Shorts: WRU, Manchester City, Luton
The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) has extended its partnership with Ticketmaster Sport.
Following 15 years of partnership, the multi-year extension will see fans attending the Principality stadium continue to use Ticketmaster’s ticketing technology.
Rhodri Lewis, Commercial and Legal Director at the WRU, said, “This is a partnership which will benefit all of Welsh rugby by supporting our future strategies with market leading technology underpinned by many years of operational integrity.
“The fact that Ticketmaster is partner to all four of the professional sides in our domestic game, joining Cardiff RFC, the Dragons and the Scarlets as part of our long-standing partnership and already in situ at the Ospreys through their home ground, can only be beneficial to Welsh rugby as a whole.”
Women’s Super League (WSL) club Manchester City has submitted a planning application to the Manchester City Council for the development of a purpose-built training facility.
The proposals, which have a total value of up to £10m, will see the creation of a facility specifically designed to house the women’s first team.
City is currently aiming for the facility to be fully functional in 2025 and will feature a hydrotherapy area, a high-performance gym and an analytics space all designed to enhance player development by ‘mirroring the high-performance environment of the men’s first team.’
Charlotte O’Neill, Managing Director of Manchester City women, said, “We are delighted to announce our exciting plans to create a purpose-built training facility for our Women’s First Team.
“Over the past decade, our shared space at City Football Academy has been a huge asset to the team, providing unrivalled access to world-leading facilities and industry experts that have helped the team to adopt the Club’s philosophies on and off the pitch and establish itself as a pioneer in the development of women’s football in this country.
“However, as the team evolves, so do their needs and that’s why we continue to invest in the right facilities at the right stage in the team’s journey.
“By building in a new, state-of-the-art facility, we will provide our players with a bespoke industry-leading environment for them to train and recover together, and we believe this will further improve player welfare, and help attract even more talent to Manchester City and the next generation of aspiring women footballers.”
Premier League football club Luton Town has extended its partnership with Star Platforms.
The collaboration, now into its sixth year, kicked off in 2018/19 when the Hatters won EFL League One with Star platforms as one of its front-of-shirt sponsors.
Chris Bell, Commercial Director of Luton Town, said, “Luton Town and Star Platforms have enjoyed a great partnership over the previous five seasons; there has been some great moments on the pitch for Luton Town and off the field for Star Platforms. I’m delighted we could continue this partnership as we compete in the most exciting football league in the world.”
Richard Miller, Managing Director of Star Platforms, added, “Having previously been the away shirt sponsor for five years we were very keen to remain a partner of Luton Town on the journey through the Premier League campaign.”
EFL Championship club Blackburn Rovers has partnered with heating and renewables company Heatable.
As per the deal, Heatable has been named the official warm-up partner for the Rovers in an agreement that runs until the end of the 2024/25 season.
Sam Price, Founder at Heatable, said, “We’re incredibly proud to be joining forces with Blackburn Rovers as their official warm up partner.
“This is an exciting moment for the team at Heatable, with the incredible history of Blackburn Rovers Football Club and what it means to the local community. With that in mind, we can’t wait to help and support the community in any way we can, with fantastic offers at heatable.co.uk and charitable donations that will hopefully make a difference.
“We’re excited to grow together in a winning partnership and receive a warm welcome from Blackburn Rovers and their fans.”
Lancashire Cricket has announced that its partners Sportsbreaks.com and inspiresport have committed major funding to an initiative for women and girl’s cricket.
UK-based sports travel providers Sportsbreaks.com and inspiresport have provided a ‘six-figure sum to support the continued development of women’s and girls cricket across the Northwest over the next three years.’
The funding will cover a range of initiatives, including a community programme, a new minibus, and a warm weather training camp in Mumbai for Thunder’s professional players.
Daniel Gidney, Chief Executive Officer of Lancashire Cricket, said, “Sportsbreaks.com and inspiresport have been an amazing partner for Lancashire Cricket for a number of years and they are now going even further with their support.
“It is an incredible investment from top to bottom. Our First Team players will really benefit from the overseas camp to Mumbai later this month, whilst Lancashire Thunder’s Academy and age-group players will have the benefits of easier travel to away matches and additional strength and conditioning coaching at an age when it is so important to their future development.
“Grassroots cricket is another key focus of ours, as we aim to inspire the next generation of Thunder players in the North West. We are really pleased that this support from Sportsbreaks.com and inspiresport also allows us to invest further into community cricket programmes – work which is already underway alongside our Lancashire Cricket Foundation.”
Extreme E has extended its partnership with Continental, the championship’s official tyre supplier and founding partner.
Ali Russell, Managing Director of Extreme E, said, “We are thrilled to extend our partnership with Continental, not only as our founding partner but it is an organisation that shares our commitment to environmental sustainability and innovation. Continental’s continued dedication to creating bespoke tyres that perform exceptionally in the world’s harshest terrains aligns perfectly with our mission to drive change through motorsport. Their unwavering support plays a pivotal role in the success of Extreme E and the message we aim to convey.”
Claudio Toldi, Head of Marketing Communications, Replacement Tires EMEA, added, “We are looking forward to entering another exciting season together with Extreme E. With our tyre, the Extreme E CrossContact, we guarantee the participating teams perfect performance on all kinds of surfaces and challenges, no matter where the races take place.
“The electric off-road racing championship series is the ideal platform for us to test new tyre technologies and developments before their series launch for the passenger car sector. In 2022, for example, we tested our ContiRe.Tex technology for the first time in the Extreme E tyre. Our latest tyre consists of around 43 per cent recycled and renewable materials – in this way we actively shape and contribute to a sustainable motorsport and more environmental awareness.”
Reading FC has announced a new partnership with AI-powered sponsorship analytics platform Relo Metrics.
This collaboration, a first for Rolo Metrics in the UK, aims to ‘enhance the company’s footprint in sport analytics whilst offering Reading FC advanced tools for commercial growth.’
As per the agreement, Relo Metrics will be featured prominently across EFL Championship Reading FC’s in-stadium and digital sponsorship assets.
Rory Rigney, Commercial Director, EMEA, said, “We are delighted to announce this partnership with Reading FC, marking a significant milestone for Relo Metrics in the UK sports industry. For Relo Metrics, this is an opportunity to not only elevate our brand but also to demonstrate the transformative power of our technology in driving commercial growth. We are committed to supporting Reading FC in harnessing data insights to optimise their operations and commercial strategies.”
Tim Kilpatrick, Commercial Director at Reading FC commented, “We are thrilled to expand our relationship with Relo Metrics. This partnership underlines our commitment to innovation and excellence, and by utilising Relo’s analytics platform, we are confident in our ability to boost the commercial reach of the club in the years ahead.”
SNTV, a provider of sports video news and highlights, has partnered with a fan engagement platform, Sport Buff.
The partnerships aim to ‘create enhanced fan engagement solutions around large sports events for broadcasters and publishers.’
Zoe Duffelen, Global Head of Revenue at SNTV said, “In what is set to be an exciting year of sport, with the UEFA EURO 2024 and the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, we’re excited to partner with Sport Buff to bring a new fully managed video, fan engagement and social media solution to the market. For broadcasters and publishers vying for audience share, this is the ideal solution to help engage, retain and monetise audiences throughout major sporting events and create a more immersive and personalised experience for sports fans.”
Jonty Whitehead, President and Founder of Sport Buff, added, “We are delighted to be partnering with such a prestigious leader in the sports broadcast business as SNTV. With their global relationships and pedigree in supplying the very best in sporting content, Sport Buff can’t wait to bring its groundbreaking interactive technology into their customer experience.”
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