Industry Shorts: Cfg, ECB, Lta, The Boat Race
City Football Group has added to its portfolio by jointly acquiring Sichuan Jiuniu FC, which plays in the third tier of Chinese football, in partnership with China Sports Capital and UBTECH, a global sponsor of Manchester City FC.
The Chengdu-based club becomes the seventh in the City Football Group portfolio, which includes the Premier League champions and New York City FC in Major League Soccer.
The move strengthens City Football Group’s already-significant presence in China, adding to its offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen, several commercial partnerships, community projects and a strong record of football education, with City coaches operating in schools in cities around China as part of a Chinese Ministry of Education programme.
The ECB has announced a number of appointments to its Communications team, led by the arrival of Claire Jackson from British Gymnastics.
Jackson, currently Head of Marketing and Communications at British Gymnastics, will provide maternity cover for ECB Head of Communications Jennie Stoddart-Scott, reporting to Director of Communications Chris Haynes.
The team will be further strengthened by the recruitment of Jo Pockett from Mongoose, Kirsty Munro from H+K Strategies and Stuart Clarke from British Rowing.
Former Sky Sports Comms Director James Motley has also come on board to oversee the development of communications related to the ECB’s ‘New Competition’.
Tennis Scotland and the LTA have announced the appointment of Leonardo Azevedo as Head Coach for their new GB National Tennis Academy at the University of Stirling, which opens this August.
The Brazilian former coach of ex-world number one Juan-Carlos Ferrero will lead a new coaching team dedicated to the academy, which is one of only two in the UK and will partner with Dollar Academy, offering eight of Britain’s top young tennis players the opportunity to study at one of Scotland’s leading independent schools.
The GB National Tennis Academy at the University of Stirling has also been boosted by Tennis Scotland’s announcement of Dunlop as its official tennis equipment partner in a multi-year deal, which covers the academy.
French footwear and textile brand Aigle has been revealed as the Official Boot Partner for The Boat Race in a deal brokered by Mongoose.
The agreement, which adds to recent partnerships announced with Wainwright and the RNLI, will see Aigle exclusively produce boots for The Boat Race squads in the traditional Dark Blue of Oxford and Light Blue of Cambridge. Similar boots in the university colours will also be retailed to the public.
