Shorts: Premier League, Mcfc, Esl

The Premier League has confirmed Alison Brittain as its new Chair after its 20 member clubs voted unanimously in favour of her appointment. Brittain will take over from Interim Chair Peter McCormick in early 2023.

57-year-old Brittain, who will become the league’s first ever female chair, now holds the key role in shaping the future of the world’s biggest domestic football competition.

Brittain has previously worked for a variety of large organisations and is Chief Executive of hospitality firm Whitbread PLC.

Brittain commented, “I have been a football fan since I was a child and so am absolutely delighted to be appointed Chair of the Premier League. The game is of enormous national importance, is loved by so many people around the world and can have a tremendous positive impact on communities. It will be a real privilege to be able to help to develop plans for the future and work with all the key stakeholders in the game to ensure its long-term sustainability and success.

“I am looking forward to working with Chief Executive Richard Masters, the Board and the clubs as we work together to ensure the ongoing growth and global success of the Premier League.”

Manchester City has announced the official launch of its Recast Channel, as part of its continued direct-to-fans content offering for followers around the globe.

Through the on-demand platform the club will be able to offer fans an alternative option for watching content, with Recast complementing the existing City+ subscription service.

Recast, Manchester City’s official on-demand content partner, is a subscription-free, live and on-demand streaming platform which gives fans easy and affordable access to the sports and entertainment. As part of the new agreement, City’s pre-season US Tour fixture against Bayern Munich on Saturday was made available for fans on the channel.

German esports organiser ESL Gaming have announced a new partnership with Gravity Media, that will see the London-based production company provide its services to ESL Gaming’s global esports events over the next three years.

Under terms of the new agreement, ESL Gaming will use Gravity Media as its exclusive service provider at some of the world’s largest multi-genre gaming and esports events, including Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Cologne in Germany, ESL One Malaysia in Malaysia, the IEM Rio Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Major Championship in Brazil, DreamHack Atlanta in the US, and many more.

Ahead of the new European football season, English Football League One club Ipswich Town has announced the renewal of its partnership with Blue Light Card and a new partnership with Tickets For Troops.

Blue Light Card work to provide those working within the NHS, emergency services, social care sector with various discounts, and will continue to have a fixed number of tickets provided for members of the scheme to attend fixtures at Ipswich’s Portman Road stadium next season.

The club will also be providing support for Tickets For Troops, a charity that work to provide free entrance to events and sporting fixtures for members of HM Armed Forces. Similarly, to Blue Light Card, a set number of tickets will be provided for each game at Portman Road.

National League football club Wrexham AFC has announced that UK design and print provider VistaPrint has become the club’s new sleeve sponsor of the men’s first team.

The sponsorship has been signed for an initial period of two seasons and will see the VistaPrint logo feature on the left sleeve on all three match shirts and appear on the replica home shirts for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 season.

Wrexham AFC, which is owned by Hollywood actors Roby McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, is set to see a significant increase in its exposure with a docu-series exploring the club and its ownership. The series is set for release in August.

Super League rugby union club Leeds Rhinos has announced its new partnership with ticketing provider, Seat Unique. Throughout the three-year partnership, Seat Unique will exclusively power the club’s online premium ticket and hospitality sales through its platform. This includes official premium tickets and hospitality packages for all rugby fixtures taking place at the Headingley Stadium in Leeds.

Rob Oates, Commercial Director at Leeds Rhinos, commented, “We are excited to welcome Seat Unique as the club’s official premium ticketing partner. Headingley is a stunning venue that offers world class hospitality and Seat Unique will help to enhance the customer experience through their excellent platform and digital expertise. It will also allow the club to reach new customers and realise our ambitions to maximise the award-winning facilities following the completion of a £45 million redevelopment in 2019.”