The Return Of The Digital Cafe: Featuring Chelsea, Documentaries, Formula 1 and… Ian Botham?

Welcome back to the Digital Café which has re-opened – with adequate distancing measures in place – to take a regular look at what’s happening, what’s relevant and what’s entertaining in the digital and social world of sport.

Taking up the staying at home advantage

One of the chinks of light in this dark, unprecedented period for sport has been that technology, and especially digital and social media, is sufficiently developed to compensate – to some degree – for the lack of action. While this has been far from adequate for the business of sport, it has ensured a continuation of fan interaction.

Had Covid-19 hit in, say, 2010, we would have not had the opportunity, content or audience to continue engaging with. While sport now means anything from an esports version of football to commentating on dogs, there has at least been an interaction. Even better for fans, the athletes and drivers themselves having access to production and posting means we get a glimpse at how they’re training in lockdown while also taking part in online competition. The ePL invitational means soccer stars from the English league are representing while at home and the F1 esports racing is an extension of drivers’ usual PlayStation simulator sessions – with added banter.

The level of content which looks back, rewinds and re-screens past triumphs and tragedies has been excellent – from ITV in the UK re-showing football matches to Chelsea’s excellent tweet referencing the 2016 English Premier League…

What will be interesting will be to see how sport emerges post-Covid. Teams, and players, will have new expectations to fulfil and hopefully some of the invention forced on them by circumstance will extend to non-pandemic times.

This idea was neatly encapsulated by Lewis Wiltshire, consulting partner at Seven League who said in the short-term sport requires emotional intelligence as fans retain engagement with their favourite sport/team/athlete, but longer term it will be business intelligence which is required to assess digital and social content and address the requirements of. Fans when sport returns. (LINK: https://sevenleague.co.uk/2020/03/24/how-the-digital-sports-industry-is-responding-to-coronavirus)

Whatever the decision of sporting bodies to re-start leagues, re-play cancelled games or re-schedule tournaments, sport in 2020 will be remembered for what was not contested rather for how, as an industry, we maintained interest and entertainment, before taking stock, re-setting and progressing our digital and social engagement.

Playing At Home

One of the small bonuses has also been the time to watch some great sports documentaries. Even if you know the outcome of the 2019 Formula One championship the second series of Drive to Survive is great. Although it does become a little too self-reverential and one of the great things about season one was the bigger teams did not take part, allowing the likes of Haas to tell their stories.

Both seasons of Sunderland Til I Die though are equally insightful (and heart-breaking) while The Last Dance has, rightly, been tipped as possibly the best sports documentary ever made. Its subject matter (the Jordan-era Chicago Bulls) helped. If you get the chance, seek out The Year of the Scab  (LINK: http://www.espn.com/30for30/film/_/page/YearoftheScab)  which ties in with The Last Dance and Last Chance U which gives not only some great back stories but also us Europeans an insight into how valuable college sports are in the US.

New Rules

There is of course, the resourcefulness of sports fanatics to keep us up to speed – whether it’s creating an F1 car at home (LINK: https://youtu.be/-Qlv9eYUyPk) out of cardboard or the rightly ubiquitous commentary from the BBC’s Andrew Cotter (LINK: https://youtu.be/f2BZNowCXws), which has been one of the lockdown season highlights.

One thing we didn’t know we needed however was this – demonstrating that while social in sport can be entertaining, sometimes you really need a quality filter for your ideas. From Bayer Crop Science, the question asked was: “What type of cricketer does your attitude to wheat disease control most closely resemble? Take our quiz for a chance to win some tickets to a future cricket match?” (LINK: https://twitter.com/Bayer4CropsUK/status/1248202946468331523) Frankly this is one idea which should have remained on the brainstorming Post-It note it was born on. Although I was Ian Botham, so, you know… not all bad.

