Shorts: Six Nations, La Liga, Joymo

Former England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) Chief Executive Tom Harrison has been announced as the next CEO of Six Nations Rugby.

Six Nations Rugby confirmed Harrison’s appointment ‘following a comprehensive process to find the successor to current CEO, Ben Morel, who recently announced his intention to step down from the role’.

Harrison, who played cricket professionally with Northamptonshire and Derbyshire, became the ECB’s CEO in January 2015, having previously been Head of Marketing between 2003 and 2006.

Harrison commented, “The Six Nations Rugby Championships stand alongside the most famous and treasured competitions in sport. They are rich in history and have an enduring appeal with fans all over the world. It’s a huge privilege to join the organization and play a part in the continued development of this celebrated brand and to serve rugby union more widely.

“There is a real momentum within the organization, and I am really looking forward to working with the wider team, collaborating with each union and federation, and supporting the enviable roster of broadcast and commercial partners.”

Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) Chief Executive Steve Phillips has resigned, with Performance Director Nigel Walker taking over as acting CEO with immediate effect.

Phillips’ resignation follows a BBC Wales Investigates programme that highlighted allegations of misogyny, sexism and racism in Welsh rugby’s governing body.

Walker, who takes over the role while the WRU search for Phillips’ permanent successor, stated that Welsh rugby was facing an “existential crisis” and the WRU needed to do “much better”.

Phillips commented, “It is with a huge amount of regret that I have decided to hand in my resignation,” said Phillips.

“I have always had the best interests of Welsh rugby at the heart of my every action and thought, but have come to the conclusion that it is now time for someone else to lead the way.”

UK-based talent agency HERO has announced the signing of former rugby union player and pundit Andy Goode and rugby union presenter Alex Payne.

HERO will represent the pair across all commercial matters.

Last year, HERO launched its rugby division with the signing of Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards, and is now building on its portfolio of clients.

HERO founder, Simon Dent, commented, “We are very pleased and proud to be working with Andy and Alex. Both already have fantastic reputations across broadcasting, brand work and corporate events. We hope we can help the guys develop further across these pillars”.

British gambling company Betfair has partnered with Brazilian football club Cruzeiro.

The two-year deal will see Betfair, which is owned by Irish gambling holding company Flutter Entertainment, become the master sponsor of Cruzeiro and sees its logo on the front of the team’s playing shirts.

In addition, Betfair will work with Cruzeiro on a range of fan activities, offering supporters the chance to win range of prizes such as VIP match tickets.

The deal comes ahead of Cruzeiro’s return to Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, the top league of club football in Brazil, with the team having won promotion in the 2022 season.

La Liga, the top tier of professional football in Spain, has appointed Keegan Pierce as Managing Director for the UK and Ireland.

The move is the latest in a series of steps by the organisation to bolster its presence in the territory, where it opened its 11th international office in 2020.

Keegan has worked in international development within La Liga’s London office for six years and will now lead the team that aims to boost the league’s brand value and fan engagement globally.

Pierce commented, “I am proud to continue leading our international outreach in this dynamic global market. LaLiga’s presence in London helps us engage with fans across the UK and Ireland, while also reinforcing LaLiga’s relationship with key stakeholders worldwide. We will continue to work to boost our profile and to increase value for LaLiga and all its clubs.”

Video streaming services provider to sports rights holders Joymo has appointed Hannah Griffiths to the newly-created role of VP of Sales.

Her responsibilities will be to build and lead a permanent presence for the company in the UK market, assuming overarching responsibility for acquiring long-term exclusive partnerships with sports rights holders.

Griffiths becomes the first permanent hire for Joymo in the UK.

Hannah joins Joymo from sports media rights agency RDA, where she spent the last five years as Director, Media Rights, working across all aspects of RDA’s media rights business, including global sales, business development, contract negotiations, technical delivery and partnership management.