NatWest confirm 2018 Six Nations naming rights deal

NatWest and Six Nations Rugby have today announced a one-year sponsorship agreement that will see NatWest take on the naming rights for the 2018 Six Nations Championship. The agreement means that the 2018 Championship will be called the ‘NatWest 6 Nations’.

Six Nations Rugby CEO, John Feehan, said: “We are delighted to be announcing NatWest as title sponsor of the NatWest 6 Nations and the extension of our relationship with RBS.

“They have been excellent partners over the past 15 years and we know what an outstanding role they have played and will continue to play in the success of our Championship.

“I am sure it will be a wonderful event in 2018 with NatWest on board. They know how this great Championship works and there is no doubt that it is a very positive development for both us and for NatWest ahead of next season. We greatly look forward to it.”

David Wheldon, Chief Marketing Officer at NatWest, added: “We have been title sponsors of the Six Nations for the last 15 years and are delighted to be renewing our sponsorship for a further year under our customer facing NatWest brand.

“The 2018 NatWest 6 Nations will provide us with a platform to engage and build affinity with our customers and to offer our continued support to a sport with which we have had a long running and mutually beneficial relationship. The Six Nations also has a strong European reach where we also serve our customers through our NatWest brand.”

The next installment of the Championship kicks off in February 2018 when Wales host Scotland at the Principality Stadium.

Red Bull Air Race 2018 calendar to include first-ever stop in France

In 2018, the Red Bull Air Race World Championship will make eight stops around the globe, featuring classic series destinations and a premiere in Cannes – the first French race in the history of the sport.

The 2018 World Championship will take flight with a record 11th consecutive season opener in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Next: Cannes rolls out the red carpet for the series’ long-awaited debut in France.

With French pilots in both the Master Class and the Challenger Class – including the first woman to compete in the series, Mélanie Astles – the 370kmh action over the Riviera will mark one of the high points of the season.

The towering 25-meter Air Gates will rise at another European location – yet to be announced – for the third stop of the season; while the midpoint will be celebrated as the raceplanes once again speed under the iconic Chain Bridge in Budapest, Hungary.

The 2017 World Champion Yoshihide Muroya of Japan – the first Asian pilot ever to claim the overall title – is sure to be the center of attention when the second half of the calendar kicks off with a race in Asia slated for August at a location to be announced.

Then the event will return to Kazan, Russia, where the World Championship ignited the passion of the country’s motorsport fans with a maiden race in 2017.

The final two stops will take place at the USA’s famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the third year in a row, followed by a season finale, which will make history as the first to be held in Asia (location TBC).

BT Sport to show Women’s Ashes day-night Test for free online

BT Sport will make the decisive Women’s Ashes day-night Test available free to watch online.

Australia will retain the Ashes if they win the historic four-day match at the North Sydney Oval, which starts at 03:30am (GMT) on 9th November, 2017.

The game will be the first Ashes Test – men or women’s – to use the pink ball and will also be the first day-night Test ever played in the women’s game. The full four days will be available to watch completely free on both BT Sport’s website and app.

Fans will also be able to follow all the action on BT Sport’s new enhanced video player, which allows supporters to select key moments and view live in-game stats.

The match is also available on BT Sport’s Youtube channel.

Meanwhile, BT Sport will also be showing the two Men’s first-class Ashes warm up matches against a Cricket Australia XI on BT Sport’s Facebook page.

Sportcal and Yutang Sports to host SportAccord Convention 2018 delegate workshops

SportAccord Convention is delighted to confirm Sportcal, a world-leading provider of sports marketing intelligence, and Yutang Sports, the premier sports marketing platform in China, will host workshops revealing breaking news and insights from recent studies for delegates attending the SportAccord Convention set to take place from 15 – 20 April 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Selected as Principal media partners for their knowledge and expertise, the following workshops will provide the latest data, analysis and learnings for international sports federations, event hosts and rights holders, as well as any organisation involved in the business of sport.

Sportcal How Sporting Events can be a Driver for Social Change: Social initiatives have become embedded in the organisation of major sporting events. Sport has the power to bring communities together and to drive social change, but how exactly can this be achieved by event hosts?

Through its GSI Event Studies Programme, Sportcal conducted an in-depth analysis of event impacts for event owners and hosts throughout 2017 where twenty world championships and multisport games were studied.

