Shorts: Lta, London Marathon, Tesco

The Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) has renewed its supplier agreement with coastal lifestyle brand Crew Clothing.

The extension of the deal first signed in 2019 will see Crew continue to outfit on-court officials and ball crew members at the Queen’s Club Championships and Rothesay tournaments.

Last July, Crew signed up Wimbledon men’s doubles champion Neal Skupski as a brand ambassador, as the apparel brand looks to expand its footprint in tennis.

News of the renewal comes ahead of this year’s Queen’s Club Championships, which will take place from 17th-23rd June.

Founded in Devon, Crew Clothing’s sports partnership portfolio also includes rugby outfit Exeter Chiefs and Formula One’s Williams Racing.

Naomi Parry, Head of Marketing at Crew Clothing, said, “We’re strong believers in supporting the very best of British sport, and with this in mind, we’re delighted to be partnering with the LTA for another year as Official Outfitters. 

“It’s wonderful to see the ball crew and officials in their Crew Clothing kit, and we can’t wait to spend the summer spectating court-side.”

London Marathon Events has revealed that a world record breaking 840,000 people have applied in the ballot for the 2025 TCS London Marathon. 

The news means that last year’s record of 578,374 people has been beaten. 

Hugh Brasher, Event Director for the TCS London Marathon, said, “This is an absolutely phenomenal total. Furthermore, the increase in applications from women, up from around 43% last year to 49% this year, is exceptional and takes us close to parity for applications from men and women for the first time. 

“Marathon Day is always an extraordinary and inspirational day when we celebrate the very best of humanity. The unique camaraderie of the event and the amazing support from the huge crowds show London at its best and this year, in a world beset by many challenges, it felt like those magical days of London 2012 when joy and love were everywhere.  

“The 2024 TCS London Marathon on 21 April was the biggest in our history with more than 53,700 finishers and has already raised a world record-breaking £67 million for charities. More than 12,900 children took part in the mass TCS Mini London Marathon the day before and hundreds of thousands of children across the UK are now doing their Mini Marathon in their schools.  

“We work to inspire activity in people of all ages and abilities and these astonishing record-breaking numbers show how the TCS London Marathon does that and how many people want to be part of it.” 

Tesco Mobile has launched a new partnership with media and entertainment group Global to become the headline sponsor of the new podcast ‘The Sports Agent’. 

Through this collaboration, Gabby Logan and Mark Chapman will ‘share amusing anecdotes, on The Sports Agent, about the group chats they have been added to which will aim to highlight how reliable network connections help strengthen community bonds.’

Rachel Swift, Chief Customer Officer, Tesco Mobile, said, “We’re delighted to launch this partnership with Global as part of their incredible podcast The Sports Agents. Gabby and Mark are the perfect pair to help us bring this new campaign to life and showcase Tesco Mobile’s vital role in helping people stay connected to their communities. 

“With no EU roaming fees for the rest of the year, frozen contracts with Clubcard Prices, and 99% UK network coverage, sports fans can be confident they won’t miss a beat of this year’s incredible action on Tesco Mobile. We’re looking forward to working closely with Global on this campaign.” 

The Sports Consultancy (TSC) has promoted Matt Wilson to Managing Director. 

Angus Buchanan, CEO and Founder of The Sports Consultancy, commented, “It gives me great pleasure to announce Matt’s promotion to Managing Director. This coincides with Matt’s 10 year anniversary at TSC.” 

Since joining in 2014 from Deloitte, Wilson has been instrumental in driving the growth of The Sports Consultancy, including two office moves.’’ 

In his new role, Wilson will continue to oversee consulting and will join the leadership team to propel forwards with future plans and initiatives as TSC continue ‘its rapid growth and transformation’.