Staying Entertained 

If you listen to one thing…

Check out Sports Wars which goes behind the headlines of in/famous sporting rivalries which divide fans, punters and sports. LINK: https://wondery.com/shows/sports-wars/

If you watch one thing…

While we all have to wait another 12 months to compete or watch the competitors in Tokyo, check out the official Olympic YouTube channel which has a massive library of action, compilations and behind-the-scenes videos. Bonus – it’s updated daily. LINK: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTl3QQTvqHFjurroKxexy2Q

If you follow one account…

The real-life football manager may have run things at Leicester, Liverpool and Celtic with a certain idiocyncratic eloquence, but the parody Twitter account Deluded Brendan takes things to new heights. Especially relevant if you want to see former Foxes striker Dion Dublin saying “stairs going up to the bedrooms” for two minutes on Homes Under The Hammer/ LINK:  https://twitter.com/DeludedBrendan

The Digital Cafe is provided by David Granger, former Global Head of Editorial Content at Red Bull Media House and current Head of Social Content Programming at Phillip Morris International.

Lancashire Cricket Returns Record Financial Results Ahead Of Coronavirus Impact

Lancashire Cricket Club has today reported the best-ever Ebitda (£7.6 million) for a First-Class County in its annual financial report for the year ending 31 December 2019. The Red Rose also reported record turnover of £34.0 million and net profit of £5.0 million, with all figures represent new benchmarks in the Club’s history.

The Emirates Old Trafford-based cricket club has seen operating profit grow tenfold in the past five years from £763,000 in 2015 (delivered on a turnover of £14.0 million), as Lancashire Cricket’s management successfully completed their strategy of continuing to diversify its business model, recruitment of best-in-class talent and targeted investment.

The 2019 cricketing summer was dominated by the ICC Cricket World Cup and the Specsavers Ashes Test series, with Emirates Old Trafford hosting twelve days of top level cricket, including the second day of the CWC19 semi-final after the first day was rain-affected, each in front of 23,500 capacity crowds.

Following the £60 million decade-long redevelopment of Emirates Old Trafford, the club was able to maximise its revenue returns from these high-profile fixtures across the summer. In particular, the world-class hospitality space, including the 150-bed on-site Hilton Garden Inn hotel, with 85 pitch facing rooms, providing high quality visitor experiences throughout the Cricket World Cup and Ashes Test. Overall revenues across these international matches exceeded £17.5 million.

Lancashire Cricket also saw a remarkable growth in last summer’s Vitality Blast attendances, increasing ticket sales by 34 per cent over the course of the campaign, compared to 2018 The club sold out the Roses Match against local rivals Yorkshire for the sixth year in a row and broke the  record attendance for a non-Roses three times during the season. The Club also achieved challenging budgets for sponsorship and combined hotel and Conference and Events sales. Lancashire Cricket continues to develop an enviable commercial partnership portfolio which includes global brands Emirates, Hilton and Heineken.

The returns from international cricket were supplemented by £8.4 million of revenue from conference and events activity at Emirates Old Trafford in line with its continued growth as a national venue of significance, with the Hilton Hotel, in only its second full year of trading, growing its average annual occupancy from 71 per cent to 78 per cent.

On the field, following the disappointment of relegation in 2018, the team bounced back with an undefeated campaign leaving them as runaway Second Division County Champions. Lancashire made it through the group stages of the Royal London One-Day Cup before being defeated by Hampshire in the semi-final. The team bowed out in the quarter-finals of the Vitality Blast, beaten by the eventual winners of the competition, Essex.

The Club continued to invest in its facilities to help protect and grow commercial revenues and improve the fan experience for match attendees. From a cricketing perspective, the main areas of investment were two new electronic scoreboards and replay screen, combined with the LED ribbon running in front two major stands, a first in cricket in the UK.

During the year, the Club successfully secured new long-term banking facilities with Metro Bank plc and in doing so consolidated all its existing debt, significantly extending the repayment profile and reducing the annual interest burden.

For the first time since 2010, and years of stadium re-development, the Club has returned to a positive reserves balance of £1.7 million. The Club has also reduced its net current liabilities position in the year from £8.7 million down to £489,008, whilst also reducing its reliance on advanced cricket receipts by a further £4 million.

