Shorts: Rlwc2021, DP World Tour, Burnley, Bournbrook Skatepark
The Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) organisers and match ball supplier Steeden have revealed that the official tournament ball will honour Rugby League pioneer Clive Sullivan MBE.
The ‘Sully Ball’ will be used in all 61 RLWC2021 matches across the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments. The match ball has been designed in collaboration with the Sullivan family and Steeden to represent the core values of the tournament, the history of International Rugby League and recognise the significant positive impact Sullivan had on the sport.
As well as being the first black sportsman to captain a British national team, Sullivan scored a 60-metre try in the final against Australia, cementing his place as a British sporting icon. Next year, 50-years on from the 1972 World Cup, Sullivan will be at the heart of history again when the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments take place across England.
The DP World Tour has agreed a multi-year partnership agreement with luxury sunglasses and eyewear brand Maui Jim, that will see the company become the Tour’s Official Eyewear Supplier.
As part of the new agreement the Hawaii-based brand, renowned for their superior lens technology and premium collections, will supply eyewear to DP World Tour staff working at events across the world.
Benefiting from global marketing rights as well as an onsite presence at several tournaments throughout the season, the agreement will also enable Maui Jim to further engage with golf fans around the world across traditional news media and digital platforms.
Burnely FC has announced a new partnership with global pizza chain, Papa John’s Pizza. The move is seen as part of the pizza chain’s plan to develop relationships with the leisure venues.
Following this deal, Burnley FC will be using a new mobile catering unit to serve pizzas to the club supporters, who will be attending the matches at the home ground, Turf Moor.
Stuart Hunt, director of Burnley Football Club, said “As a partner in ALK Capital, I took over as a director of Burnley Football Club in January. One of our immediate goals is to improve the whole fan zone experience and we are making progress. For us now to introduce Papa John’s to the football club was a natural choice.”
Bournbrook skatepark in Birmingham has officially been crowned as the first ever DIY skatepark in the UK to be given formal skatepark status, making way for future projects of this kind as the popularity of skateboarding continues to grow.
The location of Bournbrook skatepark is on a recreational green space that has been in decline for decades, with its rectangular concrete play area filled with overgrown bushes and piles of waste, many of the residents fearful to walk through the area at night. However, the Bournbrook skatepark project changed this and has blurred the lines between self-built community skateparks and a professional build. Although primarily built by volunteers, Bournbrook was built in accordance with the relevant British Standards and has attracted some of the best-known skateboarders in the UK, including female Olympian 2020 Bombette Martin.
A skatepark project of this size and scale would’ve cost over £150,000 to build by a construction firm, but the project has been completed for just under £7,000, most of this crowdfunded, with some additional support provided by Skateboard GB and backed by Habito, Selco Building Supplies and Vans.
