Shorts: Premier15s, Blackburn, Harlequins

Belinda Moore has been announced as the new Chief Executive of Premier 15 Limited (WP15Ltd), a new company established to oversee the organisation and management of the Allianz Premier 15s competition from the 2023/24 season.

Additionally, Genevieve Shore, a former England international and member of the 1994 World Cup winning team, will serve as the organisation’s Chair. 

According to a statement, ‘Belinda was identified as the perfect candidate due to her blend of experience from broadcast media, commercial partnerships, event management and her time leading athlete engagement at the British Olympic Association and her current role as Programme Director for the European Tour Group.’ 

Moore, who will take up the new role in January 2023, said, “I am hugely excited by the opportunity of leading Women’s Premier 15 Limited alongside Genevieve. There has never been a better time for women’s sport in this country and we fully intend to capitalise on the interest and appeal that currently exists to ensure we drive women’s rugby forward.

“A key element of that will be to deliver a new approach for women’s sport, driving full engagement with our athletes and operating with a new mindset which thinks differently across the board from communications, to the calendar, and all our competitions. There is so much potential to make a real difference for women and girls across the sporting landscape and I cannot wait to get started.”

Blackburn Rovers Community Trust (BRCT) has scored a partnership with the Blackburn Hawks. 

The deal will see the Championship football club and the EIHA Moralee Conference Ice Hockey team partner to support the local community.

Under terms of the agreement, BRCT will sponsor all four of the Hawks’ jerseys and have an advertising board around the perimeter of the rink at the Planet Ice Blackburn Arena, which has an average attendance of 1,000 fans.

Gary Robinson, Blackburn Rovers Community trust’s CEO, said, “We are delighted to be the principal sponsor for Blackburn Hawks.

“They are strong supporters of Blackburn Rovers. Their facility and team are both an important part of our community, and this partnership allows us to access a new audience to increase our awareness of the charitable work we do in the borough.”

Graham Lomax, Blackburn Hawks Co-owner, added, “To form such a partnership with a club the size of Blackburn Rovers is a win-win, it raises our profile, and I was grateful to Gary for getting in touch.

“It’s all about community engagement, there are so many untapped resources out there, we can get nearly 3,000 people in here and we’re getting 1,000 in, so we’re just scratching the surface, and with help from Blackburn Rovers Community Trust, there’s a lot of areas that we can tap into.”

Premiership rugby union side Harlequins has announced a new partnership with transit company Vix Technology. 

The new partnership covers both the men’s and women’s programme. According to a statement, ‘Vix has a strong focus on developing and entrenching women into the workforce, with a lack of women working in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.’

Additionally, Vix will work with Harlequins Women to unpack workplace opportunities from internships to post-playing career athletics. 

Laurie Dalrymple, Harlequins CEO, said, “It’s fantastic to be partnered with an industry-leading company like Vix. Their commitment to diversifying their workforce to include more women in the STEM field of work is something that resonates with us as we strive to build the Women’s game.” 

David Maitland, Vix Technology CEO, added, “We’re delighted to partner with this iconic London team to raise awareness and unlock opportunities for women in the transit technology industry. Our shared passion and aspirations to promote mobility, inclusion and make a positive impact in our communities are the bedrock of this partnership.”

English Premier League (EPL) club Tottenham Hotspur has been urged to drop major Chinese Sponsor AIA. 

A group of politicians have called on Spurs to cut ties with their main sponsor AIA and accused the club of ‘collaborating with supporters of human rights abuses in Hong Kong.’ Chinese company AIA Group has publicly supported Hong Kong’s national security law, which has clamped down on free speech. 

AIA Group, Asia’s biggest life insurer, issued a public statement in 2020 in support of the national security law despite international condemnation. 

The UK government opposes the law, and a parliamentary group has reached out to the London-based club and has contacted Daniel Levy, the Spurs Chairman, and called on the club to cut ties with AIA. 

Spurs first entered a sponsorship deal with the Asian company in 2013 and its logo has been on the front of the club’s shirt ever since. 

2019, saw Tottenham announce a new deal worth £320m to extend the partnership through to 2027.