Shorts: Sky Sports, Copa Del Rey, Pga Tour
Sky Sports has sealed UK broadcast rights for England cricket’s six-match tour of Bangladesh, which begins on 1st March.
The deal will also see the matches free-to-air on England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) owned and operated platforms.
The tour consists of three ODI and three T20 matches and will be live on Sky Sports Cricket. The first ODI match will take place on 1st March, with the second match on 3rd March, finishing with a final match on 6th March,
The T20 matches will take place from 9th to 14th March.
This agreement adds to Sky Sports’ extensive 2023 cricket broadcast rights roster that includes ICC men’s Cricket World Cup, five men’s Ashes Tests and the multi-format women’s Ashes including a five-day Test match, England’s men hosting South Africa, Ireland and New Zealand, England Women versus Sri Lanka, The Hundred and The Blast.
BT Sport has secured exclusive UK broadcast rights to the semi-finals and final of the Copa del Rey, the premier domestic football cup competition in Spain.
The British pay-television channel’s coverage of the oldest competition in Spanish football kicks off with the 2022/23 semi-final first legs which will see Osasuna take on Athletic Club at the El Sadar Stadium, and an encounter between El Classico rivals Barcelona and Real Madrid. The fixtures will take place on Wednesday 1st March and Thursday 2nd March, respectively.
The 2022/23 Copa del Rey final will be contested on Saturday 6th May at Sevilla’s Estadio de la Cartuja.
The deal sees BT sport expand a football rights portfolio that currently includes the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, UEFA Europa League Conference, Serie A, Ligue 1, and the Vanarama National League, as well as 52 live Premier League per season.
Former England and Glamorgan cricketer Matthew Maynard MBE has signed with UK talent management and sports marketing agency GRiT Sports Management.
Maynard, a former England assistant coach, is the current head coach at Glamorgan. He represented England playing four Tests and fourteen one-day internationals and captained Glamorgan to the County Championship title in 1997.
Matthew Maynard MBE commented, “I had no hesitation in signing with Robbie Clarke and his team at GRiT. Their knowledge of the ever-evolving cricket landscape is outstanding and I know I am in safe hands as I look to secure sponsors and pursue potential career opportunities in the future.”
Tom Watts, Managing Director at GRiT added, “We are delighted to welcome Matt to our roster of clients here at GRiT. He is a highly experienced head coach who has developed his skills around the world having worked in England, Wales, India, South Africa and the Caribbean.
He has an intimate knowledge of cricket and enjoyed a long and successful playing career in the English first class game and has since experienced considerable success as a coach. We look forward to working closely with Matt in the months ahead.”
English Football League (EFL) One football club Bristol Rovers has extended its partnership with Yakult.
Yakult will continue to supply Bristol Rovers first-team players with its daily bottles of Yakult at the club’s Quarters Training facility for the remainder of the 2023/23 season.
James Aitken, Head of Nutrition at Bristol Rovers, said, “We’re delighted to renew our partnership with Yakult. The players really enjoy Yakult, and it has quickly become part of their daily routine.”
Kevin Mansell, National Sales Manager at Yakult UK & Ireland, added, “We are proud to continue our partnership with Bristol Rovers Football Club, providing the team with their daily Yakult and cheering them on throughout the season.”
Lifestyle clothing brand Perry Ellis Europe has appointed communications agency Mercieca to support with the launch of its new PGA TOUR golf wear and accessories range.
Isabella Di Giuseppe, Marketing Manager Perry Ellis Europe said, “We approached Mercieca because of similar work we’d seen them do for sports lifestyle brands. They understand our business needs, helped us overcome challenges, and bring added value through their golf and media relationships, network, and their integrated approach. We’re really excited to see the new PGA TOUR apparel and accessories range go live on Amazon UK this month.”
Gemma Oakes, Mercieca Director, added, “We’re thrilled to be working with Perry Ellis Europe to support them on their first PGA TOUR collection. There has been a lot going on in the background in terms of production, design, and asset creation to ensure the launch is as impactful as possible, and we can’t wait to see the next stage of the activation land with PR and influencer engagement.”
Built For Athletes, a bag, luggage and accessories provider for athletes, has announced UK’s number one male HYROX athlete, Michael Sandbach, as its latest signing.
Built For Athletes stated, ‘As a brand with the functional fitness community at its core, Built For Athletes is proud to add one of the best HYROX athletes in the world to our roster, as the sport continues to monopolise the world of functional training.
‘Michael attributes his success to a dedicated and rigorous training schedule – which is not something for the faint-hearted – consisting of sessions before work, at lunch and in the evening. Four mornings a week he runs in the dark at 5am; completes a strength session at midday and ends his working day with a gruelling rower or interval-based conditioning workout.
‘Michael and Built For Athletes share a passion for peak performance and endurance, making them the ultimate high-performance team.’
