket and bring not only their own twist on the sport, such as the innovation of tape ball from the Pakistani community, but also their spin on the much-beloved match tea.

“We look forward to celebrating the profound connection between food and cricket and the brilliant work that recreational clubs are doing to drive inclusion and diversity across the game this summer and beyond.”

Barnsley FC has agreed a new partnership with Nord VPN.

The deal sees the cyber security company become the Reds’ official VPN Partner until the end of the 24/25 season.

The NordVPN logo recently featured as the EFL League One football club’s sleeve sponsor for both legs of the team’s Sky Bet League One play-off semi-finals against Bolton Wanderers.

Jon Flatman, Chief Executive Officer at Barnsley FC said, “We’re pleased to be able to welcome an industry-leading partner in NordVPN to partner with the club and provide our loyal supporters with cutting-edge protection online.

“As the world becomes increasingly digitalised, online security has never been more important. With the tools that NordVPN provide and the offers available, it’s a fantastic opportunity for Reds fans to ensure they are safeguarded against online threats.

“It is also an opportunity to support the Club as we receive a financial contribution from every sign up using the link provided within this article. We’d like to thank NordVPN for their partnership and look forward to continuing our relationship.” 

Everton’s International Academy Affiliate Programme (EIAAP) has extended its partnership with Clifton Park Soccer Club (CPSC).

The US-based football club became the first from New York state to partner with the Blues’ global soccer development programme back in 2022.

The EIAAP initiative will continue to provide CPSC with access to coaching knowledge from Everton’s distinguished Academy to support the growth of the club and its player development programmes.