Lancashire Cricket Chief Executive, Daniel Gidney, said: “2019 was a landmark year for the Club when years of investment in talent and the infrastructure of Emirates Old Trafford was rewarded and truly reflected in our financial results. I’m delighted that all key business streams performed ahead of expectations.

“To generate in excess of £30 million of non-broadcast revenues is truly remarkable and, to put it in perspective, better than some Premier League Clubs. These results are a record for published accounts, excluding minority interests and legacies, for any First-Class County and make this a proud day for the Red Rose.

“Clearly, these are now tough times as the Club navigates its way through the current COVID-19 pandemic, but these results at least help relief that financial burden. Our priority now is to work with our stakeholders to find a way for cricket to return as quickly as it is safe to do so. This will help us protect future revenues as much as possible and allow us to continue to invest in our infrastructure for the benefit of our Members and supporters.

“I would also like to personally thank all of Lancashire Cricket’s stakeholders for their continued and overwhelming support, not only in the last few months, which of course have been hugely challenging for everyone involved with the Club, but also over a number of years too.

Finance Director and Club Secretary, Lee Morgan, added: “The Club, through its re-financing with Metro Bank, its record 2019 revenues and raised level of core underlying trading, has created the best platform possible to manage and survive the uncertainties created globally by COVID-19.

“The Club has the venue in Emirates Old Trafford, talented people and recent track record of trading to demonstrate that, as well as being a much-loved local sporting institution, it is also a strong viable business with a platform that will enable us to return to our growth trajectory once we have navigated through the current crisis that is impacting our society, sport, leisure and events within that, so deeply.”

LaLiga Clubs To Start Training In Groups Of Up To Ten Today

LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank clubs will be able to start group training tomorrow, May 18th , with a maximum of ten players. This is a significant step towards restarting professional football in Spain, which has been on hold since March 12th due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

LaLiga President Javier Tebas featured this evening on the El Partidazo #BackToWin show on Movistar, LaLiga’s broadcaster in Spain, to announce the new developments ahead of the planned restart.

“Confirmation of group training helps to ensure that training remains equal,” he said. “It is important that everyone has the same opportunities, so we appreciate that this decision has been made.”

In addition, Tebas was optimistic about the possibility of having football every day when the competition returns: “It is what I hope,” he said. “We should not have any problems with playing on Mondays during the eleven matchdays that we have left. I hope for sensitivity of the Federation in this regard, because it is very important that we can give all our national and international operators, along with our fans in the world, the most days of football possible.”

Tebas also welcomed the return of the Bundesliga in Germany this weekend, adding: “I am very happy with its return. I have congratulated the Bundesliga because they have made a significant effort. We have worked a lot together in these months, we have exchanged protocols and ideas. I am very proud of the Bundesliga; it was not easy and they were the first. This is an example to follow.”

The resumption of group training sessions in Spain was laid out in LaLiga’s Return to Training protocol and agreed with the CSD (Spanish High Sports Council). The possibility of moving forward to this next phase of the strategy was one of the sports-related flexibility measures set out in Ministerial Order SND/414/2020, issued on May 16th .

Group training may be carried out by all clubs, regardless of the de-escalation phase of the province in which they are located. All training will adopt the preventive measures laid out by the LaLiga Return to Training Protocol to guarantee the highest levels of safety for everyone involved at all times.

ELEVEN SPORTS And World Football Summit Launch ‘Talking Sport’

Eleven Sports will partner with World Football Summit to launch a new webinar series, dedicated to looking at how the sports industry tackles the global pandemic and builds for the future.

The weekly webinar will bring together leading figures from across the world of sport, to share their insights and opinions with the wider industry.

Hosted by Sky Sports presenter David Garrido, Talking Sport will feature a panel of respected speakers each week from across the sport’s ecosystem. Federations, clubs, media publishers, e-sports platforms, investment experts and commercial partners will all be represented.