The workshop will act as the first annual review of Sportcal’s GSI Event Studies Programme, and is designed to connect event owners, organisers and hosts to enable both knowledge exchange and a discussion on the social impact and cultural engagement generated by sporting events.

Yutang Sports Report on the 2017 Chinese Sports Sponsorship Market and how to achieve Good Partnerships in China. Following an in-depth study due to be published in March 2018, workshop delegates will have the opportunity to hear and discuss key highlights from the report.

The panel will address the characteristics of the Chinese sponsorship industry and how Chinese brands use sports sponsorship to achieve their goals. Delegates will also hear what Chinese brands want to get from the partnerships and their partners.

Other highlights will also include what needs should be put in place to educate Chinese brands, as well as what needs sports rights holders and event hosts should consider for brands.

The workshop will also include a keynote delivered by Li Jiang, Executive Director of Yutang Sports.

Glasgow Warriors sign strategic partnership with RHA

Glasgow Warriors Rugby Club has today announced a strategic partnership with RHA for the remainder on the 2017/2018 season.

As an official partner of Glasgow Warriors, the manufacturer will support the team and provide audio solutions for both players and staff.

RHA have already been in talks to identify projects where the partnership can benefit the club, with their expertise set to provide true-to-life audio to help the Glasgow Warriors on and off the field of play.

Glasgow Warriors Managing Director, Nathan Bombrys, said: “I’m delighted that RHA has chosen to partner with us. As an award-winning audio business, their expertise and technology will be hugely beneficial to the entire organisation.

“They’re a real Glasgow success story and we look forward to growing together for the remainder of the season.”

Lyndsey James-Williams, Head of Marketing and Business Development for RHA, added: “We are extremely proud to be partnering with Glasgow Warriors Rugby Team. Our global headquarters is less than three miles from the stadium and it’s a pleasure to be part of their official support network.

“The team shares many of RHA’s core values, including a focus on performance and providing an engaging experience for our customers and fans.”

Vodafone enters major partnership with Adelaide Strikers

Vodafone and the Adelaide Strikers have entered into a new major partnership embracing both the men’s and women’s teams.

The three-year deal starts from the beginning of the 2017-18 season and sees Vodafone become principal partner of the WBBL Strikers and major partner of the BBL Strikers.

As part of the agreement, Vodafone will receive prominent branding on team apparel, plus ample fan engagement opportunities.

Bronwyn Klei, Adelaide Strikers General Manager, said: “Vodafone is an ideal partner for us. It is a strong, well-known global brand and we are thrilled to have Vodafone supporting both our teams in the WBBL and BBL.

“The Adelaide Strikers have the most passionate supporters in the competition and our young demographic is digital-savvy and connected to the Strikers. We can’t wait for the season to start.”

Ben McIntosh, Vodafone’s Consumer Business Unit Director, added: “We’ve always had a passion for cricket and we’re thrilled to get back into such an iconic Australian sport, supporting the women’s and men’s competition with great enthusiasm.

“It’s an exciting time for Vodafone as we continue to disrupt the market with products and offers that give customers much needed freedom. We look forward to a cracking summer of cricket with the Adelaide Strikers and their fans.”

England Hockey announces Vitality as new official wellness partner

Vitality has today been announced as the official wellness partner of England Hockey as part of an innovative health partnership with both the men’s and women’s teams.

The agreement gives Vitality a wide range of assets, from stadium television advertising and perimeter board branding to elite player appearances.

Vitality has also agreed a deal to become title sponsor of the grassroots programme, Back to Hockey, and the 2018 Vitality Women’s Hockey World Cup.

England Hockey Commercial Director, Jonathan Cockcroft, said: “With shared values and goals, we are delighted to partner with Vitality as our Official Wellness Partner, Back to Hockey sponsor and title sponsor of the Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup.

“As hockey participation grows, we’re proud that our sport is making a positive contribution to the physical and mental wellbeing of people up and down the country. With a home World Cup on the horizon, we are excited to be working with Vitality to celebrate hockey, grow its fan base and inspire more people to pick up a stick.”

Neville Koopowitz, CEO of Vitality, added: “We believe in the power of sport to help inspire people to live a healthy life, which is why we partner with leading sports figures, teams and events to help us share the Vitality message.

“We are excited to be moving into hockey and these sponsorships are a brilliant way to support the continued progress of both the elite and grassroots game while at the same time telling a new audience about Vitality.”

