Shorts: Six Nations, Crew Clothing, Gillingham

The Six Nations is considering staging all of its fixtures on Saturdays in a bid to boost television ratings and accommodate traveling supporters.

Currently only two games from each weekend take place on Saturday with the remaining fixture from the round played on a Sunday or Friday night.

In recent years, however, the tournament organisers have opted for a ‘Super Saturday’ format, with all games on the final weekend staggered throughout the day, something that has proved to be a major television ratings success.

The top seven most-watched matches from the most recent edition of the competition were all played on Saturday.

Any change to the existing schedule would take place from 2026 tournament onwards, with the dates and times of the 2025 edition already locked, and will only apply to the men’s competition.

The 2025 Six Nations begins with Wales playing France in Paris on Friday 31st January.

Current British No. 5 tennis player Jodie Burrage has signed as an off-court brand ambassador for Crew Clothing. 

“I’m really excited to be representing Crew Clothing as a brand ambassador,” said Burrage. “As someone who loves to be by the coast, I’m a big fan of the brand and I’m looking forward to wearing Crew when I’m taking a break from the court. I’m a believer in championing British sport, and it’s wonderful to partner with a brand that shares a love of British tennis.”

Naomi Parry, Head of Marketing for Crew Clothing, added, “We’re delighted to welcome Jodie on board as a brand ambassador. She’s a fantastic athlete, and we can’t wait to see her back on the court and making her comeback. She’s one to watch, but not only that – she’s an all-round lovely person and very much aligned with our values.”

In tennis, Crew Clothing also sponsors three-time Wimbledon Doubles Champion Neal Skupski and is a sponsor of LTA Summer Grass Court tournaments Queen’s, Eastbourne, Birmingham, and Nottingham.

EFL League Two football club Gillingham has announced a naming rights agreement with fire detection company Hochiki Europe for a section of its 11,582-capacity Priestfield Stadium

Under terms of the agreement, the club’s Rainham End will be officially known as the ‘The Rainham End in partnership with Hochiki’ until the end of the 2026/27 football season.

Gillingham Managing Director, Joe Comper, said, “We have been working closely with Hochiki over the last year and they have been amazing. It’s very important for the club to have partners that value the community of Kent as much as Hochiki do. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the team at Hochiki for their fantastic support and I am looking forward to watching this partnership grow.”

Shinsuke Kubo, Managing Director from Hochiki, added, “Hochiki Europe has had headquarters in Gillingham for 31 years and we are proud to continue our support of the local community. To celebrate the new partnership Gills fans will have the chance to win a host of prizes including a VIP experience at the Millwall friendly, training ground visits and match tickets courtesy of Hochiki. Fans should keep an eye on the Gills social media channels to find out how to be in with a chance of winning.”

The Hundred franchise London Spirit has revealed a new limited-edition shirt to be worn during the team’s opening home fixture against Birmingham Phoenix on 27th July.

The new London Underground-inspired shirt has been created as part of the club’s existing partnership with Transport for London (TfL).

Ellen Sankey, TfL Brand Licensing Manager, said, “We are delighted to have worked with the London Spirit team again to create another exciting design for cricket fans to enjoy whether they’re traveling on the Tube to watch The Hundred, or watching the matches with friends. Like the Tube, cricket is a huge part of London’s history, so it’s great to see how London Spirit has used our iconic heritage to make these new innovative designs.”

Welsh professional European Tour golfer Rhys Enoch has been announced as brand ambassador for the new PGA Tour apparel range of American fashion lifestyle brand Perry Ellis.

Enoch said, “I’m over the moon to be collaborating with PGA Tour apparel and sporting that iconic logo. I make a conscious effort to look good on and off the course and look for apparel that shows off the hard work I’m doing in the gym too. It’s a busy season, and I have strong ambitions so I’m looking forward to bringing the partnership to life over the coming months.”

Isabella Di Giuseppe, Head of Marketing for Active Sports at Perry Ellis Europe, added, “We’re so excited to welcome Rhys onboard as an ambassador for PGA Tour apparel. He’s at such an exciting time of his career and it’s clear to see his passion and ambition for golf, and his likeability.

“Rhys has his own strong sense of style and is proud of how he presents himself making him the perfect match for the brand. This partnership is a great step forward for us to raise awareness of the PGA Tour apparel collection.”