The debut episodes will be streamed LIVE and for FREE on Thursday 21 May at 4.30pm (UK time). The session, which is titled Sport’s great comeback – Fighting back from COVID-19, will feature Luis Vicente (Eleven Sports, CEO) alongside Peter Hutton (Facebook, Director of Sports Partnerships), Ricardo Fort (Coca-Cola, VP, Global Sports & Entertainment Partnerships) and Ralf Reichert (ESL, Co-Founder and Co-CEO).

Guests can register to watch the event now HERE.

Eleven Sports Group CEO Luis Vicente said of the series: “Now more than ever, the sports industry needs to walk together and work together to fight for a better future. For many years I have dedicated my professional life to transforming sports for the better and at Eleven Sports, I am proud to lead an organisation with that same missionary zeal.

“Through our new Talking Sport series, we will bring together leading figures from across the world of sport, to share expertise and insights with the wider industry. Our sessions will help to equip us all with the information we need to come through this period stronger than ever. I’m very excited to launch the series on Thursday.”

Eleven Sports and World Football Summit will partner for a total of six webinar episodes over the next two months.

Rangers Announce Historic New Kit Partnership With Castore

RANGERS Football Club is delighted to announce Castore, the fastest growing premium British sportswear brand, as its official kit and retail partner from the 2020-21 football season.

The multi-year partnership stands as one of the most valuable commercial partnerships in the club’s recent history and represents a major milestone in our ambition to achieve excellence, at every level of the club, in anticipation of our 150th anniversary year.

Castore have deliberately selected Rangers, the world’s most successful football club, as their flagship club, as they enter the football market, which will see them partner with 3-5 other major clubs across Europe in the next 18 months.

Castore is backed by a consortium of high-profile private investors worth a combined £5 billion. They include one of the UK’s wealthiest families who have invested to facilitate Castore’s entry into the global football market, where the brand believes there is an opportunity to disrupt the established players at the highest levels of the sport.

The company operates a digital, direct-to-consumer business model that has allowed it to grow extremely rapidly since launch and avoid the much-publicised challenges of many traditional bricks and mortar brands and now sells into 64 countries globally.

Steven Gerrard, Rangers manager, said: “This is a significant moment for our football club. The Beahon brothers, like myself, are proud of our Liverpudlian roots.

“Liverpool and Glasgow are proud cities. In both cities, the city makes the football club, and the football club makes the city.

“These guys understand the level of expectation on the clubs in our cities, that goes beyond simply winning football matches. This is a way of life. It is about setting the standard in every single facet of our club. It is about bringing everyone wearing that badge together. Castore get it.’’

Tom Beahon, Castore Co-Founder, commented: “In our search for our first elite club, nobody came close to matching Rangers.

“We cannot wait to be part of the next chapter of success for this prestigious football club. Rangers is an institution and the world’s most successful football club.

“Our business has grown rapidly since we started and we now have a group of very strong investors backing us, with very high expectations. Partnering with Rangers is a seminal milestone for us on our journey of building Castore into the brand we want it to be and we have absolutely no intention of stopping in our pursuit of our goals.’’

Phil Beahon, Castore Co-Founder, commented: “We have built this business ourselves, from the ground up, brick by brick. It has taken sacrifice, pain, and an immense amount of hard work to get us here.

“This is personal for us. We are fully aware of the expectations in partnering with this great club and are relishing the opportunity to make the supporters proud.

“Rangers supporters are in every corner of the United Kingdom and beyond. We are excited about seeing our brand, in royal blue, spread across the globe.”

John Bennett, Rangers interim Vice-Chairman, remarked: “Kit and merchandise has been one of the great challenges faced by Rangers and its loyal supporters in recent years, and this wonderful new partnership with Castore offers us a new beginning. This is a clean slate. A fresh start. A new era.

‘’We recognised instantly that Castore are incredibly ambitious but also have a strong financial backing through their shareholders to support this ambition.