The move into hockey further strengthens Vitality’s position in top level and grassroots sport. Vitality already partners with Arsenal FC, AFC Bournemouth, Liverpool FC, England Rugby, Scottish Rugby, Welsh Rugby, ECB and England Netball.

FIA Formula 2 expands 2018 calendar with all races set to support Formula 1

The FIA Formula 2 Championship has announced its 2018 race calendar, consisting of a total of 12 races.

All events will support the Formula 1 World Championship, with eight rounds set to be held in Europe while there will also be four flyaway events.

Two new venues – Le Castellet (France) and Sochi (Russia) – have been added to the calendar.

Bruno Michel, FIA Formula 2 CEO, said: “I am pleased to announce that next year’s calendar will hold twelve events alongside Formula One. One of our mission statements is to prepare young drivers to the next step: F1.

“Having all of our race weekends take place with F1 will help our drivers to learn as many F1 tracks as possible, but also to prove their race crafts directly in front of the F1 paddock.”

2018 FIA Formula 2 Championship Calendar*

April 6-8: Sakhir

April 27-29: Baku

May 11-13: Barcelona

May 24-26: Monaco

June 22-24: Paul Ricard

June 29-July 1: Red Bull Ring

July 6-8: Silverstone

July 27-29: Hungaroring

August 24-26: Spa

August 31-September 2: Monza

September 28-30: Sochi

November 23-25: Yas Marina

*Subject to final approval by the FIA WMSC

Eleven Sports adds darts and snooker rights to Belgium portfolio

Eleven Sports has added to its rights portfolio in Belgium with the acquisition of live and exclusive rights to the 2017/18 PDC World Darts Championship, the 2018 PDC World Cup of Darts and the Champion of Champions Snooker tournament.

All three events will be available to Eleven Sports subscribers on television, online, and on mobile via the Eleven Sports platform.

Danny Menken, Group Managing Director at Eleven Sports, said: “We are very pleased to extend our partnership with Matchroom Sport to bring more premium darts action – a sport that is popular locally in Belgium – to fans across the country.

“We are also thrilled to grow our portfolio by adding a leading Snooker tournament for the first time in this market.

“These additions signify more great progress for Eleven Sports, aligned to our strategy to meet un-met demand and make locally relevant, underserved content available for domestic fans in ways they want to consume it.”

Mark Lambert elected new chairman of The Rugby Players’ Association

Mark Lambert has today been elected as the new Chairman of The Rugby Players’ Association (RPA).

Having previously served as Vice-Chairman, the Harlequins prop received the unanimous backing of his fellow professionals on the RPA Players’ Board. A graduate of the Harlequins academy, Mark has made more than 215 appearances for the London club and this season marks his fifth on the board.

Mark will be supported in his new role by Northampton Saints’ second row Christian Day, who stepped down as Chairman but will assume the role of Vice-Chairman for the 2017/18 season. Christian originally joined the Players’ Board in 2011 and has spent the past three seasons as Chairman.

On his appointment Mark, said: “It’s an honour to have the opportunity to lead my fellow players as RPA Chairman for the 2017/18 season. Rugby is thriving in England but as the game continues to evolve, it’s vital that players have a strong, united voice on the issues that matter.

“While there will undoubtedly be challenges ahead, I am confident that the Board can build on its strong foundations to deliver for all RPA members on and off the field, and ensure that the players and their welfare remain the central issue in the game

“I’d also like to pay tribute to outgoing Chairman Christian Day. Christian has made a huge contribution to the game during his time on the Board and it’s great to be working with him as he assumes his new role as Vice-Chairman during his thoroughly deserved Testimonial Year.”

RPA Group CEO Damian Hopley, added: “During his time as a Player Representative, Mark has been a true champion for fellow professionals and an outstanding member of the RPA Players’ and Management Board.

“Mark has enjoyed a distinguished club career and brings a wealth of on and off-field experience to the role. We all believe that he will be an outstanding leader for professional rugby players in England over the months ahead.

“I would also like to place on record my sincere thanks to Christian for the instrumental role he has played as RPA Chairman since 2014. His tireless commitment to the cause has been an example to those around him and his continued involvement with the Board is a huge positive for the players and the game.

“This is going to be a critical year for the RPA and we are very fortunate to have such a capable and progressive Board led by Mark and Christian.”