Shorts: Silverstone, Lancashire Cricket, Leicester City

Silverstone has announced NEFT Vodka as its first-ever official vodka partner.

The premium vodka brand, crafted in Austria, will have a prominent presence at some of the UK’s biggest racing events, including the British Grand Prix MotoGP, the 2025 Formula One Qatar Airways British Grand Prix, and the Silverstone Festival.

Fans attending more than 40 annual events at the iconic circuit can expect NEFT cocktail bars, bespoke drinks menus, and premium hospitality activations.

This partnership is a first-of-its-kind deal for Silverstone.

NEFT continues to strengthen its ties to global motorsport following its existing partnership with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team.

Nick Read, Chief Commercial Officer, Silverstone, said, “At Silverstone, delivering exceptional customer experiences is at the core of everything we do. Our collaboration with NEFT Vodka allows us to elevate those experiences – offering our guests not just the thrill of exhilarating track action, but also the sophistication and comfort they expect from every aspect of their visit.”

Lancashire Cricket have extended their partnership with premium ticketing platform Seat Unique for a further three years.

The agreement follows a period of strong hospitality sales and fan engagement, and will see Seat Unique continue to support the club’s growth.

Since partnering in May 2022, Seat Unique has helped Lancashire Cricket improve how fans access premium tickets and hospitality experiences, widening reach, increasing booking efficiency and attracting new supporters to the Club.

This year, Seat Unique holds an exclusive premium ticket area with 175 seats for the first four days of the India men’s Test Match.

Since the partnership began in 2022, Seat Unique has helped Lancashire, alongside the Club’s internal teams, generate more than £6m in hospitality sales across international and domestic cricket fixtures.

Angela Hodson, Sales Director, Lancashire Cricket, said, “This renewal reflects not only the commercial strength of our relationship but also a shared commitment to innovation and providing the best experience for our supporters.

“We look forward to continuing our relationship with them over the next three years and beyond.”

Leicester City have faced the renewed threat of a points deduction after three fresh charges by the Premier League.

Four weeks after Leicester’s relegation to the Championship was confirmed, the club are now in danger of punishment next season for alleged financial breaches in the 2023-24 campaign, when they were competing in the Championship.

The Premier League has charged the 2015-16 title winners for allegedly breaking the profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) during their promotion season in the Championship, failing to submit their annual accounts on time, and breaching “the club’s obligation to provide full, complete and prompt assistance to the Premier League in response to the League’s inquiries.” 

If found guilty, Leicester City, who will play in the second tier again next term following relegation, could be handed a hefty points deduction.

The Premier League has jurisdiction to charge Leicester over these alleged breaches, despite the club being in the Championship at the time, due to a tightening of rules between the Premier League and the EFL.

Leicester have reported financial losses of more than £200m over the three-year reporting period. Clubs are permitted to lose £105m in the Premier League, though clubs who have operated in the Championship are adjusted to £81m.

Leicester adopted a combative stance last year, issuing legal proceedings against both the Premier League and English Football League.

Leicester City said, “The Club has been compelled to issue circumstances in respect of the Premier League’s proceedings against it for alleged breaches of the League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (‘PSR’) for the period ending 30 June 2023.

“The Club is currently compiling the relevant information and will make a further statement in due course.”

Cricket Ireland and Cricket Scotland have agreed new multi-year partnerships with Toyota, which has become the official automotive partner for both organisations from May 2025.

The deals will see Toyota investing in professional and grassroots cricket across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Scotland as part of its goal to make cricket more accessible for all.

Toyota will support the men’s and women’s national teams for Cricket Ireland and Scotland, alongside investing in initiatives to help foster the growth of grassroots participation.

The partnerships follow Toyota’s recent appointment as the new principal partner to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Scott Thompson, President and Managing Director at Toyota, said, “The two new partnerships with Cricket Ireland and Cricket Scotland build on Toyota’s commitment to making cricket more accessible to all.

“Alongside our recent appointment as the new Principal Partner to the ECB, we are dedicated to nurturing and inspiring the growth of cricket’s players, volunteers, and fans, both now and in the future.”

Liverpool podcast The Anfield Wrap have placed a cheeky billboard just a stone’s throw from Old Trafford in a stunt that follows Liverpool’s latest Premier League triumph.

The campaign was masterminded by The Anfield Wrap (TAW), an Liverpool FC podcast known for its innovative fan engagement. The billboard, located along the A56 near United’s stadium, carries a stinging message aimed directly at their Mancunian rivals: ‘Manchester, just 37 miles to the country’s most successful football club.’

Great British Racing (GBR) has launched British horseracing’s first national marketing campaign in three years, titled “The going is Good”.

The advertising-led campaign has been designed to showcase British horseracing as a uniquely great day out, underpinned by the excitement of racing.

The campaign will run through to the end of September with the tagline: “4 million memories made every year, The going is Good”. GBR has partnered with specialist sports creative agency Dark Horses and the UK’s largest independent media agency, the7Stars, for the initiative.

The campaign is designed to reactivate casual racegoers and attract new fans to the sport by highlighting the reasons why British horseracing enjoys being the second most popular spectator sport in the UK, with 4.8 million racegoers in 2024.

It aims to portray racing as a shared emotional experience that creates lasting memories, from social time with friends and family to the excitement of the sporting action.

Simon Michaelides, Chief Customer Officer, GBR, said, “We’re very excited by this fresh advertising approach to the sport, showcasing the experiences of 4.8 million existing racegoers to inspire more people to follow suit.

“The campaign has researched incredibly well with existing fans and potential new fans alike and we are confident that it will deliver strong results.”

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