“To be able to offer the products of our outstanding new partner at our Ibrox home is very significant. We can’t wait to see our supporters once again going through the megastore doors.’’

Stewart Robertson, Managing Director, concluded: “Rangers are thrilled to be entering into this terrific new partnership. Our club’s aim is to set the standard in everything we do – Castore share that vision.

“Our supporters are right to demand the best, and Castore’s high-end, high-quality merchandise meets that demand, whilst also providing an innovative and bespoke new product, given Rangers will be their first football partner.

“The fantastic work of James Bisgrove and the commercial team have made this possible, and they will continue to work closely with Castore to ensure this partnership becomes a benchmark within British sport.”

Member Insights: ‘We Could Well See Mergers And Acquisitions’ – How The Sports Betting Industry Has Been Affected By Covid-19

As the sports and betting industry starts the early days of its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, with the first signs of live sport returning this past weekend, Paul Fox, CEO of Mayfair International Holdings, takes a look at how the global betting giants have been dealing without live sport…

There is no getting away from the fact that this is a difficult time for global businesses across all industries. The Covid-19 pandemic has seen some sectors grind to a halt, and while online gambling should survive in the short-term, revenues have been drastically reduced across the board.

In terms of just how much revenue has been lost, it greatly depends on each individual brand. Some companies are completely sportsbook focused and have been greatly affected, while those that are more casino-based will not suffer as much. Our portfolio tends to be fairly split between sportsbook and casino, but it’s clear that everyone is vulnerable in the current climate.

There’s no doubt that betting and gaming will remain synonymous with one another in the coming years. The younger adult demographic of fans fits in perfectly with the target market of both sectors.

The lack of live sport has had a major impact on the day-to-day operations of the majority of companies and revenue streams have been hit hard as a result. We’ve gone from a bumper summer featuring the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games and UEFA EURO 2020 to a complete suspension of sporting events in some countries.

Plans are gradually being put in place for a return to elite level sport and that will provide a huge boost both for the morale of the general public, the betting operators that rely on that income stream and the teams and competitions who benefit from partnership income gaming companies provide.

With so little sport for fans to engage with, operators have had to be agile and innovate to survive. We’ve seen the emergence of virtual sports and esports during the pandemic from the ePremier League Invitational to Virtual F1.

Paul Fox, CEO of Mayfair International Holdings

There’s no doubt that betting and gaming will remain synonymous with one another in the coming years. The younger adult demographic of fans fits in perfectly with the target market of both sectors and, even before Covid-19, there was a clear move towards the growth of Esports. International gaming company LeTou – owned by Mayfair International Holdings – signed a collaborative partnership last year with Esports entertainment brand Fnatic and I expect many similar deals to be struck in the coming months and years.

We could well see a number of mergers and acquisitions as some of the smaller companies struggle to survive the difficult climate.

The betting industry as a whole will continue to suffer in the short-term and we could well see a number of mergers and acquisitions as some of the smaller companies struggle to survive the difficult climate.

One positive for brands is likely to be the reduction in sponsorship costs, with many commentators predicting that the era of mega broadcast deals and £100m+ transfers will come to an end.

Businesses are unlikely to spend big money without a clear and strategic return on investment and football clubs will be in a weaker position to negotiate with potential sponsors.

Every aspect of sport will return to a transformed landscape when competition begins again in earnest.

Only those brands with a robust business model will survive, but it is up to all stakeholders to work together to ensure that the ‘new normal’ results in a strong and positive sports industry for the world to enjoy.

TV4 Media Renew LaLiga Rights Following Champions League Deal

Nordic Broadcasting company TV4 Media have announced that they have extended their current deal to show Spanish football’s top division, LaLiga.

C More, one of the company’s channels, already had a deal in place to show LaLiga, however a new deal has now been reached for the next five year period, commencing in 2021 and culminating in 2026.

This comes just days after TV4 Media announced that they had won the rights to broadcast the UEFA Champions League in Sweden and Finland from 2021.

