Shorts: Walker, Harlequins, Everton FC
Manchester City and England defender Kyle Walker has partnered with PUMA UKI, EA SPORTS FIFA, and suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM),to release a limited-edition home and away kit to mark Mental Health Awareness Week.
The kits, available to purchase through PUMA and Pro: Direct Soccer and to unlock in-game on EA SPORTS FIFA 22, have been designed by the England International to help open the conversation around mental health and challenge the stereotypes that prevent people seeking the help they need.
The home kit design reflects every stage of Walker’s football career, documenting the highs including Premier League title victories, to the lows of defeats in major finals for the PUMA ambassador. The colours on the kit represent each club the full-back has played for and is a tribute to the role of the clubs in helping him grow into a teammate and father.
Premiership rugby club Harlequins has announced that food delivery giants Uber Eats has become an official partner of the Big Summer Kick-Off at Twickenham Stadium. The inaugural edition of the summer celebration of rugby will include a crucial Gallagher Premiership clash with Gloucester on Saturday 21st May.
Uber Eats’ partnership will see Harlequins’ Members and BSKO ticket purchasers receive discount codes before and after the match, with the app providing purchasers the ability to support local restaurants. The club and Uber Eats will also reward supporters for their unrivalled support on social media, with competitions offering fans to win £100 gift vouchers for predicting the correct score and player of the match at BSKO.
The process to elect members to Premier League club Everton FC’s independent Fan Advisory Board (FAB) has launched, with the final make-up of the panel set to represent key supporter groups and the diversity of the club’s global fanbase.
Once established, the FAB will be consulted on long-term strategic issues and will meet regularly with the Club’s hierarchy, including members of the Board of Directors. It has been determined that the FAB will comprise 11 members – seven of whom will be elected representatives democratically nominated by groups making up the ESSG (‘reserved’ positions) and four of whom will be determined by an open fan vote (‘unreserved’ positions).
6EZ, a new sports brand consultancy founded by experienced sports industry executive Ben Thompson has launched in Nottingham. The group consists of new brand creative agency Sport + Art, long-standing sports communications agency Macesport, commercial sales company Performance teq, and distribution and licensing agency SportiNG Distribution. 6EZ will also incorporate a talent programme and sports investment portfolio.
Thompson said, “The 6EZ Group has been years in the making and in reality has been operating in this way for the last two years during the pandemic but we feel like the market is now ready for a joined up approach that is a game changer in the industry. Sport isn’t just a business for us, this is our passion, and I am excited about the level of expertise that we can bring to brands at whatever stage of their journey from start up through to established global brands who are looking for a team that understands the full marketing and commercial landscape.”
Bath-based football data company StatsBomb has been appointed by The Tournoi Maurice Revello and The Sud Ladies’ Cup to become their official collection and data provider for their 2022 summer competitions. The Tournoi Maurice Revello, is an international football competition dedicated to the under 21 national teams.
StatsBomb will use its data collection technology, which combines Computer Vision, manual data capture and AI, to collect over 3,400 events per game and generate detailed insights about each competing team.
ukactive and Sport England have announced a new five-year partnership, spanning seven strategic areas to support the sector’s growth and reduce inequalities in physical activity.
The partnership means that ukactive and Sport England will continue to collaborate across the campaigns, digital transformation, inclusion infrastructure, and quality standards to better support ukactive’s members to develop and grow.
London-based sports and entertainment marketing consultancy Right Formula has been appointed by Stoli Group, a global premium spirit and wines company, to manage the organisation’s elit Vodka partnership with ROKiT Venturi Racing.
Right Formula has already launched the brand as a principal partner of the Monaco-based FIA Formula E team prior to recent Mexico E-Prix. Now, Right Formula’s account team will work with Stoli Group to consult and activate on all aspects of the partnership.
Digital content agency and media network Little Dot Studios has appointed Fiona Wood as Strategy Director of its sport specialist label, Little Dot Sport.
In this newly created role, Wood’s remit will include driving the development of industry-leading multi-platform digital strategies for clients, understanding their business objectives and how digital is enabling these to be achieved. She will also oversee an internal team of digital experts who are responsible for building data, content and insights workstreams to complement these business objectives and will continue to evolve Little Dot Sport’s product offering and commercial potential.