Casten Almqvist, CEO of TV4 Media, had said: “The UEFA Champions League has been at the top of our wish list of sports rights for a long time. This is the first example of how TV4 Media with Telia as our owner will raise the bar. The UEFA Champions League will be an important ingredient in creating Sweden’s and Finland’s best TV experiences.”

Now adding LaLiga to the Champions League, TV4 will have a large portion of football’s major rights in the region, while NENT has agreed a huge six year deal beginning in 2022, covering the whole Nordic region for Premier League football.

IRONMAN Announces Postponement Of 2020 IRONMAN World Championship And IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship

IRONMAN today announced in conjunction with host city partners and authorities in Hawai`i, United States and Taupō, New Zealand, that due to the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic, the 2020 editions of the IRONMAN® World Championship and IRONMAN® 70.3® World Championship cannot take place on their originally scheduled dates. The IRONMAN World Championship will now take place on February 6, 2021 returning to its historic original race month and marking 40 years since it first took place in Kailua-Kona on the Island of Hawai`i. While a new date for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship has not yet been determined, teams are working diligently with local and national officials and authorities to secure a date for early 2021.

IRONMAN has been closely monitoring the situation and guidance by the Hawaiian and New Zealand governments regarding mass gatherings, border and travel restrictions and other COVID-19 related issues to assess the feasibility of hosting the 2020 IRONMAN World Championship and 2020 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship. Additionally, as the global COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact events around the world, both world championship events have seen a majority of their respective qualifying events postponed or unable to take place in 2020, impeding the ability to produce and host truly competitive world championship events. Based on these factors and circumstances beyond our control, coupled with a mission to give athletes and communities as much preparation time as possible, it is clear the world championship events cannot proceed as planned in October and November, respectively.

Similar to 1982, there will be two editions of the IRONMAN World Championship in a single year (February and October) to accommodate athletes who qualify during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

As a result of the continued impact of COVID-19, the qualifying window for the 2020 edition of the IRONMAN World Championship has been extended to provide further qualification opportunities. The most up-to-date information on overall qualification details for the IRONMAN World Championship can be found at www.ironman.com/im-world-championship.

The IRONMAN World Championship is the pinnacle of endurance sports with athletes from all over the world coming to Kailua-Kona, Hawai`i after qualifying at events on six continents. Each year more than 94,000 athletes vie for coveted slots to the IRONMAN World Championship with approximately 2,500 athletes making it to the starting line on race day. In 2019, the IRONMAN World Championship generated a total economic impact of $72 million USD per a study conducted by Markrich Research. In addition to tourism, IRONMAN and the IRONMAN Foundation have provided a total of $1.9 million USD in grant funding to the Kailua-Kona region since the inception of the IRONMAN World Championship.

“The IRONMAN World Championship has been a cornerstone in showcasing our island’s attributes to the world for decades. We fully support their decision to postpone these races, and we feel that it is the right thing to do to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of our community,” said Ross Birch, executive director of the Island of Hawai`i Visitors Bureau. “It also allows supporting industries to prepare the resources necessary to maintain the high standard the event has created over the years. We look forward to welcoming them back when the time is right and will do our best to assist with the transition.”

“The County of Hawai`i supports IRONMAN’s difficult decision to postpone the October 2020 IRONMAN World Championship event to early 2021. We look forward to welcoming the athletes, their families and supporters in early February of 2021,” said Harry Kim, Honorable Mayor for Kona.

The IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship has grown in stature and popularity since its inception in 2006 and is now the culmination of over 100 events. Every year more than 200,000 athletes compete annually for a place among the world’s best with over 5,000 athletes ultimately making it to the two-day event. Based on past economic impact studies, the 2020 edition of the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship is expected to create a total impact reaching $20 million NZD for the host city and region.

Taupō District Mayor David Trewavas said the postponement was expected given the effect COVID-19 was having on New Zealand and indeed the world. “This was no doubt a difficult decision, but the most important thing is that we as a community are ready to welcome these athletes when the time is right. We are proud to be home to the iconic IRONMAN New Zealand triathlon and are ready to showcase exactly why that is to the rest of the world. Bring on 2021.”

Countdown To Spanish Football Return Kicks Off With New LaLiga #BackToWin Show

LaLiga and its international broadcast partners have started the countdown to the return of Spanish football by launching a special series called #BackToWin, which will be shown weekly to its international audiences.

The shows will reveal the main news stories from across LaLiga, including the overall strategy and preparations behind the return of LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank, as well as kick-off times and new broadcast features set to be introduced between now and the end of the current campaign.

The 30-minute episodes of #BackToWin will air weekly until the competition resumes. LaLiga president Javier Tebas will feature in the first of the programmes. Each weekly edition will see a leading figure from within LaLiga take centre stage and will involve the participation of several LaLiga Santander and LaLiga SmartBank players who will share their experiences of the lockdown in Spain and their expectations for when the LaLiga gets up and running again.

Football-related content focusing on the return to action will dominate this new show, which will also delve into football stats and storylines such as the race to be crowned LaLiga’s top scorer at the end of the season. LaLiga Ambassadors will also get involved by taking part a series of challenges, such as competing with each other to see how many shirts they can put on in the space of a minute.

#BackToWin is a show for LaLiga fans around the world and will be made available to all international broadcasters. Viewers in the UK and Ireland will be able to catch the episodes every Friday night at 8.00pm on 24-hour channel LaLigaTV, which is available on Sky (Ch. 435) as well as Virgin TV (Ch. 554) in the UK.

Harry Kane To Sponsor Leyton Orient’s Kit Next Season

England football captain Harry Kane has agreed a deal to sponsor League Two side Leyton Orient’s shirt next season in order to show support for frontline heroes following the coronavirus pandemic.

The side’s alternative kits will bear the names of two charities and Kane has agreed the deal following a spell on loan with the side in the early 2010s. It is the latest in a series of gestures from sportspeople during COVID-19.

Leyton Orient FC said:

During these troubling times Harry wanted to support the club that gave him his first professional start and not only has he been so generous to the club, but he has also donated the shirt sponsorship to the following three causes.

Home Shirt – A thank you message to the frontline heroes

Away Shirt – Haven House Children’s Hospice

Third Shirt–  Mind, the mental health charity.

This donation will enable the benefactors to receive hospitality, where guests of both Haven House and Mind can escape reality for an afternoon at the Breyer Group Stadium to enjoy The O’s in action.

They will also receive huge coverage during the season, and we are pleased to announce that 10% of proceeds of each shirt sale will be passed to that charity.

GIVING BACK

“I was born and brought up only at a couple of miles from the stadium and I am really happy to have the opportunity to give back to the club that gave me my first professional start,” said Harry Kane on the sponsorship.

“This also gives me a platform to be able to say a big thank you to the many frontline heroes and charities out there who provide care and support during these challenging times.”

A TRUE ROLE MODEL

“Well where to start,” said Danny Macklin, Leyton Orient Chief Executive. “What started with a simple idea has escalated into a very unique and emotive shirt sponsorship agreement.”

“When we discussed with the England captain Harry Kane and his team at CK66, we all decided that we wanted this to be unique.

“We wanted to say thank you for the exceptional hard work and dedication of the frontline heroes during this pandemic and also bring attention to the other charities out there who have all suffering financial loss due to the pandemic.”

“We are in uncertain and worrying times across the world but thanks to their efforts we will get through this together.”

“Thank you, Harry, for your amazing support and generosity – you are a true role model for the modern game.”

Josh Stephens, Head of Commercial, said: “Further to Danny’s comments, I think every Orient fan has a soft spot for Harry and it’s fantastic that Harry is supporting three extremely worthy causes.”

“He is also supporting the club during these challenging times and we are extremely grateful to him and all at CK66.”

“As we all look forward to live football, I for one cannot wait until the O’s run out at the Breyer Group Stadium donning the ‘Thank you frontline heroes’ message.”